James D'Arcy was born Simon Richard D'Arcy in London, England, to Caroline (O'Connor) and Richard D'Arcy. He was raised by his mother, a nurse. He trained at LAMDA and graduated in July 1995. During his three-year course, he gained acting experience by appearing in the plays "Heracles", "As You Like It", "Wild Honey", "The Freedom of the City" and "Sherlock Holmes". His television appearances include the series Affaires non classées (1996), The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (1997), Sunburn (1999) and Inspecteurs associés (1996) and the dramas, The Ice House (1997), The Canterville Ghost (1997) and Ruth Rendell's Inspecteur Wexford: Bribery & Corruption: Part One (1997).
He played the star roles in the series Rebel Heart (2001) and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (2001). D'Arcy's film credits include La tranchée (1999), The Bass Player Peter, Charity, Oscar Wilde (1997) and Hôtel Paradiso, une maison sérieuse (1999).
