James Martin Lafferty (born July 25, 1985) is an American actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Nathan Scott on The WB/CW drama series One Tree Hill (2003–2012).
Early life Lafferty was born in Hemet, California, to Angelica and Jeffrey Lafferty, who own a local construction company. He has a younger brother, actor Stuart Lafferty.
Having worked as an uncredited extra on television shows including Beverly Hills, 90210 and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Lafferty received his first significant acting role in a school play when he was 10 years old. Lafferty attended Hemet High School (where he played on the school's basketball team) until 2003, after which he enrolled at California State University, Long Beach. At age 18, he moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, having been cast as Nathan Scott in One Tree Hill.
Career In 1997, at age 12, Lafferty made his small-screen acting debut with a voice-over role in the made-for-television film Annabelle's Wish. Lafferty has since made guest appearances on television series' such as Once and Again, Get Real, and Boston Public. In 2002, Lafferty starred in the ESPN made-for-television film A Season on the Brink, an adaptation of the book of the same name by John Feinstein. The film centered on the 1985–86 season of Indiana University's college basketball team.
In 2003, Lafferty was cast in his breakout role of Nathan Scott on The WB/The CW teen drama series One Tree Hill. The series follows two estranged half-brothers, Nathan and Lucas Scott, who are put on the same basketball team, jeopardizing Nathan's position as the star player. In May 2011, The CW renewed the series for a ninth and final season, for which Lafferty chose to return on a recurring basis rather than in a full-time starring role. Over the course of the later seasons, Lafferty directed four episodes. He received four Teen Choice Award nominations throughout his time on the series.
In February 2008, Lafferty was cast in the straight-to-DVD sequel to the cult film Donnie Darko. Titled S. Darko, the film was released in May 2009, and received mostly negative reviews from critics. In April 2011, Lafferty was confirmed to star alongside One Tree Hill castmate Stephen Colletti and brother Stuart Lafferty in a planned adventurous reality television series entitled Wild Life: A New Generation of Wild, for which he was an executive producer. A pilot episode was filmed, but the series failed to find a network. In 2013, Lafferty was cast in the NBC crime thriller series Crisis, as Mr Nash. This was followed by landing the lead role of Jimmy Adams in the independent movie Waffle Street, alongside Danny Glover, and being cast in a recurring role during the first season of WGN America's slave drama Underground. In August 2015, Lafferty directed an episode of the second season of E! drama series The Royals, and returned to direct a few more episodes during season three. In 2018, James along with costar and friend Stephen Colletti started an indiegogo campaign for their show Everyone Is Doing Great. The show was acquired by Hulu in 2020. Season 1 and 2 of the show aired internationally on Netflix on May 12, 2026. Lafferty’s wife, Alexandra is also in both seasons.
Personal life Lafferty currently resides in Los Angeles, California. For four years until 2015, he was in a relationship with Irish actress Eve Hewson. He began dating Australian actress Alexandra Park in 2015 after meeting on the set of The Royals, when Lafferty directed several episodes. The couple became engaged on September 7, 2020. They got married on May 23, 2022, in Hawaii. In 2026, Lafferty and Park announced via Instagram the birth of their child, River Jay Lafferty born on December 4, 2025.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 Annabelle's Wish Buster Holder Voice 2003 Boys on the Run Joe Ferguson 2009 S. Darko Justin Sparrow 2011 The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy Eigson Howard 2013 Lost on Purpose Fever 2014 Oculus Michael Dumont 2015 Waffle Street Jimmy Adams 2017 Small Town Crime Tony Lama 2024 Red Right Hand Lazarus
Television Year Title Role Notes1999Get RealBillyEpisode: "The Last Weekend" 2001 Emeril James Lagasse Episode: "Pilot" 2001 Boston Public Michael Scott Episode: "Chapter Eighteen" 2001–2002 Once and Again Tad 4 episodes 2002 Prep Jackson Unsold television pilot 2002 First Monday Andrew Episode: "Pilot" 2002 A Season on the Brink Steve Alford Television film 2003–2012 One Tree Hill Nathan Scott Main role, 182 episodes 2012 One Tree Hill: Always & Forever Himself Behind the Scene Extras 2014 Crisis Mr. Nash Main role, 13 episodes 2016 Underground Kyle Risdin Recurring role, 6 episodes2018 The Haunting of Hill House Ryan 4 Episodes 2020 The Right Stuff Scott Carpenter Main role 2021–present Everyone Is Doing Great Jeremy Davis Main role 2022 All American Connor Murphy Episode: "Got Your Money" 2025 A Pickleball Christmas Luke Hollis Television movie (Lifetime)
Other works Year Title Role Notes 2009–2012 One Tree Hill Director 4 episodes 2010 Hours Before Executive producer Short film 2015–2018 The Royals Director 5 episodes 2017 Everyone Is Doing Great Director, executive producer, co-writer 8 episodes 2022–2023 All American Director 2 episodes
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2004 Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout TV Star – Male One Tree Hill 2005 Choice TV Chemistry 2010 Choice Scene Stealer – Male Choice Parental Unit
References
External links