James Wesley Marsters (born August 20, 1962 in Greenville, California) is an American actor, best known for playing the popular character Spike, a vampire, in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel.

His father was a Methodist minister, and his mother a social worker. He has an older sister and a younger brother. The family moved to Modesto, California when he was a child. Dreaming about becoming an actor since he played Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh in fourth grade, James joined the theater group at his high school, acting in many plays, including musicals.