James Edward Costa (born May 12, 1990) is an American actor. He gained international attention for his impersonation of Robin Williams. He made his film debut in the crime-thriller film, Bring Him to Me.
Early life Jamie Costa was born on May 12, 1990, and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended private Christian schools up until high school when he was sent to a military boarding school in Virginia where he ended up graduating highest-ranking cadet. He briefly attended college at The Citadel and eventually ended up studying theater at North Greenville University in South Carolina. He took a semester to study film in Los Angeles, and then finally graduated in December 2013. He also has a brother named Caleb.
Career Starting in 2015, Costa began posting impersonations on YouTube, including Robin Williams, Ian McKellen, Owen Wilson, Matthew McConaughey, and Harrison Ford.
In July 2015, Costa moved to LA to continue his career in acting and filmmaking and has since appeared in various film and television projects both on screen and as a voice over artist. He has produced and acted in Star Wars fan films hosted on his YouTube channel.
In 2017, Costa played supporting roles in the feature film Heaven Bound, and on the TV show, My Crazy Ex. In 2018, he played a supporting role in the movie Funny Story and the Price of Fame TV series. Costa played a soldier in the 2020 B-rated film, Robot Riot.
In 2021, Costa posted a five-minute piece titled "ROBIN Test Footage Scene" to YouTube. The video shows Williams, played by Costa, in his trailer preparing for an episode of Mork & Mindy. His co-star Pam Dawber (portrayed by Sarah Murphree) brings news of John Belushi's death, prompting an emotional reaction from Williams. The video received several million views. USA Today and The Independent both called his imitation of Williams "uncanny".
In 2022, in an interview with Silver Screen magazine, Costa announced that he will have a guest role as young Kurt Russell on one of the episodes for the Netflix adult animated series: Agent Elvis starring Matthew McConaughey as Elvis. He also starred in a short film titled The Cowboy & the Samurai with director and writer, Jake Lewis.
Costa made his theatrical debut in the 2023 feature Australian film Bring Him to Me, a crime thriller alongside actors Barry Pepper and Sam Neill.
In 2024, he was originally going to voice The Grandmaster in the third season of What If...? but was replaced by actor and comedian, Matt Friend. He also starred as Agent Richard Beckett in the pilot episode of the independent web-series, Zack In Time.
Costa announced on his YouTube community tab page that he would star in the 2024 horror film Scurry alongside newcomer Australian RnB artist, Emalia. Scurry was Costa's first one-shot film. The film had its world premiere at the 2024 Sydney Sci-fi Film Festival. It released in limited theatres in the U.S. on October 2, 2025, and was released on digital, on November 5.
In 2025, he had a role in the independent comedy horror film, Zombie Apache as Sheriff Hatfield who finds out that a greedy real estate developer has desecrated a sacred Viking burial ground, unleashing a comical nightmare upon the unsuspecting locals. The film released on November 8, 2025, on Amazon Prime.
Upcoming projects
Currently in post-production, Costa will be portraying Herman Schultz / Shocker ll in the upcoming web series Spider Man and the Monsters of Manhattan after it was previously announced to be released in 2021.
Costa will also star in the action-supernatural film, Fight For Your Life with director Luke Sparke alongside Entourage star, Jeremy Piven set to release on an undisclosed date.
In 2025, on a live stream on his YouTube channel, Costa revealed he was recording voiceover work for his first feature length animation film. Costa also announced that he will also doing voice work for a major video game project. The video game project has yet to be revealed.
On November 17, Costa revealed that he would have a voice role in his first animated feature-length film in Brad Bird's neo-noir science fiction film, Ray Gunn which will release in 2026 on Netflix.
Costa has also announced other entertainment projects in the works such as the film, The Nearly Forgotten Incident, & Home Solo, a star wars stop-motion fan film.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes 2017Heaven BoundCurtDirect to DVD 2018Funny StoryWaiter Extra 2019ZerovilleAdditional voicesFeature film 2020Robot RiotPetersonSupporting 2023Bring Him to Me Jake the Passenger Feature filmThe Activated ManOrs GabrielFeature film2024ScurryMarkFeature film2025Zombie ApacheSheriff HatfieldFeature film2026Voice only
Short film Year Title Role Notes 2013WolverineLoganFan filmShifterTV Host/TV ChefShort film Also director 2014Take a Deep BreathPizarroShort filmVoice onlyShadows of ManManShort film 2015Cures AnythingCashShort film 2016We Can't DieRichard WestShort filmHan Solo: A Smuggler's TradeHan SoloFan film 2018A Magician Home AloneHarvShort filmDeadpool The Musical 2 - Ultimate Disney ParodyIron Man (voice)Fan filmJurassic World: ExodusNeal "Doc"Fan film 2019KENOBI: A Star Wars StoryObi-Wan "Ben" KenobiFan filmStar Wars: Origins WalterFan film 2021Batman: Dying Is EasyJervis Tetch / Mad Hatter Fan filmRobinRobin WilliamsTest footage 2022Defiance: A Joker Fan FilmVoice of JokerFan film 2023The Cowboy and The SamuraiJack NicholsonShort filmOutpostSager/The ThiefShort film 2025Hivemind DeluxeChipShort film
Television Year Title Role Notes 2015Jimmy's BooksJimmy / Cool Robot / DirectorVoice onlyThe 3rd Annual Geekie AwardsMarty McFlyTV movieSchmoes Know Movie ShowHimselfEpisode 213 2016Making an ImpressionHimselfDocumentaryCaught on Camera with Nick CannonHimself#2.3 2017My Crazy Ex Billy#4.11The InspectorsDuncan Soto #2.16 (Guest Appearance)2018The Price of FamePatrick Swayze#1.5 2023Agent ElvisKurt RussellVoice role; 1 episodeThe Beech BoysFBI Agent Ashley7 episodes
Web series
Year Title Role Notes2019 How It Should Have EndedThe GenieVoice role; 2 episodes2024Zack In Time Agent Richard Beckett Voice roleTBA Herman Schultz / Shocker IIWeb Series
Video games Year Title Role Notes2020Final Fantasy VII RemakeAdditional voices2021Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!Caeser2023 Pinball M - The ThingR.J. MacReady 2024What If...? An Immersive StorySteve Rogers / Titan Judge
Stage Year Title Role Notes2017Twelfth NightSebastianTheatre
References
External links