Jim Carter

Actor

• Born: August 19, 1948
• Place of Birth: Harrogate, England

Contribution: Jim Carter is a well-known and highly praised film and theater actor hailing from Yorkshire, England. Carter has starred in many high-profile films but is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Mr. Carson, the aging butler on Downton Abbey.

Background

Jim Carter went to law school for two years in the 1960s but dropped out to study English. After that, members of a small theater called the Brighton Combination asked him to join them in exchange for free room and board. Carter learned a great deal at the theater and earned extra money teaching magic and juggling. Since then, Carter has acted on stage, on television, in films, and through voice-overs.

Career

Carter’s television and film career was officially launched in the 1980s. He first appeared in two episodes of the series Fox in 1980 as the character Cliff Ryan. That year he also had a small role in the film adaptation of Flash Gordon. From there, Carter landed his first major role in a film as Inspector Noble in A Private Function (1984) and starred on the second season of Starstrider (1985) as the title character. Also in 1984, he landed a role in Val Kilmer’s comedy Top Secret!

Another role soon followed in 1985: Carter appeared in the comedy Western Rustlers’ Rhapsody. After this, he had a role in the horror-comedy musical Haunted Honeymoon (1986). Next was a first-billed role in the television movie Harry’s Kingdom (1987), in which two crooked salesmen duke it out at an annual company dinner. During the same year, Carter appeared in A Month in the Country alongside Kenneth Branagh. In 1988, Carter was cast in a British-Australian made-for-TV movie, The First Kangaroos, the story of how the Australian Rugby League first came to England.

During the 1990s Carter impressed international audiences with his many leading movie roles in such films as The Witches (1990), Black Beauty (1994), The Madness of King George (1994), Richard III (1995), and Brassed Off (1996). He portrayed the drunk actor Ralph Bashford in Shakespeare in Love (1998), which garnered seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Carter performed alongside his wife, Imelda Staunton, in the film.

In the following decade, Carter appeared in films such as The Little Vampire (2000), 102 Dalmatians (2000), and Ella Enchanted (2004). He was also the voice of the Executioner in Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Perhaps Carter’s greatest feat to date, however, is his portrayal of Mr. Carson, the Crawley family’s loyal but aging butler on the hit series Downton Abbey (2010–15). Carson is a lifelong servant who obsessively models correct behavior. When asked what Carson would do if he retired, Carter has said that his character would not be able to forego the routine, customs, and teamwork that come with working for an institution such as Downton Abbey. Carter has received four consecutive Emmy Award nominations (2012–15) for his role on the series, and, together with the rest of the cast (which includes Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern), also won three Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding ensemble performance in a drama series, for 2013, 2015, and 2016. Carter reprised his role as Mr. Carson for the 2019 film Downton Abbey.

Carter has taken on several roles during the latter half of the 2010s. These include voice performances on the animated features Transformers: The Last Night (2017) and The Little Vampire 3D (2017, and appearances as the Earl of Kent in the 2018 television movie King Lear, a member of a men's synchronized swimming team in the 2018 feature film Swimming with Men, and Pope Boniface VIII in the television series Knightfall (2017–19). He also plays a con man in the 2019 dramatic thriller The Good Liar opposite Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.

After voicing the character Bernard Grubb in the video game Wallace & Gromit: The Big Fix Up in 2020, Carter once again reprised his role as Mr. Carson in the 2022 film Downton Abbey: A New Era. That same year he also voiced the King in the animated feature The Sea Beast. In 2023, he appeared as Abacus Crunch in Wonka, which was nominated for numerous awards. In addition to a short feature film with a scheduled release in 2024, Carter continued to portray his most famous character in the third big-screen version of the Downton Abbey series produced for a 2025 release.

Impact

Jim Carter has appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career but has recently become renowned for his role as Mr. Carson on Downton Abbey. As Carson, Carter has received critical acclaim and contributed to the success of this international hit series.

Personal Life

In addition to acting, Carter does voiceovers, runs the Hampstead Cricket Club, and enjoys cycling and gardening. He met his wife, actor Imelda Staunton, at a 1982 production of Guys and Dolls. Their daughter, Bessie, was born in 1993.

Bibliography

Casey, Neil. “Actor Jim Carter Talks Downton Abbey and Autumn Love for Mr. Carson.” Gothamist. Gothamist, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 July 2013.

Greene, David. “Downton Abbey Cast: It’s More Fun Downstairs.” Morning Edition. NPR 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 July 2013.

"Jim Carter." IMDb, www.imdb.com/name/nm0141697/. Accessed 17 Sept. 2024.

PBS. “Downton Abbey; Characters: Jim Carter.” Masterpiece. PBS, n.d. Web. 19 July 2013.

Rothman, Lily. “A Proper Talk with Actor Jim Carter: Downton Abbey’s Mr. Carson Talks to TIME.” Time. Time, 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 July 2013.

Shenton, Mark. “20 Questions with . . . Jim Carter.” What’s On Stage. What’sOnStage.com, 1 Aug. 2005. Web. 19 July 2013.

Staunton, Imelda. “We’ve Been Married 29 Years. That’s Rather Good.” Interview by Lydia Slater. Times [London] 22 Dec. 2012: Features 1+. Print.