One of his instructors was the famous Joan Brickhill, a "grand dame" of South African theatre and a Tony Award-nominated choreographer, under whom James studied from 1997 through 2001.

He has also guest-starred in many South African television series and soaps, including roles in Criminal Minds (2000), Snitch (2004), Jozi Street (2004), and the long-running Isidingo, where from 2004 to 2006 he portrayed a hired assassin called Mad Dog.

"[7] Perhaps his best known role to date is that of Koobus Venter, the ruthless colonel that heads up the military arm of the fictional Multi-National United (MNU) in the 2009 film District 9.

Ironically, James was in a spa getting a foot treatment in preparation for a commercial for a German heel product when he received the call that he had gotten the part of the menacing character.

[9] While his was only a supporting role, it did still earn the attention of critics; The Coventry Telegraph (UK) says, "David James is spot on as the merciless Colonel Venter",[10] and Munyaradzi Vomo of IOL would later refer to it as "almost Oscar-worthy material".

The play itself was not typically well-reviewed; The Times stated, "The talented David James gives a rather cliched portrayal of Afrikaner Sergeant Hattingh.

In this Lion King-like story of a dog lost in the African bush, James portrayed one of three hungry yet comical vultures waiting for the animal to become dinner.

[15] James guest starred in an episode of Wild at Heart, playing Van Heerden, a ranch owner caught poisoning lions feeding on his cattle.

[17][18] In 2011 James played Dieter, one of a gang of ruthless kidnappers, in the British miniseries Kidnap and Ransom, which was produced by and starred actor Trevor Eve.

[23] In August 2011, James reunited with director Christopher-lee dos Santos to play the role of Stutze, a German SS officer hunting down the survivors of a Royal Air Force bomber that crash lands in Nazi occupied France.

[24] James appears as Hermanus Meyer, a radio station manager, in the South African television series Rhythm City.

In May, he had a role in the two-man, short-lived but well-received play Comrade Babble, a political satire about slain South African businessman Brett Kebble.

[29] James has assisted in fundraising for Faces of Hope, a South African charity that raises money for those with life-threatening illnesses that do not have adequate medical coverage or funds to pay for their treatments.