Early career Fox first appeared on film as 11-year-old Toby Miniver in
The Miniver Story in 1950. His early screen appearances, both in film and television, were made under his birth name, William Fox. Fox appeared in the film
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962). His father,
Robin, quarreled bitterly with
Tony Richardson over this, having attempted to forbid his friend from giving his son James (known as "Willie") a part in the film. His father claimed Willie had no talent for acting and should not give up his job in a bank. In 1964, Fox won a
BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for
The Servant (1963), working alongside
Dirk Bogarde,
Sarah Miles, and
Wendy Craig. On 16 June 1965,
Ken Annakin's period aviation film
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines was released. In this British
period comedy film, Fox is featured among an international
ensemble cast including
Stuart Whitman, Sarah Miles,
Robert Morley,
Terry-Thomas,
Red Skelton,
Benny Hill,
Jean-Pierre Cassel,
Gert Fröbe and
Alberto Sordi. Some of the other films he acted in during this time are
King Rat (1965), Fox became an evangelical Christian, working with the
Navigators and devoting himself to the ministry. During this time, the only film in which Fox appeared was
No Longer Alone (1976), the story of Joan Winmill Brown, a suicidal woman who was led to faith in
Jesus Christ by
Ruth Bell Graham. The following year, he played
King George V in the film
W.E., written and directed by
Madonna. In 2013, Fox played a lead role alongside
Natalie Dormer in the movie
A Long Way from Home. ==Personal life==