James Rowntree attended The Friends' School in Tasmania. After leaving school and time at university, Rowntree became a talks producer with the ABC in Hobart and was involved with the Hobart Repertory Society. He left Australia in 1958 and worked in England for several years.
After his return to Australia, Rowntree worked for Esso before deciding to write. He won a Fellowship of Australian Writers playwriting competition in 1974 and in 1979 was awarded a senior Writers Fellowship by the Literature Board .
He has written under various family names and has lived in Victoria.
