Theo James, a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, draws on his grandfather Nicolas Taptiklis's 1941 flight from Nazi-occupied Athens to press for stronger refugee protections. In a TIME essay published Sep. 9, 2026, he recounts Taptiklis's night crossing of the Aegean with 12 others, his refuge in Damascus, and his postwar work with UNRRA in Göttingen. James links that family history to the 1951 Refugee Convention and warns that rising xenophobia and shrinking humanitarian aid put its protections at risk.
Theo James Turns Grandfather’s Escape Into An Urgent Plea To Defend Refugee Rights
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Theo James, the actor known for The Gentlemen and a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, has transformed a personal family story into a public plea to protect refugees. In a TIME essay titled "We Must Defend the Refugee Convention," published on Sep. 9, 2026, James recounts his grandfather Nicolas Taptiklis's escape from Nazi-occupied Greece and explains why the 1951 Refugee Convention still matters.
In 1941, as Nazi forces seized Athens, Taptiklis boarded a tiny boat with 12 others in the dead of night and crossed the Aegean Sea to Turkey. He later travelled with thousands of other refugees to Damascus, where he found shelter. After World War II, he returned to Europe and worked with the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), assisting displaced people at a camp in Göttingen, Germany.
James says his grandfather witnessed both lifesaving generosity and the devastating consequences of displacement when protection is absent. He writes:
"My grandfather experienced the generosity and compassion of the Syrians who sheltered him... [and] what a world of chaos and violence was like, and what its consequences were if there was no safety net of international protection."
Why James Is Speaking Out
James argues that his grandfather’s experiences illustrate the purpose of the 1951 Refugee Convention, which established legal protections for people fleeing persecution and conflict. He warns that the Convention's promise is under pressure as xenophobia rises, humanitarian funding tightens, and international solidarity weakens.
"If my grandfather were alive today, he would be sounding a warning," James writes. "He would be speaking up in defense of the Convention, of humanitarian action, of compassion." He says he now wants to deliver that warning on his grandfather’s behalf: to remind people that becoming a refugee can happen to any of us and that the right to seek safety is a promise that must be defended.
James’s essay blends personal memory and policy urgency: a call to remember how individual stories of flight and refuge should inform current commitments to protect vulnerable people fleeing war and persecution.
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