James Angel, also known as James Willems, has led a multifaceted life, transitioning from a high school wrestler to a prominent figure in the world of online comedy. This biography explores his journey, highlighting his early life, wrestling career, and his rise to fame with Inside Gaming, Funhaus, and Rooster Teeth.
James Willems at RTX 2019
Early Life and High School Years
James was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. During his time in Charlotte he attended South Mecklenburg High School for four years, starting in 1998 and graduating in 2002.
A professional wrestling fan since before his teenage years, he built his own wrestling ring in his backyard at 15 years old. This early passion for wrestling laid the foundation for his athletic pursuits in high school.
High School Wrestling Career
James was a professional wrestler in high school.
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Delsea Regional High School
At Delsea Regional High School, James was a three-time all-conference honoree and two-time state tournament qualifier.
- 2011: Won the Tri-County Conference championship as a sophomore at 145 pounds.
- 2011-12: Went 35-7 with 18 pins en route to a district championship and placed third at sectionals in 2012 to qualify for the state tournament.
- 2013-14: Redshirted as a true freshman.
- Senior Year: Posted a 38-2 record with 19 pins as a senior to earn all-South Jersey and team MVP honors.
Backyard wrestling ring
Football Career
Earned all-state, all-area and all-conference honors in football following his senior season. Attended the same high school as current Huskie Rob Jillard.
College Wrestling Career
Arizona State: Will look to take the starting spot at 174 from Curtis Owen.
2001-02 Season
Expected to redshirt, but was called to action when Owen went to the sidelines with an injury…awarded team’s Most Inspirational honor at the end of the year…posted a 2-10 record with a 2-8 mark in duals as the starter…faced five ranked opponents…entered the lineup Jan. 12 for the Embry-Riddle dual…defeated Nathaniel Auguston, 10-5, for his first collegiate victory.
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High School
A 2001 graduate of Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz.…earned four letters in wrestling, two in football…defensive captain in football (2000) and two-time wrestling team captain (2000-01)…state wrestling runner-up in 2001, placed third in 2000…as a junior, won four tournaments and placed second in two…compiled an overall record of 122-34…as a senior in football, earned all-conference honors and was named honorable mention all-state linebacker.
2014-15 Season
Registered a 4-4 record as a reserve... Started four duals at 174 pounds, going 2-2 in those bouts... Grabbed a 8-0 major decision against Mitchell Mickovic of Notre Dame (Ohio) and a 5-4 decision over Tiffin's Chase Boyd at the Michigan State Open (11/2)...
2015-16 Season
Did not wrestle competitively.
Transition to Comedy and Online Media
Before fame, He was an associate producer on Attack of the Show! from 2008 to 2009. James worked on Attack of the Show! (TV Series) with Adam and Bruce as an associate producer for a total of 263 episodes, from January 2, 2008 to February 18, 2009. He soon left and was unemployed for 2 to 3 years. After leaving, he then worked at Machinima Inc's Inside Gaming group, after Adam and Bruce convinced him to join.
After being hired as a fully fledged employee, he was working behind the scenes as an editor, script writer and recurring secondary host. Eventually, Willems was the first one to be featured in a video alongside Kovic and Greene, having never served as an intern, Willems became a co-host, content producer and co-star. James also starred as himself in Inside Gaming Animated (TV Series) for 10 episodes from 2014 until 2015.
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James Willems and Bruce Greene: Funhaus Fighting
Funhaus and Rooster Teeth
Alongside Adam Kovic, Bruce Greene, Lawrence Sonntag, Matt Peake, Joel Rubin and Sean "Spoole" Poole, Willems departed from Macinima Inc in late January 2015 in order for the group to form their own independent network while still residing and working elsewhere in Los Angeles, California. After about a week of going independent and solo, the team formed a partnership, ownership and developed an acquisition by Rooster Teeth, moving into their newly formed branch of the company's West Coast offices and studios in LA.
Willems has also made appearances in various other Rooster Teeth shows, such as an episode of Million Dollars, But...
Known for comedic commentary, and riffing on games, James is the third member to the iconic trio with Adam and Bruce. When it comes to comedy, nothing seems to be off limits for him. Occasional Angel. “James Willems is a lifelong fan of videos, games, and inappropriate humor.
Funhaus Team
Personal Life and Interests
James is married to fellow Funhaus and Rooster Teeth employee Elyse Willems, who is Canadian. The couple reside in Los Angeles, California. His relatives are Ricardo Guy Willems and Catherine Willems.
As revealed in a Dude Soup Podcast for the week of January 5, 2016, it was revealed that James has a lazy eye, causing him to tilt his head slightly off balance to correct this imbalance. Additionally, James and Elyse had a beautiful and gentle dog named Benson who was always excited to meet new people and loved going on walks. Sadly, on September 2, 2021, James and Elyse posted on Instagram that Benson had recently passed away.
James is often regarded as the funny one of the group, his talent of improv and comedic timing can often be seen when he commentates over gameplay, as well as on Open Haus (Q&A) videos.
James has been noted to have one eye slightly off center from the other eye's symmetry. James mentioned in a May 2018 N64 stream on FHTV that he played saxophone in middle school and played guitar for 4 years before moving out to Los Angeles. I'm one too. Dude Soup Podcast Hard Nettin - Art Haus!
Personal: Born Sept. 7, 1995, in Underwood, N.J... Son of Deron and Barbara Dobzanski... Majoring in Special Education: Learning Behavior... Enjoys weightlifting...