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