50 facts about James Marsden: actor, singer and former Versace model

James Marsden's 50 facts.

1. Marsden was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

2. His father is professor of animal sciences and industry at Kansas State University.

3. His mother is a nutritionist.

4. His parents divorced when he was nine years old.

5. His ancestry includes English, Scottish, German, and distant French.

6. He has four siblings: two younger sisters, Jennifer and Elizabeth, and two brothers, Jeff and Robert.

7. He attended Hefner Middle School and Putnam City North High School, in Oklahoma City, and later went on to attend Oklahoma State University, where he studied broadcast journalism.

8. He was also a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.

9. Marsden left university after one and a half years, opting instead to move to Los Angeles in order to pursue his acting career.

10. His full name is James Paul Marsden.

11. He is also singer.

12. He is former Versace model.

13. Marsden began his acting career guest-starring in multiple television shows such as Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Touched by an Angel and Party of Five.

14. He would then gain prominence with his portrayal of Scott Summers/Cyclops in the X-Men film series.

15. He starred in 2006's Superman Returns which earned him a Saturn Award nomination, and the deranged hitman in the 1997 tv movie Bella Mafia.

16. Following his breakthrough in comic book films, Marsden went on to star in various genre films including 2007's Hairspray which was a critical and commercial success and won many awards for its ensemble cast. As Corny Collins, he sang two songs for the film's soundtrack which has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

17. He would continue his success and star in family friendly films such as Enchanted, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore and Hop.

18. Marsden later starred in a range of independent films such as Small Apartments, Bachelorette, and Robot & Frank.

19. He also returned to television guest-starring in Modern Family and playing Liz Lemon's love interest, Criss Chros in 30 Rock in a supporting role.

20. Marsden portrayed President John F. Kennedy in Lee Daniels' The Butler, and had a supporting role as an antagonist in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.

21. Marsden got his first job on a series of episodes of The Nanny as Eddie, Margaret Sheffield's boyfriend.

22. He went on to star in the Canadian television series Boogies Diner, which aired for one season. With the end of that series, he guest starred on other television shows such as Saved by the Bell: The New Class and Party of Five.

23. He starred in the ABC show Second Noah.

24. He lost out to Edward Norton for a role in Primal Fear and turned down the lead role in 54, which later went to Ryan Phillippe.

25. He went on to star in Disturbing Behavior opposite Katie Holmes and Gossip opposite Kate Hudson.

26. He also appeared in the television series Ally McBeal, as one of the main cast members during the first half of season 5, where he also showcased his singing abilities.

27. Marsden was cast as Cyclops in the X-Men films. His character is prominent in the comics; his screen time in the films, however, is increasingly reduced, particularly in the sequels.

28. Notably, Marsden also appeared in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Singer dropped out of the third installment to direct Superman and Marsden was cast as Lois Lane's fiancé, Richard White, but due to schedule conflicts, Marsden's screen time in X-Men: The Last Stand was reduced, stirring controversy from fans of the comics. Marsden's portrayal of Cyclops in the films was well received and garnered him a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actor.

29. In 2004, Marsden co-starred with Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, James Garner and Gena Rowlands in the romantic drama The Notebook based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name as Lon Hammond, Jr., the second man Allie Hamilton (McAdams) falls in love with. He was apparently cast for his close resemblance to Garner, who played the older Noah Calhoun, while Gosling portraying the younger Noah Calhoun looked nothing like Garner.

30. His next role was with Amy Adams in the Disney hybrid animated/live action film Enchanted, playing Prince Edward.

31. He sang one song as a duet with Adams at the beginning of the film Enchanted, and a duet with Idina Menzel that was cut from the film. Enchanted was well received critically and proved to be a commercial success, earning more than $340 million worldwide at the box office.

32. Following his successes in 2007's Hairspray and Enchanted, Marsden played the male lead in the 2008 romantic comedy 27 Dresses opposite star Katherine Heigl, which grossed $160 million worldwide.

33. He also starred in the teen comedy Sex Drive. Though the film was a moderate success, Marsden's performance was heavily praised.

34. Marsden also received a Teen Choice Awards nomination for Choice Movie Actor in a Comedy for his roles in Enchanted and 27 Dresses.

35. In 2009, Marsden also played the male lead in the film The Box, based on the 1970 short story "Button, Button" by author Richard Matheson, which was earlier made into an episode of The Twilight Zone.

36. He starred opposite Cameron Diaz and re-united with Superman Returns co-star Frank Langella.

37. In 2010, Marsden was cast in the comedy Death at a Funeral along with Chris Rock, Luke Wilson, Danny Glover and Columbus Short, which was a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name.

38. Marsden made an appearance on ABC's Modern Family in January 2011, playing a homeless squatter of Cam and Mitchell.

39. In April, Marsden appeared as the male (live-action) lead in Hop, an Easter-themed comedy co-starring Russell Brand as the Easter Bunny. Although the film was considered a commercial success, opening at the top of the weekend box office and grossing over $100 million in the U.S. box office, Hop generally received negative reviews.

40. Later in 2011, Marsden played the lead in the remake of Straw Dogs, re-uniting with Superman Returns co-star Kate Bosworth.

41. In 2012 and 2013, Marsden appeared in a recurring role in the sixth and seventh seasons of 30 Rock, playing Criss Chros, the boyfriend (and later husband) of the series' main character, Liz Lemon.

42. In 2013, he co-starred with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in the action film 2 Guns, which debuted at number one in its weekend release beating out the animated film The Smurfs 2 which came in second.

43. Soon after, he starred in Lee Daniels' historical drama The Butler as President John F. Kennedy.

44. Marsden played Jack Lime in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, a rival reporter to Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy.

45. The following year, he reprised his role as Scott Summers for the first time in eight years in X-Men: Days of Future Past in a cameo. He would also star in his second Nicholas Spark's film titled The Best of Me, replacing Paul Walker in the lead role.

46. Marsden married actress Mary Elizabeth "Lisa" Linde. They married on July 22, 2000.

47. His wife is the daughter of country music songwriter Dennis Linde.

48. The couple have two children: son Jack Holden who was born on February 1, 2001 and daughter Mary James who was born on August 10, 2005. Linde filed for divorce on September 23, 2011.

49. Marsden also has a son, William Luca Costa-Marsden, born on December 14, 2012, with former girlfriend Rose Costa.

50. In April 2010, Marsden was added to the Putnam City Schools Wall of Fame by the Putnam City Public Schools Foundatio.