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James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt

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.

Personal information

Birthday

1965-01-15

Birth Place

Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland

Movies and TV shows :

Alex Higgins: The People's Champion

Alex Higgins: The People's Champion

2010

7.7

Movie
poster

Babylon

2014

6.6

TV
poster

Ballykissangel

1996

6.9

TV
poster

Between the Lines

1992

5.6

TV
Big Dippers

Big Dippers

2005

0.0

Movie
Blessed

Blessed

2008

5.8

Movie
poster

Bloodlands

2021

6.8

TV
Bloody Sunday

Bloody Sunday

2002

7.3

Movie
poster

Canterbury Tales

2003

6.9

TV
Cherrybomb

Cherrybomb

2009

5.6

Movie
poster

Chris Moyles' Quiz Night

2009

5.3

TV
poster

Cold Feet

1998

7.9

TV
poster

Common As Muck

1994

7.5

TV
Coriolanus

Coriolanus

2011

5.9

Movie
poster

DNA Journey

2019

6.0

TV
poster

Fairy Tales

2008

0.0

TV
Five Minutes of Heaven

Five Minutes of Heaven

2009

6.2

Movie
poster

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross

2001

5.9

TV
poster

GMTV

1993

5.8

TV
Go Now

Go Now

1995

6.6

Movie
Gold

Gold

2014

6.3

Movie
Hear My Song

Hear My Song

1991

5.9

Movie
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story

Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story

2012

0.0

Movie
Ireland's Rugby Number 10

Ireland's Rugby Number 10

10.0

Movie
James Ellis: An Actor's Life

James Ellis: An Actor's Life

2007

0.0

Movie
James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves

James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves

2020

0.0

Movie
James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal

James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal

2004

0.0

Movie
poster

James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain

2018

8.0

TV
poster

Jekyll

2007

7.6

TV
Jude

Jude

1996

6.3

Movie
Lost Lives

Lost Lives

2019

6.0

Movie
Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding

1993

0.0

Movie
poster

Lovejoy

1986

7.3

TV
Lucky Break

Lucky Break

2001

6.2

Movie
Match Point

Match Point

2005

7.4

Movie
Matching Jack

Matching Jack

2010

6.2

Movie
poster

Michael McIntyre's Big Show

2016

7.4

TV
poster

Midnight Man

2008

5.2

TV
Millions

Millions

2004

6.4

Movie
poster

Monroe

2011

7.3

TV
poster

Murphy's Law

2001

7.7

TV
poster

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

1996

7.0

TV
Occupation

Occupation

2009

7.8

Movie
poster

Occupation

2009

0.0

TV
poster

OFI Sunday

2005

0.0

TV
Outcast

Outcast

2010

5.2

Movie
poster

Parkinson

1998

0.0

TV
poster

Passer By

2004

0.0

TV
poster

Playing the Field

1998

5.2

TV
Quite Ugly One Morning

Quite Ugly One Morning

2004

5.0

Movie
Resurrection Man

Resurrection Man

1998

6.1

Movie
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand

River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand

2013

5.0

Movie
poster

Soccer Aid

2006

5.2

TV
poster

Soccer AM

1995

6.7

TV
poster

Soldier Soldier

1991

6.4

TV
poster

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

2016

6.9

TV
poster

Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles

2017

9.0

TV
poster

Stay Close

2021

7.0

TV
poster

Suspect

2022

6.1

TV
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

2007

0.0

Movie
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell

1999

5.4

Movie
The Coronation Concert

The Coronation Concert

2023

6.0

Movie
The Cry

The Cry

1984

0.0

Movie
poster

The Deep

2010

5.9

TV
The End of the World Man

The End of the World Man

1986

3.0

Movie
poster

The Graham Norton Show

2007

7.2

TV
The Heist Before Christmas

The Heist Before Christmas

2023

5.0

Movie
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012

7.4

Movie
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

2014

7.3

Movie
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2013

7.6

Movie
poster

The Hollywood Greats

1977

3.5

TV
The James Gang

The James Gang

1997

5.0

Movie
poster

The John Bishop Show

2022

3.5

TV
poster

The Jonathan Ross Show

2011

4.8

TV
poster

The Late Late Show

1962

5.0

TV
poster

The Missing

2014

7.1

TV
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

2000

5.7

Movie
poster

The One Show

2006

4.6

TV
poster

The Passion

2008

5.2

TV
poster

The Secret

2016

6.5

TV
poster

The Terry and Gaby Show

2003

5.0

TV
The Way

The Way

2010

7.1

Movie
poster

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

1992

6.5

TV
This Is the Sea

This Is the Sea

1997

5.7

Movie
poster

Top Gear

2002

7.5

TV
poster

Tractor Tom

2002

10.0

TV
Virtuoso

Virtuoso

1989

0.0

Movie
Waking Ned

Waking Ned

1998

7.0

Movie
Wall of Silence

Wall of Silence

2004

8.0

Movie
Welcome to Sarajevo

Welcome to Sarajevo

1997

6.4

Movie
Wild About Harry

Wild About Harry

2000

6.1

Movie
Women Talking Dirty

Women Talking Dirty

2001

5.0

Movie