James Nesbitt
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- January 15, 1965 (age 61)
- Birthplace
- Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Biography
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
Photos
Filmography
Ireland's Rugby Number 10
Movie · as Narrator
So You're Going to Die
Movie · as Liam Gallagher
Hercule
TV · 6 eps
Run Away
TV · as Simon Greene · 8 eps
Missing You
TV · as Dominic Calligan · 3 eps
The Coronation Concert
Movie · as Self
The Heist Before Christmas
Movie · as Bank Robber
The John Bishop Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Suspect
TV · as Danny Frater · 8 eps
Bloodlands
TV · as DCI Tom Brannick · 10 eps
Stay Close
TV · as DS Michael Broome · 8 eps
James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves
Movie · as Himself
Lost Lives
Movie · as Self (voice)
DNA Journey
TV · as Self · 1 ep
James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain
TV · 6 eps
Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles
TV · as Harry Clayton · 1 ep
Stan Lee's Lucky Man
TV · as Harry Clayton · 28 eps
The Secret
TV · as Colin Howell · 4 eps
Michael McIntyre's Big Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Movie · as Bofur
Gold
Movie · as Frank McGunn
The Missing
TV · as Tony Hughes · 8 eps
Babylon
TV · as Commissioner Richard Miller · 5 eps
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Movie · as Bofur
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
Movie · as Self
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Movie · as Bofur
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
Movie · as Narrator
Coriolanus
Movie · as Tribune Sicinius
The Jonathan Ross Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Monroe
TV · as Gabriel Monroe · 12 eps
Matching Jack
Movie · as Connor
The Way
Movie · as Jack
Outcast
Movie · as Cathal
Alex Higgins: The People's Champion
Movie · as Narrator
The Deep
TV · as Clem Donnelly · 5 eps
Cherrybomb
Movie · as Crilly
Five Minutes of Heaven
Movie · as Joe Griffin
Occupation
Movie · as Mike Swift
Occupation
TV · as Mike Swift · 3 eps
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Blessed
Movie · as Peter
The Passion
TV · as Pilate · 6 eps
Midnight Man
TV · as Max Raban · 3 eps
Fairy Tales
TV · as Hans M. Prince · 1 ep
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
Movie · as Self
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
Movie · as Himself
Jekyll
TV · as Dr. Tom Jackman · 6 eps
The Graham Norton Show
TV · as Self · 4 eps
Soccer Aid
TV · 1 ep
The One Show
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
Millions
Movie · as Ronnie
Big Dippers
Movie · as Ray
Match Point
Movie · as Detective Banner
OFI Sunday
TV · 1 ep
The Friday Night Project
TV · as Self - Host · 1 ep
Quite Ugly One Morning
Movie · as Jack Parlabane
Wall of Silence
Movie · as Stuart Robe
James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal
Movie · as Presenter
Passer By
TV · as Joe Keyes · 2 eps
Parkinson
TV · as Self - Guest · 1 ep
The Terry and Gaby Show
TV · 1 ep
Canterbury Tales
TV · as Nick Zakian · 1 ep
Bloody Sunday
Movie · as Ivan Cooper
Top Gear
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Tractor Tom
TV · as Matt (voice) · 52 eps
Lucky Break
Movie · as James 'Jimmy' Hands
Women Talking Dirty
Movie · as Stanley
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Murphy's Law
TV · as DS Tommy Murphy · 23 eps
Wild About Harry
Movie · as Walter Adair
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
Movie · as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
Movie · as Yuri
Resurrection Man
Movie · as Ryan
Waking Ned
Movie · as Pig Finn
Cold Feet
TV · as Adam Williams · 61 eps
Playing the Field
TV · 32 eps
Parkinson
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Welcome to Sarajevo
Movie · as Gregg
This Is the Sea
Movie · as Constable Hubert Porter
The James Gang
Movie · as Graham Armstrong
Jude
Movie · as Uncle Joe
Ballykissangel
TV · as Leo McGarvey · 4 eps
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
TV · as Self · 1 ep
TFI Friday
TV · 2 eps
Go Now
Movie · as Tony
Soccer AM
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Searching
TV · as Duncan · 7 eps
Common As Muck
TV · 1 ep
Love Lies Bleeding
Movie · as Niall
GMTV
TV · as Self · 2 eps
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
TV · as Yuri · 1 ep
Between the Lines
TV · 1 ep
Hear My Song
Movie · as Fintan O'Donnell
Soldier Soldier
TV · as Corporal Bryan Casey · 1 ep
Virtuoso
Movie · as Young Man
The End of the World Man
Movie · as Policeman
Lovejoy
TV · as Jerry Boyle · 1 ep
ScreenPlay
TV · as Niall · 1 ep
Boon
TV · as Martin Mulholland · 1 ep
Screen Two
TV · as Young man · 1 ep
The Cry
Movie · as B Special (uncredited)
The Hollywood Greats
TV · 1 ep
The Late Late Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep