James McAvoy


1979 -

Film and television actor. Born in Glasgow, the son of a builder, he was brought up in Scotstoun and then, following the divorce of his parents, in Drumchapel with his grandparents. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas School in Glasgow and joined a youth theatre before training formally as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Following bit-parts in The Near Room (1995) and Regeneration (1997), he came to prominence in Steven Spielberg's acclaimed mini-series Band of Brothers (2001). Other notable films have included Bright Young Things (2003), Penelope (2006), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Becoming Jane (2007), Atonement (2007), for which he gained a Golden Globe nomination, and Wanted (2008). He has also appeared in episodes of Foyle's War (2002) and Shameless (2004) for television, together with occasional theatre performances. In 2006, he received a Rising Star BAFTA award.

Since 2000 McAvoy has lived in London. He took part in the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, appealing on behalf of UNICEF.


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