James David Maslow (born July 16, 1990) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for playing the role of James Diamond on Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush and is a member of the boy band with the same name.Maslow was born in New York City, New York, and raised in La Jolla, California. His father is Jewish and his mother is Catholic; he was raised Jewish, attended Hebrew school six days a week during his childhood, and had a Bar Mitzvah. He has described himself as a "religious and spiritual person".