James D'Arcy was born on August 24, 1975, in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. He spent most of his childhood in Fulham, London, alongside his younger sister, Charlotte. The siblings were primarily raised by their mother, who worked as a nurse, after the passing of their father, Richard, shortly after Charlotte's birth. Despite financial challenges, the family managed with their mother's income. D'Arcy has family roots spread across England, Ireland, and Scotland.

He completed his secondary education in 1991 at Christ’s Hospital, commonly known as The Bluecoat School, in West Sussex. Following this, he spent time in Australia, during which he developed an interest in acting while attending drama school in Perth. Motivated to pursue acting professionally, he returned to the United Kingdom and enrolled at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), where he studied for three years and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Acting.

Career in Television and Film

D'Arcy began his professional acting career in 1996, appearing in the British crime drama Silent Witness. That same year, he also had roles in the television series Dalziel and Pascoe and Brookside. His breakthrough continued in 1997, during which he worked on six different projects, including The Ice House and the biographical film Wilde, directed by Brian Gilbert.

In the early 2000s, D'Arcy secured a number of notable roles. In 2001, he played Ernie Coyne in the British television mini-series Rebel Heart and starred in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, a TV adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel directed by Stephen Whittaker. Throughout his career, he has appeared in over 60 films and television series, showcasing versatility across a range of genres.

One of his more high-profile roles came with the 2015 science fiction film Jupiter Ascending, directed by the Wachowskis. He starred alongside Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, and Sean Bean. While visually ambitious, the film underperformed at the box office, earning approximately $184 million on a production budget reportedly around $176 million.