Ewan McGregor's Biography

Who is Ewan McGregor?

Ewan McGregor trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1989 to 1992 and the following year starred in Dennis Potter's TV series, Lipstick On Your Collar.

Further roles quickly followed in TV and in the movies, including the lead role of Julien Sorel in the BBC's Scarlet & Black and the award-winning film Shallow Grave, directed by Danny Boyle.

Ewan McGregor shared a Best Actor award for Shallow Grave with co-stars Christopher Eccleston and Kerry Fox.

Another significant role for McGregor was another Danny Boyle film, Trainspotting, which also starred Robert Carlyle.

Although McGregor was to continue to make his name mainly in the movies, a couple of TV appearances proved particularly important.

In 1997, he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in ER.

Whilst filming Kavanagh QC, he met Eve Mavrakis, whom he later married.

Meanwhile Ewan McGregor's credits proved an interesting mix of blockbusters and independents and of starring roles and cameos.

McGregor's biggest box-office role was Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars films, whilst his role in another commercial success Moulin Rouge also brought him a Golden Globe nomination.

Outside his acting work, Ewan McGregor has still been on screen. He motorbiked with Charlie Boorman from London to New York via Russia and Alaska in the Sky series Long Way Round.

In 2007, he and Boorman got on their bikes again on a 15,000-mile motorcycle journey from Scotland to South Africa, for Long Way Down, a six-part documentary series on BBC Two.

The Guardian profile of Ewan McGregor points out about his passion for bikes: "he has eight, which sounds rather Hollywood, but none is particularly flash. Most are reconstituted eBay wrecks ..."

In an interview with Ewan McGregor in The Telegraph, he provided a contrast between him and his brother:

"He returns to Perthshire regularly to see his parents, who are teachers, and his older brother, who is a fighter pilot. He has always been conscious that what his brother does for a living is manlier than what he does. 'I can't think of two more diverse professions than what my brother and I do. He does a proper job. He flies at 500 miles an hour 200 feet above the ground. F---ing incredible. Whereas I wear make-up for a living.'"

From December 2007, Ewan McGregor stars as Iago in the Donmar Warehouse's production of Othello.

In April 2008, the BBC reported how Ewan McGregor was fine after having a cancerous mole removed. McGregor revealed the news whilst promoting his new film Deception.

In 2009, Ewan McGregor starred in Angels & Demons, the film based on the book by Dan Brown.

In 2010, he starred in Ghost Writer, released as The Ghost in the UK.

The following year, he played Dr. Alfred Jones in the film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

In 2012, he was given the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at Spain's 60th San Sebastian International Film Festival, where he was presenting his latest film, The Impossible.

In 2016, Ewan McGregor in his role as an ambassador for the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF, following a visit to Iraq, called for greater efforts to help refugee children there.

In the same year he had his debut as a director with the film American Pastoral.

In 2017, he appeared in T2 Trainspotting, the sequel to the original Trainspotting film made 21 years earlier.

In 2017, Ewan McGregor was nominated for an Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited series for his work on Fargo.

In November 2024, it was revealed that he would act in My Master Builder in London's West End between April and July 2025.