Born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He is one of seven children. At the age of thirteen with his very first audition, James landed a role in the Steven Spielberg family adventure, Hook (1991) and never looked back. On the set of Hook, Dustin Hoffman was impressed enough with Madio's talent to suggest him for the role of his son in the film Hero (1992) The same year, he appeared as the younger version of the title character in the Independent film Mac (1992) starring John Turturro Madio's big break as a young actor then came when he co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Wahlberg in the highly acclaimed film, The Basketball Diaries (1995) After a number of independent roles, Madio found himself once again, on another Spielberg set, this time as a lead cast member in the Emmy Award-Winning HBO series, Band of Brothers (2001). Portraying WWII hero Sgt. Frank Perconte. This would become a turning point in his career, putting him in the national and international spotlight in a timeless piece that continues to air today. Moreover, Madio continue to support troops by speaking at WWII Veteran engagements around the world. He recently co-starred in the Clint Eastwood film Jersey Boys (2014) Madio's career has extended to behind the camera, having acted, produced and written several award-winning independent projects (both features and shorts). His short film AppleBox (2011) (of which he wrote, produced and starred in) has racked up several wins across the country, which earned him 2 Best Actor awards. Other Independent works include, The Box (2007) which he co-produced, and Love Lies Bleeding (2008) starring Christian Slater. Searching for Bobby D (2005) West of Brooklyn (2008) Dough Boys (2008) and The Grasslands (2011). James played executed anarchist Nicola Sacco in the feature film No God, No Master (2013) While Madio recurred on CW's Ringer (2011), and has guest starred on Blue Bloods, Law & Order SVU, Castle, Bones, C.S.I: Miami, Cold Case and many others. His voice is also featured in the DreamWorks animated movie, _Shark Tale (2004)_ and on the Call of Duty video game franchise.