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James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt

Acting

January 15, 1965 (61 years old)
Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Male
47 Movies
52 TV Shows

James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is a Northern Irish actor. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher, like his father, so began a degree in French at the University of Ulster. He dropped out after a year when he decided to become an actor, and transferred to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating in 1987, he spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical Up on the Roof (1987, 1989) to the political drama Paddywack (1994). He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O'Donnell in Hear My Song (1991). Nesbitt got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama Cold Feet (1998–2003), which won him a British Comedy Award, a Television and Radio Industries Club Award, and a National Television Award. His first significant film role came when he appeared as pig farmer "Pig" Finn in Waking Ned (1998). With the rest of the starring cast, Nesbitt was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In Lucky Break (2001), he made his debut as a film lead playing prisoner Jimmy Hands. The next year, he played Ivan Cooper in the television film Bloody Sunday, about the 1972 shootings in Derry. A departure from his previous "cheeky chappie" roles, the film was a turning point in his career. He won a British Independent Film Award and was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. Nesbitt has also starred in Murphy's Law (2001–2007) as undercover detective Tommy Murphy—a role that was created for him by writer Colin Bateman. The role twice gained Nesbitt Best Actor nominations at the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA). In 2007, he starred in the dual role of Tom Jackman and Mr Hyde in Steven Moffat's Jekyll, which earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination in 2008. Nesbitt has since appeared in several more dramatic roles; he starred alongside Liam Neeson in Five Minutes of Heaven (2009), and was one of three lead actors in the television miniseries Occupation (2009) and The Deep (2010). He also starred in the movies Outcast (2010) and Emilio Estevez's The Way (2011), and has been cast in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit (2012/13). Nesbitt is married to former actress Sonia Forbes-Adam, with whom he has two daughters. He is a patron of numerous charities and in 2010 accepted the ceremonial position of Chancellor of the University of Ulster.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012 7.4

as Bofur

Age 47 (now 61)
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday

2002 7.2

as Ivan Cooper

Age 37 (now 61)
Match Point
Match Point

Match Point

2005 7.4

as Detective Banner

Age 40 (now 61)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2013 7.6

as Bofur

Age 48 (now 61)
Millions
Millions

Millions

2005 6.4

as Ronnie

Age 40 (now 61)
The Way
The Way

The Way

2010 7.1

as Jack

Age 45 (now 61)
Five Minutes of Heaven
Five Minutes of Heaven

Five Minutes of Heaven

2009 6.1

as Joe Griffin

Age 44 (now 61)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

2014 7.3

as Bofur

Age 49 (now 61)
Stan Lee's Lucky Man
Stan Lee's Lucky Man

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

2016 6.9

as Harry Clayton

Age 51 (now 61)
28 eps
Waking Ned
Waking Ned

Waking Ned

1998 7.1

as Pig Finn

Age 33 (now 61)
Cold Feet
Cold Feet

Cold Feet

1998 7.7

as Adam Williams

Age 33 (now 61)
61 eps
Cherrybomb
Cherrybomb

Cherrybomb

2009 5.5

as Crilly

Age 44 (now 61)
Coriolanus
Coriolanus

Coriolanus

2011 5.8

as Tribune Sicinius

Age 46 (now 61)
Outcast
Outcast

Outcast

2010 5.1

as Cathal

Age 45 (now 61)
Lucky Break
Lucky Break

Lucky Break

2001 6.2

as James 'Jimmy' Hands

Age 36 (now 61)
Gold
Gold

Gold

2014 6.3

as Frank McGunn

Age 49 (now 61)