Acting for me, is a passion, but it's also a job, and I've always approached it as such. I have a certain manual-laborist view of acting. There's no shame in taking a film because you need some money.

In October 2006 Spader narrated China Revealed the first episode of Discovery Channel's documentary series Discovery Atlas. They married in 1987 and have two sons Elijah and Sebastian. Spader also won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Series Comedy or Musical for Boston Legal in 2006.

James Todd Spader (born February 7 1960) is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in films such as Pretty in Pink Less Than Zero Sex Lies and Videotape Crash Stargate Secretary and Lincoln. His most famous television roles are those of the colorful attorney Alan Shore in The Practice and its spin-off Boston Legal for which he won three Emmy Awards and Robert California in The Office.