--- name: "James Duval" canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-duval" fi1m_id: "james-duval" imdb_id: "nm0001166" tmdb_id: 1582 wikidata_id: "Q964783" roles: ["Actor"] born: "10 September 1972" reviewed_on_fi1m: 4 average_fi1m_score: 68 average_as: "actor" average_over: 4 updated: "2026-10-05T02:03:38.644829+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # James Duval ## Identity James Duval - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-duval - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** james-duval - **IMDb ID:** nm0001166 - **TMDB ID:** 1582 - **Wikidata ID:** Q964783 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duval, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q964783, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001166/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1582 Actor. Born 10 September 1972 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 10 September 1972, Detroit, Michigan, USA - **Active:** 1996–present - **Also known as:** Jimmy Duval, James Edward Duval, جیمز دووال - **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 4 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 75 (1), 2000s 62 (2), 2020s 73 (1) - **Fi1m against the critics:** 68 to 62 across 4 titles - **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 0 of 2 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Action 2, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Drama 1, Fantasy 1 - **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $1,064m across 4 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Duval, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q964783, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001166/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1582 ## Streaming the US now - **Disney+:** [*Donnie Darko*](https://film.one/film/donnie-darko.md) (83) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on James Duval > James Duval makes vulnerable young men believable when their surroundings turn strange. We value his earnestness in Gregg Araki’s films and the seriousness that makes a prophetic rabbit unnerving in *Donnie Darko*. In *Donnie Darko* (2001), James Duval plays Frank, a prophetic rabbit whose presence could easily make the teenage distress around him look ridiculous. It does not, and that is a considerable part of the performance’s value. We were unnerved by Frank because his predictions take Donnie’s dread so seriously, with no suggestion that we should laugh it off. Richard Kelly keeps the boy’s vulnerability in view, rather than allowing the visitor to turn the film into a joke. It is a supporting role on which a surprising amount of the film depends. His earlier leading roles for Gregg Araki make direct use of his vulnerability, placing earnest or romantic young men amid alienation and surreal violence. *Totally F***ed Up* (1993), *The Doom Generation* (1995) and *Nowhere* (1997) form Araki’s Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy, with Duval a lead throughout. Araki is the crucial collaborator here, making room for Duval’s naturalism inside films that have little obligation to behave naturally. We find that earnestness more useful than a knowing performance would be, because it keeps the people worth caring about. The mainstream turn was *Independence Day* (1996), with Duval in the supporting role of Miguel Casse. He worked on it alongside *Nowhere*, so this was no clean departure from Araki’s cinema. He followed *Donnie Darko* with a part as Blank in the independent horror film *May* (2002). His later career has continued through independent films and supporting parts across film and television. Frank is a useful reminder that a supporting part can determine whether a film’s strangest idea works at all. That does not make Duval a guarantee that the material will work. Even *Donnie Darko*, which we recommend, lets its science fiction become needlessly difficult. Jake Gyllenhaal keeps Donnie’s distress believable when the plot is hard to follow, and Kelly is wise enough to let the performances sustain our interest. Duval’s contribution is narrower, but necessary: if Frank were merely absurd, the boy’s fear would be harder to share, however well Gyllenhaal played it. Start there for Duval, provided a little unnecessary puzzling does not put you off. ## Biography James Duval is an American actor. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, on 10 September 1972 and moved with his family to the Los Angeles area as a young child. He began his career working as an extra before being cast by Gregg Araki in the director's early films. Duval is known for his roles in Araki's Teenage Apocalypse trilogy, including *Totally F***ed Up* (1993), *The Doom Generation* (1995) and *Nowhere* (1997). He played Frank in *Donnie Darko* (2001), Miguel in *Independence Day* (1996) and Singh in *Go* (1999). Other credits include *SLC Punk!* (1998), *May* (2002) and *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000). *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (4) - *I Want Your Sex* (2026), Fi1m 73, as Justice of the Peace — [page](https://film.one/film/i-want-your-sex.md) - *Donnie Darko* (2001), Fi1m 83, as Frank — [page](https://film.one/film/donnie-darko.md) - *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000), Fi1m 40, as Freb — [page](https://film.one/film/gone-in-sixty-seconds.md) - *Independence Day* (1996), Fi1m 75, as Miguel — [page](https://film.one/film/independence-day.md) ## Complete filmography (125) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Pay to Die* (2026), as Tony - *I Want Your Sex* (2026), as Justice of the Peace — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/i-want-your-sex.md) - *Boris Is Dead* (2026), as Emilio - *Numbskull Revolution* (2026), as Futurecide - *Skate to Hell* (2026), as Buck - *Marriage Bites* (2025), as Nelson - *In from Outside* (2025), Actor - *Cutaways* (2025), as Sammy - *The Legend of Catclaws Mountain* (2024), as Marcus McKinley - *Aftermath* (2024), as Martin - *Woods Witch* (2023), as Garrett Gaspar - *Future Punks* (2023), Actor - *Free LSD* (2023), as Homeless Man / The Producer - *First Person Savior* (2023), as Tragedy - *Vision* (2023), as Dex Abrams - *Night of the Zomghouls* (2022), as Bodhi - *Amityville Karen* (2022), as Troy - *Tales from the Other Side* (2022), as Elijah - *Without Ward* (2022), Actor - *The Runner* (2022), as Television Announcer - *I, Challenger* (2022), as Sid - *Bury Me* (2022), as Sid - *Nightshade* (2022), as Officer Camello - *Under the Palm Tree* (2021), as Dan Taylor - *The Video Store* (2021), as Agent Elliot - *Booze, Broads and Blackjack* (2020), as Oscar Chavez - *Beast Mode* (2020), as Huckle Saxton - *Noirland* (2020), as Tiberius Malloy - *Spinning Dry* (2019), as Samuel 'Norm' Normandie · Writer - *Darling Nikki* (2019), as Ethan - *From the Dead* (2019), as Eddie - *Now Apocalypse* (2019), series, as Homeless Man - *Junkie* (2019), as Kie Alexander - *American Nightmares* (2018), as Felix - *Mission Possible* (2018), as Harry - *Garlic and Gunpowder* (2018), as Archie Bocci - *Spreading Darkness* (2017), as Mark Minscourri - *The Black Room* (2017), as Leo - *The Abduction of Jennifer Grayson* (2017), as Jeremy - *It Watches* (2016), as Guy - *American Romance* (2016), as Stewart Miles - *Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2* (2016), as John The Mod - *Tales of Halloween* (2015), as Dante - *Appetites* (2015), as Paul - *Shut Up and Drive* (2015), as Ben - *Dutch Hollow* (2015), as Patrick Lewis - *American Muscle* (2014), as Tommy Two-Tone - *Catch of the Day* (2014), as Detective Alex Hoyt - *Lazarus: Apocalypse* (2014), as Roger Abel - *BoJack Horseman* (2014), series, as The Grip (voice) — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/bojack-horseman.md) - *Hercules Reborn* (2014), as Horace - *Five Thirteen* (2014), as Reggie - *Dead Sea* (2014), as Said - *Tom Holland's Twisted Tales* (2014), as Toughey (segment "Shockwave") - *Carlos Spills the Beans* (2014), as Gay Scott - *Tom Holland's Twisted Tales* (2013), series, as Toughey - *Prevertere* (2013), as Blade - *Amelia's 25th* (2013), as Evan - *American Idiots* (2013), as Arrowroot - *All Together Now* (2013), as Zeke - *9 Full Moons* (2013), as Terry - *Blue Dream* (2013), as Robert Harmon · Co-Producer - *Sushi Girl* (2012), as Francis - *Look at Me* (2012), as Frank - *Not Another Not Another Movie* (2011), as Miguel - *The Black Belle* (2011), as James Duval (as Jimmy Duval) · Producer - *Alyce Kills* (2011), as Vince - *Touchback* (2011), as Rodriguez - *Playback* (2010), as Clark - *Kaboom* (2010), as The Messiah - *Hawaii Five-0* (2010), series, as Kaili Huikala — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/hawaii-five-0.md) - *Everything Will Happen Before You Die* (2010), as Paynie "The Eagle" - *The Black Waters of Echo's Pond* (2010), as Rick - *On Holiday* (2010), as Henry - *Caller ID: Entity* (2010), as Miles - *Cornered!* (2009), as Jimmy - *Thirsty* (2009), as Beverage Announcer (voice) - *Penance* (2009), as Sleazy Party Guy - *2 Dudes and a Dream* (2009), Actor - *Toxic* (2008), as Brad - *The Art of Travel* (2008), as Taylor 'One Ball' - *Evilution* (2008), as Asia Mark - *Kush* (2007), as Cyrus - *The Pacific and Eddy* (2007), as Noel - *Mad Cowgirl* (2006), as Thierry - *Chasing Ghosts* (2005), as Dmitri Parramatti - *Standing Still* (2005), as Store Clerk - *Venice Underground* (2005), as Luscious Jackson - *Open House* (2004), as Joel Rodman - *Frog-g-g!* (2004), as Freb - *May* (2003), as Blank - *Pledge of Allegiance* (2003), as Ray - *Comic Book Villains* (2002), as Baz - *Scumrock* (2002), as Drew - *Amerikana* (2001), as Chris - *The Doe Boy* (2001), as Hunter - *Donnie Darko* (2001), as Frank — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/donnie-darko.md) - *This is how the world ends...* (2000), series, as Blue - *Gone in Sixty Seconds* (2000), as Freb — Fi1m 40, [page](https://film.one/film/gone-in-sixty-seconds.md) - *The Weekend* (1999), Actor - *Go* (1999), as Singh - *The Clown at Midnight* (1999), as George - *SLC Punk* (1998), as John the Mod - *How to Make the Cruelest Month* (1998), as Westy - *Wild Horses* (1998), as Jimmy - *River Made to Drown In* (1997), as Jaime - *Nowhere* (1997), as Dark - *Independence Day* (1996), as Miguel — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/independence-day.md) - *The Doom Generation* (1995), as Jordan White - *Totally F***ed Up* (1994), as Andy - *Mod Fuck Explosion* (1994), as Smack (Biker) - *An Ambush of Ghosts* (1993), as Student #1 - *Bits*, as Brian - *GodHead*, as Will - *Kim Kahana: The Man who changed Hollywood*, as Kim Kahana - *Camp Triple Moon*, as Deputy Carl Compton - *The Golden Fleece*, as Jordan Smyth - *Fear Anonymous*, as Elliott - *Bad Day For Bigfoot*, Actor - *Just South of Insanity*, Actor - *The First Circle*, as Paul Porter - *Bikers vs Werewolves*, as Miguel - *Cheer Bloody Murder*, as Reeves - *Butch Cassidy's Forgotten Outlaw*, as Elzy Lay - *Alien Horde*, as Sutton ## Gallery - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-19be77caef1c.jpg) James Duval — Flickr user "Tica Productions", CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/James_Duval_2011.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled) - ![James Duval (2022)](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-f9cffcbeb5c5.jpg) James Duval (2022) — Leredacteurx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/JamesDuval.jpg/1280px-JamesDuval.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail) - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-febfb8d0f5be.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-ca4541c35a59.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-618f99af0add.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-025ce2ed86da.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-5cacb108fe6b.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB - ![James Duval](https://film.one/media/person/95308/gallery-2859fdd9d64f.jpg) James Duval — Image via TMDB --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/james-duval