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.
    Known for
    Acting
    Place of birth
    Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
    Birthday
    1/15/1965
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
0
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday
7.263
Millions
Millions
6.4
Cherrybomb
Cherrybomb
5.6
Lucky Break
Lucky Break
6.206
Welcome to Sarajevo
Welcome to Sarajevo
6.387
Matching Jack
Matching Jack
6.2
Five Minutes of Heaven
Five Minutes of Heaven
6.2
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
7.357
Blessed
Blessed
5.8
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
5.4
The Coronation Concert
The Coronation Concert
6
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
7.6
The Way
The Way
7.1
Quite Ugly One Morning
5
Coriolanus
Coriolanus
5.9
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
7.323
Women Talking Dirty
Women Talking Dirty
5
Resurrection Man
Resurrection Man
6.1
Wall of Silence
Wall of Silence
8
Occupation
Occupation
7.8
Big Dippers
0
Match Point
Match Point
7.36
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
0
The Heist Before Christmas
The Heist Before Christmas
5
Wild About Harry
Wild About Harry
6.1
Gold
Gold
6.3
Jude
Jude
6.3
Go Now
Go Now
6.6
Waking Ned
Waking Ned
7
Hear My Song
Hear My Song
5.9
Outcast
Outcast
5.2
The End of the World Man
3
Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding
0
James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal
James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal
0
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
0
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
0
Lost Lives
Lost Lives
6
This Is the Sea
This Is the Sea
5.7
James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves
0
The Cry
The Cry
0
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
5
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
5.7
Alex Higgins: The People's Champion
Alex Higgins: The People's Champion
7.7
The James Gang
The James Gang
5
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Nuxt Movies
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