Duncan Airlie James

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Duncan Airlie James
Duncan Airlie James Headshot.jpg
BornDuncan Campbell
(1961-05-23) 23 May 1961 (age 63)
Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight15 st 6 lb (98 kg)
Division Heavyweight
Style Kickboxing, Muay Thai
Fighting out of Glasgow, Scotland
TeamStrikeforce

Glasgow

Domino’s Kirkintilloch
Years active1993–2006
Kickboxing record
Total48
Wins32
Losses14
Draws2
No contests0
Other information
OccupationActor / Former Kickboxer
Website http://www.duncanairliejames.com/

Duncan Airlie James (born Duncan Campbell; 23 May 1961) is a Scottish retired kickboxer and actor best known for his roles in Tomb Raider and ID2: Shadwell Army . He was the first Scottish fighter to win a world Muay Thai title and fight in K-1.

Contents

Early life

James was born Duncan Campbell and was educated at the fee-paying Keil School where he was a competitive rugby player. His martial arts background began when he took up Shotokan karate. He was also a drummer and played with a number of bands including Nazareth. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts in the US to pursue new musical avenues. [1]

He is the older brother of Scottish composer Ross Campbell.

Kickboxing career

When he returned to Scotland, he took up Muay Thai kickboxing in the late 1980s. In 1993, he won his first title, the World Kickboxing Association Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Championship. After successfully defending that title, he vacated it and moved up to the Cruiserweight division and later the Heavyweight division where he won a number of other titles. In February 1999, he made his K-1 debut against Japanese legend Musashi at K-1 Rising Sun '99 and lost via technical knockout after being knocked down three times in the third round. He went on to fight twice more in Japan that year, drawing with Yoji Anjo and losing to karate master Nobuaki Kakuda.

He retired in 2006 with a record of 32 wins, 14 losses and 2 draws.

Titles and honours

Muay Thai:

Kickboxing:

Kickboxing record

32 Wins, 14 Losses, 2 Draws
DateResultOpponentEventMethodRoundTimeLocationNotes
2006Loss Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Daniel WaciakowskiTKO (shoulder injury)For WPKL and KL World Heavyweight Championships.
15 April 2006Loss Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Giuseppe DiNataleColosseum 2TKO (punches) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaFor IKF World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship.
May, 2005Win Flag of Hungary.svg Tibor NagyWPKA/WKFDecision (Unanimous)-- Flag of Scotland.svg Glasgow, ScotlandWins WPKA and WKF World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championships.
22 February 2004Loss Flag of England.svg Chris Batcheldor K-1 Battle of Britain 2004 Decision33:00 Flag of England.svg Wolverhampton, England
November, 2003Win Flag of Italy.svg Angelo Grenata WAKO TKO2- Flag of Italy.svg Palermo, ItalyWins WAKO World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship.
13 April 2003Loss Flag of England.svg Phil Williams K-1 World Grand Prix 2003 Preliminary UK Decision53:00 Flag of England.svg Birmingham, England
5 April 2002Loss Flag of Belarus.svg Sergei IvanovichDecision31:53 Flag of Scotland.svg Motherwell, Scotland For WAKO and ISKA World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championships.
30 June 2001Win Flag of France.svg Stephane ReveillonWorld Kickboxing NetworkKO1- Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Belfast, Northern IrelandWins World Kickboxing Network World Heavyweight Muay Thai Championship.
April, 2001WinFlag placeholder.svgKO1 Flag of England.svg Worcester, England Wins WKA International Super Heavyweight Championship.
16 April 2000Loss Flag of England.svg John Wyatt K-1 UK Battle of Britain 2000 TKO22:00 Flag of England.svg Birmingham, England
6 June 1999Loss Flag of Japan.svg Nobuaki Kakuda K-1 Survival '99 Decision (Unanimous)53:00 Flag of Japan.svg Sapporo, Japan
15 May 1999Loss Flag of France.svg Jerome Turcan Strikeforce Decision53:00 Flag of the United States.svg San Jose, California, United States
22 March 1999Draw Flag of Japan.svg Yoji Anjo K-1 The Challenge '99 Decision53:00 Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo, Japan
3 February 1999Loss Flag of Japan.svg Musashi K-1 Rising Sun '99 TKO (3 Knockdowns)22:52 Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo, Japan
16 August 1998Loss Flag of England.svg Chris Wright KO22:04 Flag of England.svg St. Helens, EnglandLoss I.K.F Pro Muay Thai Cruiserweight World Title.
June, 1998Win Flag of France.svg Christophe de TholomaiseDecision Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Bangor, Northern Ireland Wins ISKA World Super Cruiserweight Muay Thai Championship.
1997Win Flag of England.svg Paul SeniorWKA: QuestKO-- Flag of England.svg Birmingham, England Wins WKA: Quest Cruiserweight tournament.
September, 1995Win Flag of the Netherlands.svg Hassan BabchiKO1- Flag of Scotland.svg Glasgow, Scotland Wins WKO Cruiserweight World Championship.
9 October 1993Win Flag of England.svg Lee Hasdell WKA TKO (cut)-- Flag of England.svg EnglandWins WKA Light Heavyweight Commonwealth Muay Thai Championship.

Acting

Duncan Airlie James (centre) at the premiere of In Search of La Che In Search Of La Che Premiere.jpg
Duncan Airlie James (centre) at the premiere of In Search of La Che

When he retired from the world of kickboxing, Duncan retrained as an actor. After appearing in a number of short films and a small cameo appearance in the film Perfect Sense, Duncan landed his first leading role when he was asked to play the lead character of John Tavish in the Scottish feature film In Search of La Che. Whilst the film itself received mixed reviews on both sides of the Atlantic, critics were quick to applaud Duncan's performance. [2]

2012 saw Duncan star in many and varied short films including The Priest With Two Guns directed by Rodney Reynolds. The film centres around Father O'Reilly who is troubled when he discovers his brother is in debt to a local money lender. [3] The film went on to pick up a grand jury prize at the 2014 Amsterdam Film Festival. [4] The end of 2012 saw Duncan lend his voice to one of his most recognised roles to date in the short comedy film The Greyness of Autumn. [5] Duncan voiced the character of Danny McGuire, an ostrich living in Glasgow whose life is suddenly turned upside down when he loses his job and his girlfriend in the same day. The film enjoyed great success in the United States, [6] Ireland [7] and the United Kingdom where it featured in the 2014 edition of the Portobello Film Festival. [8] Duncan's performance was widely praised with John McArthur of MovieScramble writing "The hook at the start of the film is the voice of Danny. A deep, resonant and very individual vocal draws you in immediately." [9] In 2013 he played the role of Officer White opposite Jack O'Connell in Starred Up, [10] [11] a feature film directed by David Mackenzie. The film went on to win 3 awards at the 2014 British Academy Scotland Awards including Best Feature Film. [12]

In 2015, James starred in the leading role of Major Doug Bormann in Fanatic. He will be reunited with Luke Aherne who directed the web series Frank.

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorRoleNotes
2009 Perfect Sense David Mackenzie Gym Fighter
2010CivilisationNicholas VafioHarry
Wrath of a SuffragetteSeth Ward / Kev BagnallGerry
GodforsakenSarah HarlowEd
2011Lisa Deserves BetterPaul AllisonDaniel
The JuicePhil ThompsonFrankie Boy
BrathairEve LeonardSteven
In Search of La Che Mark D. Ferguson John TavishFirst Leading Role
Fate WaitsBen MacgregorMark Syllka
Got ItDean HowardBig Al
SnaggedMark BrownZiggy
2012IustitiaDave CraigIustitia Omnibus
ViolationPeter Hardy / Charlie ParkerCommander Grier
DustPaul MacAdamThommo
LoanRuahdri HunterGerry
The Priest with Two GunsRodney ReynoldsFather O'Reilly
The Greyness of Autumn Chris Quick Danny McGuireVoice
2013 Starred Up David Mackenzie Officer White
Jab, Cross, HookShaun SuttonTam McLean
UnsuitableNaomi PhillipsJimmy
Fleshmarket CloseEve LeonardDuncan
2014Glory HunterCraig MaclachlanJerry Gallagher
MitchumJemma SutherlandDetective Inspector MitchumTV pilot
K'NibbleAndrew DobbieGregg McLaren
FrankLuke AherneJimWeb Series
Con Laura BriggsTom
Tanner ParkIan HendryIggy
Two Smoking BarrelsAsib AkramFrank Vincent
A Quiet DayMartin HeronJoe
2015Prescription RAndrew DobbieRobert "Boab" Baxter
FanaticLuke AherneMajor Doug Bormann
2016DirectionsOliver GreenallRobert
ID2: Shadwell Army Joel NovoaHunt
FluxAnthony ScottBoris
Essex SpacebinDavid HollinsheadGangster
The VictoriousChris AnsteyCaptain Bernard Gregory
Ground BelowToby SaundersMitch
2017Locked InPavel ShepanBrian
2018FrankLuke AherneJim
SyncedDevon AverySkin Head Colin
Outlaw King David Mackenzie Beaumont
Tomb Raider Roar Uthaug Terry
Wild is the NorthHayley McInlineWadard
2020 Autumn Never Dies Chris Quick Danny McGuire / The Chief
Jingle Jangle David E. Talbert Constable Carruthers
A Song Still InsideJames Hall, Edward LovelaceForeman Brown / Husband
2021Web CrawlerPaul J. LaneAlfie Trespass
OpalKirsty McleanFather
Wild is the NorthHayley McInlineWadard
Go HomeRazan MadhoonGuard
2022Because We Are Too ManyEve LeonardUncle John

Awards

YearNominated WorkAwardsCategoryResult
2019The VictoriousI Am Film Festival [13] Best Showreel Scene ActorNominated
2020 Autumn Never Dies Top Indie Film AwardsBest ActorNominated
US Hollywood International Golden Film Awards [14] Best Outstanding ActorNominated
2022Scotland International Festival of Cinema [15] Best Actor in a FeaturetteNominated
Best Ensemble Cast in a Featurette
(Shared with All Cast)
Nominated

References

  1. "Local Hero: From musician to kick boxer to . . . Hollywood actor? The fascinating journey of Duncan Airlie James". Heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  2. "Reviews". Filmthreat.com. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  3. "Cargo". Burninghorseshoe.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  4. "Amsterdam Film Festival - Amsterdam Screenplay Contest - 2014 Winners". Amsterdamfilmfestival.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  5. "British Council Film: The Greyness of Autumn". Film.britishcouncil.org. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  6. "Puppet film's a festival hit". Evening Times. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  7. DISFMF Official Selection Archived 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "PORTOBELLO FREE FESTIVAL 2014" (PDF). Portobellofilmdfestival.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  9. Noir, John McArthurEditor-in-Chief at Moviescramble A. Fan of all things cinematic with a love of Film; Sci-Fi; day, Julia Roberts in Notting Hill He hopes to grow up some (25 July 2013). "The Greyness of Autumn". Moviescramble. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  10. "Nerdly » 'Starred Up' Review". nerdly.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  11. MSN Starred Up Cast Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "British Academy Scotland Awards: Winners in 2014". Bafta.org. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  13. "I Am Film Festival 2019 Results". Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  14. "US Hollywood International Golden Film Awards 2020 Nominations". Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  15. 8 Nominations for Autumn Never Dies at final Scottish festival appearance