James Rolfe
James D. Rolfe (born July 10, 1980) is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, and actor. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedic retrogaming web series The Angry Video Game Nerd (2004–present). His spin-off projects include reviews of retro films, television series, and board games. He is considered a pioneer of internet gaming videos, and is noted for his widespread influence on YouTube content after the series premiered on the site in 2006.
James Rolfe | ||||||||||
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Rolfe in character as the Nerd in 2021 | ||||||||||
| Born | James D. Rolfe July 10, 1980 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |||||||||
| Alma mater | University of the Arts (BFA) | |||||||||
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| Years active | 1996–present | |||||||||
| Known for | Creating and hosting the retrogaming web series Angry Video Game Nerd (2004–present) | |||||||||
| Spouse |
April Chmura (m. 2007) | |||||||||
| Children | 2 | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Also known as | The Nerd | |||||||||
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| Created by | Mike Matei | |||||||||
| Years active | 2006–present | |||||||||
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| Subscribers | 3.8 million | |||||||||
| Total views | 2.2 billion | |||||||||
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Last updated: September 5, 2023 | ||||||||||
| An audio sample of Rolfe as The Angry Video Game Nerd | ||||||||||
| Website | cinemassacre | |||||||||
Rolfe began creating homemade video productions in the late 1980s, having created more than 270 videos and short films by 2004. Among these were the first Angry Video Game Nerd (originally known as Bad NES Games, and later Angry Nintendo Nerd) episodes, which were subsequently released on his Cinemassacre website that same year. Two years later, he gained mainstream attention after the series went viral upon being published to YouTube. Following its success, Rolfe released a feature-length film based on the series in 2014, which was met with generally mixed reception.