James Stephenson (April 14, 1889 – July 29, 1941) was a British stage and film actor. After a solid stage career in the United Kingdom, he moved to Hollywood in the late 1930s, signing a contract with Warner Bros. Initially cast in supporting roles, he quickly distinguished himself as a versatile character actor, often portraying elegant, authoritative, or ambiguous characters in films such as *Beau Geste* (1939) and *The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex* (1939). His most famous and acclaimed role was as the lawyer Howard Joyce in William Wyler's film *The Letter* (1940), alongside Bette Davis. For this performance, he received a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His promising career was tragically cut short by a heart attack in 1941, shortly after completing his first leading role in *Shining Victory* and reaching the peak of his professional success.