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
Credits
- 2023 · The Heist Before Christmas as Bank Robber
- 2023 · The Coronation Concert as Self
- 2022 · Suspect as Danny Frater
- 2022 · The John Bishop Show as Self
- 2021 · Stay Close as DS Michael Broome
- 2021 · Bloodlands as DCI Tom Brannick
- 2020 · James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves as Himself
- 2019 · DNA Journey as Self
- 2019 · Lost Lives as
- 2018 · James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain as
- 2017 · Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles as Harry Clayton
- 2016 · The Secret as Colin Howell
- 2016 · Michael McIntyre's Big Show as Self
- 2016 · Stan Lee's Lucky Man as Harry Clayton
- 2014 · The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies as Bofur
- 2014 · Babylon as Richard Miller
- 2014 · The Missing as Tony Hughes
- 2014 · Gold as Frank McGunn
- 2013 · River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand as Self
- 2013 · The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug as Bofur
- 2012 · The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as Bofur
- 2012 · Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story as Narrator
- 2011 · The Jonathan Ross Show as Self
- 2011 · Monroe as Gabriel Monroe
- 2011 · Coriolanus as Tribune Sicinius
- 2010 · Outcast as Cathal
- 2010 · The Way as Jack
- 2010 · Alex Higgins: The People's Champion as Narrator
- 2010 · Matching Jack as Connor
- 2010 · The Deep as Clem Donnelly
- 2009 · Occupation as Mike Swift
- 2009 · Occupation as Mike Swift
- 2009 · Chris Moyles' Quiz Night as Self
- 2009 · Cherrybomb as Crilly
- 2009 · Five Minutes of Heaven as Joe Griffin
- 2008 · Blessed as Peter
- 2008 · Midnight Man as Max Raban
- 2008 · The Passion as Pilate
- 2008 · Fairy Tales as
- 2007 · James Ellis: An Actor's Life as Himself
- 2007 · Jekyll as Dr. Tom Jackman
- 2007 · The Graham Norton Show as Self
- 2007 · The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
- 2006 · The One Show as Self - Guest
- 2006 · The One Show as Self
- 2006 · Soccer Aid as
- 2005 · OFI Sunday as
- 2005 · Match Point as Detective Banner
- 2005 · Big Dippers as Ray
- 2004 · James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal as Presenter
- 2004 · Quite Ugly One Morning as Jack Parlabane
- 2004 · Millions as Ronnie
- 2004 · Passer By as Joe Keyes
- 2004 · Wall of Silence as Stuart Robe
- 2003 · Canterbury Tales as Nick Zakian
- 2003 · The Terry and Gaby Show as
- 2002 · Top Gear as Self
- 2002 · Tractor Tom as Matt (voice)
- 2002 · Bloody Sunday as Ivan Cooper
- 2001 · Women Talking Dirty as Stanley
- 2001 · Friday Night with Jonathan Ross as Self
- 2001 · Murphy's Law as Thomas Murphy
- 2001 · Lucky Break as James 'Jimmy' Hands
- 2000 · Wild About Harry as Walter Adair
- 2000 · The Most Fertile Man in Ireland as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson
- 1999 · The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell as Yuri
- 1998 · Cold Feet as Adam Williams
- 1998 · Waking Ned as Pig Finn
- 1998 · Playing the Field as
- 1998 · Resurrection Man as Ryan
- 1998 · Parkinson as Self
- 1997 · The James Gang as Graham Armstrong
- 1997 · This Is the Sea as Constable Hubert Porter
- 1997 · Welcome to Sarajevo as Gregg
- 1996 · Never Mind the Buzzcocks as Self
- 1996 · Ballykissangel as
- 1996 · Ballykissangel as Leo McGarvey
- 1996 · Jude as Uncle Joe
- 1995 · Go Now as Tony
- 1995 · Soccer AM as Self
- 1994 · Common As Muck as
- 1993 · Love Lies Bleeding as Niall
- 1993 · GMTV as Self
- 1992 · Between the Lines as
- 1992 · The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles as Yuri
- 1991 · Hear My Song as Fintan O'Donnell
- 1991 · Soldier Soldier as Corporal Bryan Casey
- 1989 · Virtuoso as Young Man
- 1986 · The End of the World Man as Policeman
- 1986 · Lovejoy as Jerry Boyle
- 1984 · The Cry as B Special (uncredited)
- 1977 · The Hollywood Greats as
- 1962 · The Late Late Show as Self
- Future · Ireland's Rugby Number 10 as Narrator