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James D. Dever

James D. Dever

East Meadow, New York, U.S.

James D. Dever was born in 1955 in East Meadow, New York. He served 25 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring as a Sergeant Major in 1998. He founded 1 Force, Inc. and began advising on Heartbreak Ridge (1986) for Clint Eastwood, which launched his Hollywood career as a military consultant and actor.

His notable acting roles include Windtalkers (2002, dir. John Woo, with Nicolas Cage), Che: Part Two (2008, dir. Steven Soderbergh, with Benicio del Toro), Battle: Los Angeles (2011, with Ryan Phillippe), American Sniper (2014, dir. Eastwood, with Bradley Cooper), Godzilla (2014, dir. Gareth Edwards), and Megan Leavey (2017, with Kate Mara). He also served as military technical advisor on Iron Man 3, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Captain America: Civil War.

Filmography
The Mosquito Bowl poster
The Mosquito Bowl
2026 • Drill Instructor #4
Megan Leavey poster
Megan Leavey
2017 • Marine Captain
Spectral poster
Spectral
2016 • Sgt Robin
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper poster
One Soldier's Story: The Journey of American Sniper
2015 • Self
American Sniper poster
American Sniper
2014 • Funeral Detail OIC
Godzilla poster
Godzilla
2014 • Captain Freeman
Battle: Los Angeles poster
Battle: Los Angeles
2011 • Sgt. Major
Brothers poster
Brothers
2009 • Sgt. Major Dever
X-Men Origins: Wolverine poster
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009 • Platoon Leader
Che: Part Two poster
Che: Part Two
2008 • Major Ralph 'Pappy' Shelton
Stop-Loss poster
Stop-Loss
2008 • Captain Dever
"Jarhead" Diaries poster
"Jarhead" Diaries
2006 • Self
Jarhead: Background poster
Jarhead: Background
2006 • Self
Hostage poster
Hostage
2002 • SWAT Team Member
Windtalkers poster
Windtalkers
2002 • Field Hospital Colonel