Born Michael James Edwards in Oklahoma City, OK (1986) and raised equally between Texas and Montana; James moved abroad in 2001 and spent the next three years studying and performing in Shanghai, China. He moved back across the pacific to attend Purdue University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

In 2017 James made his feature film debut in The Meanest Man in Texas. The film was nominated for over 30 awards, including several wins for Best Film and Best Actor. Later in 2017 he made his television debut on CBS's short lived hit Wisdom of the Crowd, standing opposite Hollywood elites, Jeremy Piven and Natalia Tena.