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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.

The Heist Before Christmas

2023

as Bank Robber

The Coronation Concert

2023

as Self

Suspect

2022

as Danny Frater

Stay Close

2021

as DS Michael Broome

Bloodlands

2021

as DCI Tom Brannick

James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves

2020

as Himself

DNA Journey

2019

as Self

Lost Lives

2019

James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain

2018

Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles

2017

as Harry Clayton

The Secret

2016

as Colin Howell

Michael McIntyre's Big Show

2016

as Self

Stan Lee's Lucky Man

2016

as Harry Clayton

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

2014

as Bofur

Babylon

2014

as Richard Miller

The Missing

2014

as Tony Hughes

Gold

2014

as Frank McGunn

River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand

2013

as Self

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2013

as Bofur

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012

as Bofur

Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story

2012

as Narrator

Monroe

2011

as Gabriel Monroe

Coriolanus

2011

as Tribune Sicinius

Outcast

2010

as Cathal

The Way

2010

as Jack

Alex Higgins: The People's Champion

2010

as Narrator

Matching Jack

2010

as Connor

The Deep

2010

as Clem Donnelly

Occupation

2009

as Mike Swift

Occupation

2009

as Mike Swift

Chris Moyles' Quiz Night

2009

as Self

Cherrybomb

2009

as Crilly

Five Minutes of Heaven

2009

as Joe Griffin

Blessed

2008

as Peter

Midnight Man

2008

as Max Raban

The Passion

2008

as Pilate

Fairy Tales

2008

James Ellis: An Actor's Life

2007

as Himself

Jekyll

2007

as Dr. Tom Jackman

The 50 Greatest Television Dramas

2007

as Self

Soccer Aid

2006

OFI Sunday

2005

Match Point

2005

as Detective Banner

Big Dippers

2005

as Ray

James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal

2004

as Presenter

Quite Ugly One Morning

2004

as Jack Parlabane

Millions

2004

as Ronnie

Passer By

2004

as Joe Keyes

Wall of Silence

2004

as Stuart Robe

Canterbury Tales

2003

as Nick Zakian

The Terry and Gaby Show

2003

Tractor Tom

2002

as Matt (voice)

Bloody Sunday

2002

as Ivan Cooper

Women Talking Dirty

2001

as Stanley

Murphy's Law

2001

as Thomas Murphy

Lucky Break

2001

as James 'Jimmy' Hands

Wild About Harry

2000

as Walter Adair

The Most Fertile Man in Ireland

2000

as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell

1999

as Yuri

Cold Feet

1998

as Adam Williams

Waking Ned

1998

as Pig Finn

Playing the Field

1998

Resurrection Man

1998

as Ryan

The James Gang

1997

as Graham Armstrong

This Is the Sea

1997

as Constable Hubert Porter

Welcome to Sarajevo

1997

as Gregg

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

1996

as Self

Ballykissangel

1996

Ballykissangel

1996

as Leo McGarvey

Jude

1996

as Uncle Joe

Go Now

1995

as Tony

Common As Muck

1994

Love Lies Bleeding

1993

as Niall

Between the Lines

1992

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles

1992

as Yuri

Hear My Song

1991

as Fintan O'Donnell

Soldier Soldier

1991

as Corporal Bryan Casey

Virtuoso

1989

as Young Man

The End of the World Man

1986

as Policeman

Lovejoy

1986

as Jerry Boyle

The Cry

1984

as B Special (uncredited)

The Hollywood Greats

1977

Ireland's Rugby Number 10

as Narrator

The Way

as Jack