James McAvoy's Biography

Who is James McAvoy?

James McAvoy was born on 1 January 1979 in Glasgow in Scotland. His father was a builder and his mother was a psychiatric nurse.

From the age of 7, after his parents split up, James McAvoy lived with his mother's parents.

His mother lived with them some of the time.

James McAvoy studied at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, whilst also working an early shift at Sainsbury's bakeries.

When he was 20, McAvoy moved to London and pursued his acting career.

He soon amassed significant TV, film and theatrical credits.

One of his most important roles was as Steve in Channel Four's cult comedy Shameless, in which he collaborated once again with writer Paul Abbott, with whom he also worked with on the BBC drama series State of Play.

Shameless was significant not just for bringing James McAvoy to a wider audience but also because he and co-star Anne-Marie Duff became a couple and would later, in October 2006, get married.

McAvoy's important film credits include playing Mr Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The role was partly responsible for him securing the Rising Star of 2006 accolade at the BAFTA awards.

McAvoy's other notable film roles include Nicholas Garrigan in The Last King of Scotland (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role), Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane, and Robbie Turner in Atonement (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Leading Actor and was named Best Actor at the Empire Awards).

In 2008, James McAvoy was cast as Wesley Gibson in the blockbuster Wanted.

In January 2010, James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff revealed at the London premiere of The Last Station, in which they both starred, that they were expecting their first child.

In 2011, he starred in X-Men: First Class.

In May 2016, James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff announced their decision to divorce.

In 2019 he was cast in M. Night Shyamalan's film Glass.

In the same year, he was cast as Lord Asriel in BBC One's adaptation of His Dark Materials and starred in the stage version of Cyrano de Bergerac.

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