James Hooton

English actor (b. 1973)

Jun 7, 2026

James Hooton

James Hooton (born 13 July 1973) is an English actor best known for his role as Sam Dingle on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, which he has portrayed since 1995. Hooton was born and raised in Carlton, Nottinghamshire and attended Frank Wheldon Comprehensive School. He made his television debut at the age of 12 in the children's TV series Your Mother Wouldn't Like It. Besides Emmerdale, he has appeared in various other TV shows, including Peak Practice, The Bill, Heartbeat, and Touching Evil. Hooton also had a role in director Shane Meadows' film Twenty Four Seven. He is engaged to dance company owner Nancy Lucas and they have two children together.

Rank#31,195

Buzz Score0.1

Daily update · June 7, 2026

James Hooton ranks #31,195 most popular person with a Buzz Score of 0.1. James Hooton peaked at #36,611 of all time (Apr 25 - May 24, 2026). James Hooton ranks #39,017 over the past 365 days.

James Hooton

Popularity Rankings & History

Current and historical popularity rankings

Ranks on June 7, 2026

Overall popularity

#31,195

People

Ranking History

Peak, 1-year, and top-chart days

Peak Buzz Score

0.1

#36,611Overall rank

Apr 25 - May 24, 2026

Days at #1

Past 365 days

Days in Top 10

Past 365 days

James Hooton Buzz Score History

Daily Buzz Score over the last 30 days

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James Hooton Top TV Shows

James Hooton's shows ranked by Buzz Score

Emmerdale

Sam Dingle · 5,473 ep · 1972 – Present

1.1

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Updated June 08, 2026

Current Buzz Score

James HootonPerson

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