James Badge Dale is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in The Departed (2006) and the TV series 24 (2003-2004). In this biography, Dale tells his story in his own words.

JAMES BADGE DALE BIOGRAPHY: AGE, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION

James Badge Dale was born on May 1, 1978 (James Badge Dale age: 43) in New York City. He is the only child of choreographer Grover Dale and actress Anita Morris. He studied acting at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York before becoming a professional.

JAMES BADGE DALE BIOGRAPHY: Exclusive Interview On His Acting Roots

In November 2019, Dale sat down with uInterview to discuss how he got his start in acting. He couldn’t point to the exact moment he decided to become an actor, stating, “I’ve done a lot of different things; I really couldn’t tell you which one matters.”

However, Dale remembered how he broke out of his shell and became fully confident in his acting abilities. “I would say [it was] the moment I learned to be fearless and trust myself,” he said. “I actually accepted it. I was like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna fail, and I’m gonna do something stupid, and if they fire me, I’m 100% fine with that.’”

This acceptance didn’t come naturally to Dale. He told uInterview exclusively about the anxiety he experienced while filming The Pacific, his 2010 HBO mini-series. “You had so much money and so many big people invested into this,” he explained. “To be standing on a set on your first day and have a $200 million as late-20-year-olds … I can’t tell you how we were so scared.”

But Dale didn’t let that fear stop him. He recounted how “something switched on the first day” and left him thinking, “‘You know what? Fire me.’”

Check out the full interview at the top of this page.

JAMES BADGE DALE BIOGRAPHY: MOVIES AND TV SHOWS

Dale’s first professional role came in 1991 when he played Simon in the film adaptation of Lord of the Flies. This production received generally positive reviews from critics and has acquired a cult following. Along with co-stars Balthazar Getty and Chris Furrh, Dale was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture.

Dale rode this wave of success into 2002. He had a minor role in the film On_Line and guest-starred on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The next year, he also appeared in an episode of the show Hack and in the movie Nola. Between 2003 and 2004, Dale scored his first major TV role, playing Chase Edmunds in 24 episodes of the hit series 24. His work earned him nominations at Cinescape, the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, and the 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Dale juggled both television and film roles in 2004. He played Rob-O in the movie Cross Bronx and Timo Gavin in three episodes of the show Rescue Me. The following year, he guest-starred in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation alongside William Petersen and Jorja Fox. Dale returned to the show’s CSI: Miami spinoff later that year. He also appeared in The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie.

In 2006, Dale got back into character as Chase Edmunds, whom he voiced in the video game adaptation of 24. But this project would soon be overshadowed by The Departed, Martin Scorcese’s iconic Boston-based crime drama. Dale played Trooper Barrigan in the film, which has received a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed nearly $300 million internationally. The Departed has been nominated for 139 awards and won another 98, including four Oscars. Dale – along with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and other stars – won the National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble.

In the wake of The Departed, Dale scored roles in the TV movie Fort Pit and series The Black Donnellys (2007). He went on an acting hiatus for three years but returned with a vengeance. His comeback role was that of Kevin in Nonames, a drama starring Gillan Jacobs and Barry Corbin. The movie was nominated for Best Feature Film at Method Fest. It also earned Dale, Jacobs and Corbin the Copper Wing Award for Best Ensemble Acting at the Phoenix Film Festival.

2010 remained eventful for Dale. He played PFC Robert Leckie in ten episodes of the HBO mini-series The Pacific alongside Rami Malek and Tom Hanks. This role garnered much critical acclaim and earned Dale multiple award nominations. Among these were the TV Award Actor at the Gold Derby Awards; Best Actor from the Online Film & Television Association; and a Prism Award.

Still, in 2010, Dale played William Hamilton in The Conspirator with James McAvoy and Robyn Wright. He also acted in the film Polish Bar, which won two awards at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. To wrap up the year, Dale starred in the TV series Rubicon as protagonist Will Travers. 

The next two years were quieter for Dale. In 2011, he acted in the films Shame and The Grey. The following year, he appeared as a minor character in Flight. Dale’s career began ramping up again in 2013 with the release of Iron Man 3. Dale played Savin as part of an all-star cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Downey Jr. and Sir Ben Kingsley. But his work didn’t stop there. Dale acted in three more films in 2013: Parkland, The Lone Ranger and World War Z.

2014 brought Dale two more movie roles. He played the Sheriff in Miss Meadows and Laurent in Stretch, also starring Ed Helms and Jessica Alba. In 2015, Dale appeared in The Walk and Echoes of War. He played Tyrone “Rone” Woods in the 2016 film 13 Hours, which was nominated for an Oscar. Dale’s next two projects were the movies Spectral (2016) and Only the Brave (2017).

After a relatively dry 2017, Dale got back in action. He played Ian in Little Woods and Whalen in Donnybrook (2018). He held the lead role in The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, a crime thriller also featuring Chris Mulkey. Finally, Dale portrayed Donald Miriam in Hold the Dark. In 2019, Dale played Sal Porter in Into the Ashes. His most recently completed projects have been the films The Kitchen and Mickey and the Bear. 

Fans of Dale’s have multiple projects to look forward to in the coming year. He is set to play Detective Ray Abruzzo in an upcoming episode of the TV series Hightown. Dale is also expected to appear in the film The Empty Man on August 7, 2020.

JAMES BADGE DALE BIOGRAPHY: PERSONAL LIFE, DATING HISTORY, ZODIAC

Dale takes great pains to keep his personal life private, so little is known about his dating history. He is currently unmarried with no children. He is a Taurus and goes by “Badge” among his friends. He is 5’10” with a net worth of approximately $1.5 million.

JAMES BADGE DALE BIOGRAPHY: QUOTES

“I come from a family of actors. My mother was an actress and dancer on Broadway and my father was an actor and dancer on Broadway before going into choreography. I grew up in a crazy, gypsy-like household of actors, dancers and loony Broadway people. It was their way of life and I didn’t know anything else.”

“What I found is that – this holds true today – people know you from your work and they have an immediate reaction, good or bad. What I found most uncomfortable was that people who I didn’t personally know, somehow thought they knew me. It felt so wrong. It’s one of the big reasons why I shied away from acting when I was younger.”

“The biggest regret I have about ‘Rubicon’ is that we didn’t end it. Sometimes you do these shows and you don’t have the opportunity to get closure. Stories are supposed to have a beginning, middle and an end. A number of my friends are on successful TV shows that run year after year and we always have this conversation. You get unto the second year and it’s like ‘I’m doing the same material over and over.’ They may be millionaires living up in the Hollywood Hills, but you know they’re going absolutely crazy. Actors get lost because of that.”

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