CBS announced today that it has tapped James Corden to replace Craig Ferguson as host of the Late Late Show in 2015. For most of us, the news prompts the question: Who is James Corden?
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While relatively unknown in U.S. circles, Corden is a 36-year-old British performer who brings a wide background of versatile experience in the entertainment industry with him to the new late night gig.
Corden has won a number of distinctions in his career, most notably a Tony Award for his work in the Broadway production One Man, Two Guvnors, and two BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television) Awards for his own series Gavin & Stacey. He is currently starring alongside Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley in Begin Again, and will also star opposite Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, and Emily Blunt in the upcoming Disney flick Into the Woods.
Corden also hosts the BAFTA Award-winning game show A League of Their Own, a sports-themed comedy. He also stars in, produces, and writes the (also BAFTA-nominated) comedy thriller The Wrong Mans (available on Hulu and the BBC). Corden has wound up in a number of other TV, film, and theater productions, including Doctor Who, Fat Friends, The History Boys, Gulliver’s Travels (the Jack Black retelling), and more.
Perhaps the most relevant bit of experience on Corden’s resume is his hosting of the Brit Awards, one of the biggest awards shows for the U.K. music industry, from 2010 to 2014.
Nina Tassler, the chairman for CBS Entertainment, glowingly described Corden as “a rare entertainment force who combines irresistible charm, warmth, and originality.” Tassler also called the versatile performer “the ultimate multi-hyphenate – a writer, creator and performer who is loved and respected in every medium he touches, including theater, comedy, music, film, and television.”
Though CBS says Corden will replace Ferguson sometime next year, the broadcast company hasn’t revealed precisely when in 2015 the British performer will take over.
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