James Marsden was first seen in the 1993 made-for-television action drama film ‘In the Line of Duty: Ambush in Waco.’ After making brief appearances in television series like ‘Joe's Life’ (1993), ‘The Nanny’ (1993), and ‘Saved by the Bell: The New Class’ (1993), he made his film debut in the comedy film ‘No Dessert, Dad, till You Mow the Lawn,’ directed by Howard McCain. Following his debut, he starred in films like ‘Public Enemies’ (1996), ‘Campfire Tales’ (1997), ‘Disturbing Behavior’ (1998), and ‘Gossip’ (2000). In 2000, Marsden got his breakthrough role as ‘Scott Summers / Cyclops’ in the superhero film ‘X-Men’ directed by Bryan Singer. The film opened to critical acclaim and was a major box office success, grossing over $296.3 million on a budget of $75 million. The following year, he portrayed ‘John Wilkes Booth’ in the American comedy film ‘Zoolander,’ directed by Ben Stiller. The film received mixed response from critics and was a commercial success.
In 2003, he reprised his role as ‘Scott Summers / Cyclops’ in ‘X2,’ the sequel to the 2000 film ‘X-Men.’ The film received positive reviews upon release and made big numbers at the box office. Marsden starred as Lon Hammond in the romantic drama film ‘The Notebook,’ directed by Nick Cassavetes. While the film received a lukewarm response from critics, it was a massive commercial success and grossed over $117.8 million on a budget of $29 million. In 2006, he appeared in the superhero film ‘Superman Returns.’ The film opened to positive reviews and was a moderate box office success. Disappointed with the box office returns of the ‘Superman Returns,’ Warner Bros. canceled a planned sequel for the film. That same year, he returned to play ‘Scott Summers / Cyclops’ in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand.’ The film was a box office success and went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2006.Â
Marsden went on to star in films like ‘Enchanted’ (2007), ‘Sex Drive’ (2008), ‘Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore’ (2010), ‘Straw Dogs’ (2011), ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’ (2013), ‘The Best of Me’ (2014), ‘Accidental Love’ (2015), and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019). In 2020, he starred as ‘Tom Wachowski’ in the adventure comedy film ‘Sonic the Hedgehog.’ The film received positive reviews from critics and was a major commercial success. Marsden was last seen in the 2021 computer-animated fantasy comedy film ‘My Little Pony: A New Generation’ where he voiced ‘Hitch Trailblazer.’ He is all set to appear in the upcoming American live-action/animated musical fantasy romantic comedy film ‘Disenchanted.’ He will also be seen in the upcoming ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ where he will reprise his role as ‘Tom Wachowski.’