Lily James and Theo James are two of the most popular British actors in Hollywood today. They have both starred in successful movies and TV shows, such as Cinderella, Divergent, and Downton Abbey. But are they related by blood or just by name?
The Origin of Their Names
Lily James and Theo James share the same surname, but they are not siblings or cousins. In fact, James is not their real last name. They both adopted it as their stage name when they started their acting careers.
Lily James was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson on April 5, 1989, in Esher, Surrey, England. She is the daughter of Ninette Mantle, an actress, and James Thomson, a musician. She has two brothers and two sisters. Her paternal grandmother, Helen Horton, was an American actress. Her maternal grandmother was French and fled her village near Paris because of the Nazis.
Theo James was born Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis on December 16, 1984, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. He is the son of Jane Martin, who worked for the National Health Service, and Philip Taptiklis, a business consultant. He has two brothers and two sisters. His paternal grandfather, Nicholas Taptiklis, was Greek and moved to New Zealand. His paternal grandmother was Scottish.
According to TheThings, Theo James chose his stage name because his birth name was too long and hard to spell. He also wanted to honor his grandfather, who passed away shortly before he started acting. Lily James also decided to change her name to make it simpler and more memorable. She picked James as a tribute to her father, who died of cancer in 2008.
Their Professional and Personal Lives
Lily James and Theo James have both achieved fame and success in their acting careers. They have also been linked to several Hollywood stars romantically.
Lily James made her TV debut in 2010 in the BBC series Just William. She gained recognition for playing Lady Rose MacClare in the period drama Downton Abbey from 2012 to 2015. Her breakthrough role was the title character in the live-action remake of Cinderella in 2015. She also starred in War & Peace, Baby Driver, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Yesterday, Rebecca, and The Pursuit of Love.
Lily James has dated several actors, such as Matt Smith, Chris Evans, Dominic West, and Michael Shuman. She is currently single and focusing on her career.
Theo James also made his TV debut in 2010 in the BBC series A Passionate Woman. He played Turkish diplomat Kemal Pamuk in an episode of Downton Abbey in the same year. He rose to fame for playing Tobias “Four” Eaton in the Divergent series from 2014 to 2016. He also appeared in Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Blood Wars, The Benefactor, How It Ends, Zoe, Archive, The White Lotus, and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Theo James has been married to actress Ruth Kearney since 2018. They met at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and dated for several years before tying the knot. They have one child together.
The Conclusion
Lily James and Theo James are not related by blood or by marriage. They are both talented actors who share a common surname that they chose for their stage names. They have worked together in Downton Abbey but have not collaborated since then. They have their own separate lives and careers and are happy with their partners.
So next time you see them on screen or hear their names mentioned together, don’t assume that they are family members. They are just colleagues and friends who happen to have the same last name.
