Actor James Marsden, star of X-Men and Westworld, is to present the 2019 Laureus World Sports Awards. James has been featured in a wide range of films and TV shows since he gained prominence on the big screen, including HBO’s critically-acclaimed sci-fi series Westworld; box-office smash Enchanted; 27 Dresses; the X-Men trilogy starring as “Cyclops;” Lee Daniels’ The Butler, in the iconic role of John F. Kennedy; Adam Shankman’s musical Hairspray, as “Corny Collins;” romantic-dramas The Notebook and The Best of Me; comedies Death at a Funeral and Bachelorette; and hit comedy series 30 Rock.

Continuing to expand on his versatile work, up next Marsden stars in Netflix dark comedy series Dead to Me. On the film side, he will star in live-action/animation hybrid film Sonic the Hedgehog, an adaptation of the classic Sega video game and in Quentin Tarantino’s highly-anticipated film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

Looking forward to hosting the Awards Ceremony, James said: “I’m thrilled to serve as host and honor the dedicated athletes who have been nominated for Laureus Awards. I am proud to support The Laureus Sport for Good’s mission to combat the social challenges children face around the world through the power of sport.”

Joining James as co-host will be leading British sports broadcaster Amanda Davies. Amanda has been a sports anchor with CNN since 2012 and has fronted the network’s ‘World Sport’ coverage at multiple global sports events, including Summer and Winter Olympics, Football World Cups, Champions League Finals, the Tour de France and the World Athletics Championships.

Before joining CNN, Amanda was a presenter at the BBC, working across BBC News, BBC Breakfast and BBC World News. Prior to her role at the BBC, she worked in the production team at Sky News and Sky Sports News.

First staged in 2000, each year the Laureus World Sports Awards celebrates the greatest achievements of individuals and teams, across all sports. Nominees in various categories are chosen by a panel of the world’s most influential and respected sports media. The Winners are then selected from the Nominees’ shortlist by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury.

Broadcast in many countries around the world, the Awards Ceremony also showcases the work of Laureus Sport for Good, which uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage, proving that sport can change the world. Today Laureus supports more than 160 programmes in over 40 countries. Our work to transform society is championed by the Laureus World Sports Academy of over 60 legends of sport. They are supported by more than 200 Laureus Ambassadors.