JAMES MCAVOY - 

 

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James Andrew McAvoy (born (1979-04-21)21 April 1979) is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune. Besides screen acting, McAvoy has appeared on stage with Three Days of Rain in 2009, and in 2011 he did voice work for animated films including Gnomeo & Juliet and Arthur Christmas.

 

Atonement water fountain scene, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley

 

James McAvoy as Robbie Turner and Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis

 


Starting in 2003, McAvoy began to build his film resume with Bollywood Queen. That film was followed with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), a commercial hit. His performance in Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland achieved him not only critical praise, but several award nominations. 2007's critically acclaimed Atonement marked the breakthrough in McAvoy's career. It also earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination and his second BAFTA nomination. Another big point in the actor's career was starring in Wanted (2008). Since then, he is notable for playing Charles Xavier in the 2011 superhero film X-Men: First Class.

 

 

Early life and family

 

James McAvoy was born in Port Glasgow, Scotland, the son of Elizabeth (née Johnstone), a psychiatric nurse, and James McAvoy Senior, a builder. He was brought up as a Roman Catholic. His parents divorced when he was seven, which McAvoy took hard. McAvoy's mother suffered from poor health and subsequently decided it was best that he live with his maternal grandparents, Mary and butcher James Johnstone, in the nearby Drumchapel area of Glasgow in a terrace council house. His mother lived with them intermittently. The actor has regularly visited his grandparents. He has a sister, Joy, and a younger half-brother, Donald. McAvoy has not been in contact with his father since childhood.

 

According to his father, McAvoy avoided any contact with him after the elder McAvoy moved in with his new lover. Nonetheless, the actor considers himself to have had a good upbringing. He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow, a Catholic school, and briefly considered joining the Catholic priesthood. In a 2006 interview, McAvoy admitted that part of the reason why he considered becoming a priest was that he wanted to use it as an excuse to travel. During his education, he worked at a local bakery.

Early career

 

McAvoy's acting debut came at the age of 15 in The Near Room (1995). McAvoy later admitted that he was not very interested in acting when joining the movie, but was inspired to study the craft after developing feelings for his co-star, Alana Brady. He continued to act while still a member of PACE Youth Theatre. McAvoy eventually graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2000. Throughout the early 2000s, McAvoy made guest appearances in television shows and began working on movies. In 2001, the actor appeared in a play entitled Out in the Open. His performance in the play as a gay hustler impressed filmmaker Joe Wright so much that he stayed on his radar and offered McAvoy parts in his movies, but to no avail, as the actor turned them down for years.

He also starred in Privates on Parade in the Donmar Warehouse, this time catching Sam Mendes's attention. Also during 2001, the actor appeared in Band of Brothers, an eleven-hour World War II miniseries by executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It was shown on the HBO network. He gained the attention of critics in 2002's made-for-television adaption of the book White Teeth.

During 2003 McAvoy appeared in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, adapted from Frank Herbert's novels. It is one of the highest-rated programs ever to be aired on the channel. More cable work came for him when he accepted the role of an unprincipled reporter in 2003's State of Play. The well-received six-part British drama serial tells the story of a newspaper's investigation into the death of a young woman and was broadcast on BBC One. Calling the program a "must-see", the Chicago Tribune recommended State of Play for its cast's performance. During 2002, McAvoy shot scenes for Bollywood Queen', described as West Side Story meets Romeo and Juliet with bindis, the movie deals with star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of clashing cultures; it was shown as a special presentation at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and opened in UK theatres on 17 October. In 2004, he acted in a supporting role in the romantic comedy Wimbledon, also featuring Kirsten Dunst as a co-lead. His next project was voicing a character named Hal in the 2004 English version of Strings, a mythic fantasy film. Another 2004 release for him was Inside I'm Dancing, an Irish production helmed by Damien O'Donnell. In it, the actor was cast as the principal character: a maverick with duchenne muscular dystrophy.

 

 

Atonement' - Movie Poster, James McAvoy and Keira Knightely

 

Atonement' - Movie Poster

 

 

Critical success

 

McAvoy rounded out 2004 by appearing in the first two seasons of Shameless as Steve McBride, the moral hero of the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 program, giving the actor a big break in his career. His public profile was raised in 2005 with the release of Walt Disney Pictures's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. McAvoy starred in the fantasy adventure film made by Andrew Adamson and based on C. S. Lewis's'children's novel as Mr. Tumnus, a faun who befriends Lucy Pevensie (played by Georgie Henley) and joins Aslan's (Liam Neeson) forces. It was given a UK release of 9 December. At the UK box office, this movie opened at number one, earning around £8.7 million at 498 cinemas over the weekend. Worldwide, Narnia grossed £463 million, making it the 41st highest-grossing film of all-time worldwide. That succeeding year he also accepted the principal role of Brian Jackson, a nerdy university student who wins a place on a University Challenge quiz team in the mid-1980s, in Starter for 10. He was directed by David Nicholls, who adapted the film's screenplay from his own book. The British/American production was given distribution in the UK on 10 November. 10 scored a rating of 89% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on a sample of 75 reviews. In spite of the positive buzz, the movie flopped at the box office, unable to recover its production costs of £5.7 million.

Forrest Whittaker had suggested McAvoy to director Kevin Macdonald for the role of Nicholas Garrigan in 2006's Academy Award-winning low-budgeted The Last King of Scotland. McAvoy portrayed a Scottish doctor that becomes the personal physician to dictator Idi Amin (played by Whittaker) while in Uganda. While the movie is based on factual events of Amin's rule, the story between the two is fictional and adapted from Giles Foden's acclaimed 1998 novel. He assessed his character to be a "completely selfish prick." An overwhelmed McAvoy fainted during his first take of what would be the hardest scene for him to shoot, Nicolas's torture. McAvoy was named Best Actor of the year by the Scotland's own BAFTA Awards, where the film swept the major categories, and received a nomination from the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The movie itself walked away with three wins, including the honour for Outstanding British Film of the Year. This was accompanied by praise for McAvoy's performance.

Following that, he played Irish attorney Tom Lefroy and love-interest to Jane Austen in Becoming Jane, a 2007 historical movie inspired by the author's early life. Next up was Penelope, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Also starring co-producer Reese Witherspoon, it generated polarised reviews. The breakthrough role in McAvoy's career came in Atonement, Joe Wright's 2007 adaption of Ian McEwan's novel of the same title. A romantic war film, it focuses on lovers Cecilia and Robbie's (Keira Knightley and McAvoy) lives being torn apart after her jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan) falsely accuses him of a crime. Upon reading the script, McAvoy thought to himself, "if I don't get the part I'm not reading the book because it'll be devastating. It's an amazing role and I really wanted it." McAvoy has called the movie "incredibly sad" but considers it an uplifting experience. He also shared that he hoped viewers will be left "absolutely devastated and harrowed." Screenings of Atonement were held at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was one of most acclaimed films present, and Venice Film Festival. Atonement was a big awards contender; it was nominated for fourteen BAFTAs and seven Academy Awards. Both McAvoy and Knightley were nominated for their performances at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, respectively. Additionally, the film was lauded by critics, with Metacritic reporting it to have an approval rating of 85. The Hollywood Reporter writer Ray Bennett said the duo gave "compelling and charismatic performances".

 

 

 

 

 

WANTED

 

One of the biggest highlights of McAvoy's career was starring opposite Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in Wanted, an action movie where he personified Wesley Gibson, a young American slacker who learns he is heir to a legacy of assassins. When McAvoy screen-tested for the role, he was initially rejected because the studio was seeking an actor with conventional Hollywood leading-man looks and physique. He later recalled being considered the "runt of the litter" of those who tested, but ultimately got the part in late 2006 since the studio "wanted someone geeky." While shooting action scenes for Wanted, he suffered several injuries, including a twisted ankle and an injured knee. Nonetheless the actor said he had a "good time" doing the movie. McAvoy had never done this type of genre before and thought of Wanted as a chance to be more versatile. Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Mark Millar, it saw a June 2008 release worldwide. It received favourable reviews from the press, who generally liked that it was fast-paced. At the box office, Wanted was a success, grossing £207 million against a £45 million production budget. Next was The Last Station (2009), a biopic that details the final months of celebrated writer Leo Tolstoy and also stars McAvoy's wife. It was shown at a limited amount of screens in the US. Although most critics' awards paid attention to co-stars Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, the Satellite Awards nominated McAvoy for Best Supporting Actor. In 2009, McAvoy voiced Angelina's father, Maurice Mouseling, in the television series, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps.


He also appeared onstage in 2009 at Apollo Theater's Three Days of Rain. He accepted the job of voicing the male titular character in Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), an animated movie based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. In Robert Redford's historical American drama The Conspirator, McAvoy played the role of an idealistic war hero who reluctantly defends a co-conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. While this movie garnered mixed reception, critics lauded the actor for his work. In Owen Gleiberman's assessment of The Conspirator, he found it "stiff-jointed" and tedious, but regarded McAvoy as "an avid presence". In mid-2010, McAvoy was cast as telepathic superhero Professor X, leader and founder of the X-Men, in X-Men: First Class. He joined an ensemble that included Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon. Based on the Marvel Comics and a prequel to the film series, it is set primarily during the Cuban Missile Crisis and focuses on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the origin of their groups. McAvoy admitted that he was not familiar with the comics as a child, but was a fan of the cartoons since the age of 10. Released to the UK on 1 June, First Class topped its box office with ticket sales of around £5 million during its opening weekend. First Class was also reviewed favourably. In 2011, McAvoy began filming the role of Max Lewinsky in the British thriller, Welcome to the Punch. He was also cast as the lead role in the upcoming Danny Boyle film, Trance.

In 2012, McAvoy was cast as Bruce Robertson in Filth, an adaptation of an Irvine Welsh novel of the same name. The film's ensemble cast includes Jamie Bell, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Marsan, and Imogen Poots. It was also announced that he would co-star with Jessica Chastain in a double-feature film project, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby.

 

 

FILMOGRAPHY

Year Film Role Notes
1995 The Near Room Kevin Savage Minor role
1997 An Angel Passes By Local boy Short film directed by David Baillie
1997 Regeneration Anthony Balfour (Aka Behind the Lines) Minor role
2001 Swimming Pool Mike (Aka The Pool) Ensemble cast
2003 Bright Young Things The Earl of Balcairn
2003 Bollywood Queen Jay Main role
2004 Wimbledon Carl Colt Supporting role
2004 Strings Hal Tara (voice) (English version) Main role
2004 Inside I'm Dancing Rory O'Shea (Aka Rory O'Shea Was Here) Main role
Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Mr. Tumnus Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year
2006 The Last King of Scotland Dr. Nicholas Garrigan Main role
BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor
Rising Star Award, BAFTA
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated – European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated – London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
2006 Starter for 10 Brian Jackson Main role
2007 Becoming Jane Thomas Lefroy Main role
2007 Penelope Johnny Martin / Max Campion Main role; Premiered at 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, released to foreign territories in 2007.
2007 Atonement Robbie Turner Main role
Empire Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated – European Film Award for Best Actor
Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated – Irish Film Award for Best International Actor
2008 Wanted Wesley A. Gibson Main role
Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss
2009 The Last Station Valentin Bulgakov Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2011 Gnomeo and Juliet Gnomeo (voice) (Animated film) Main role
2011 The Conspirator Frederick Aiken Main role
2011 X-Men: First Class Professor Charles Xavier / Professor X Main role
IGN Award for Best Ensemble Cast
Nominated – Scream Award for Best Fantasy Actor
Nominated – Scream Award for Best Superhero
Nominated – Scream Award for Best Ensemble
Nominated — People's Choice Award for Favorite Superhero
Nominated — People's Choice Award for Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast
2011 Arthur Christmas Arthur (voice) (3-D animated film) Main role
2012 Welcome to the Punch Max Lewinsky Main role
2012 Filth Bruce Robertson (Post-production) Main role
2013 Trance Simon (Post-production) Main role
2014 Engie Benjy The Movie: Down the Mine Engie Benjy (voice) (3-D animated film) Main Role

TELEVISION

Year Title Role Notes
1997 The Bill Gavin Donald (1984 TV series) 1 episode, "Rent"
2001 Band of Brothers Pvt. James W. Miller (2001 miniseries) 1 episode, "Replacements"
2001 Lorna Doone Sergeant Bloxham TV film
2001 Murder in Mind Martin Vosper (2001 TV series) 1 episode, "Teacher"
2002 White Teeth Josh Malfen (2002 miniseries) 2 episodes, "The Trouble with Millat" and "The Return of Magid Iqbal"
2002 The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Gowan Ross (2001 TV series) 1 episode, "Payment in Blood"
2002 Foyle's War Ray Pritchard (2002 TV series) 1 episode, "The German Woman"
2003 Frank Herbert's Children of Dune Leto Atreides II (2003 miniseries) 3 episodes
2003 State of Play Dan Foster (2003 miniseries) 6 episodes
2003 Early Doors Liam (2003 TV series) 4 episodes, Series 1 only
2004–2005 Shameless Steve McBride (2004 TV series) 13 episodes, Series 1 and Series 2 only
Nominated – British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Newcomer
2005 ShakespeaRe-Told Joe Macbeth (2005 miniseries) Main role; 1 episode, "Macbeth"
2009 Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps Maurice Mouseling (voice) 2009 TV series


 

LINKS:

 

Wikipedia

 

A - Z FILMS INDEX

 

 

 

13 GOING ON 30

16 BLOCKS

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA

A PERFECT STORM

ALIEN

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

ATONEMENT

AUSTIN POWERS

BABE

BACK TO THE FUTURE

BATMAN

BIG MIRACLE

BRAVEHEART

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

BRIDGET JONES' DIARY

CASABLANCA

CASINO ROYALE

CAST AWAY

CATWOMAN

CHRISTINE

CON AIR

CROCODILE DUNDEE

DAREDEVIL

DEAD CALM

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

DIE HARD

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

DISCLOSURE

DOLORES CLAIBORNE

DOLPHIN TALE

DR. NO

DUMB AND DUMBER

ERIN BROCKOVICH

FATAL ATTRACTION

FIRE ON THE AMAZON

FLIPPER

FLY AWAY HOME

FREE WILLY

FRENCH KISS

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

GLADIATOR

 

 

GOLDFINGER

HARRY POTTER

HORNBLOWER

INDIANA JONES

JAMES BOND

JAWS

JURASSIC PARK

JUST LIKE HEAVEN

KING KONG

KUNG FU HUSTLE

LEON

MAN ON FIRE

MASTER and COMMANDER

MEAN GIRLS

MEDICINE MAN

MEN OF HONOUR

MISERY

MISS CONGENIALITY

MOBY DICK

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

NAKED GUN

NATIONAL TREASURE

OUT OF TIME

OVERBOARD

PARENT TRAP

PAYBACK

PEARL HARBOUR

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

PLANET OF THE APES

PRETTY WOMAN

PROMETHEUS

PSYCHO

P2 DEAD MANS CHEST

RACE THE SUN

RAMBO

ROB ROY

ROBIN HOOD PRINCE OF THEIVES

ROBOCOP

ROXANNE

SCHOOL OF ROCK

SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC

 

 

SEABISCUIT

SHORT CIRCUIT

SKYFALL

SPEED

SPIDERMAN

STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

STAR GATE

STAR TREK

STAR WARS

THE 39 STEPS

THE AVIATOR

THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO

THE DA VINCI CODE

THE DAMBUSTERS

THE FLY

THE FOG

THE MASK

THE MATRIX

THE MUMMY

THE MUMMY RETURNS

THE PATRIOT

THE PERFECT STORM

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

THE TERMINATOR

THE THING

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

THE WORLDS FASTEST INDIAN

THUNDERBALL

TITANIC

TOMORROW NEVER DIES

TOP GUN

TRADING PLACES

TREASURE ISLAND

TROY

TRUE GRIT

UNFORGIVEN

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE

WAR OF THE WORLDS  

WATERLOO BRIDGE

ZULU

 

 

 

 

A - Z ACTORS INDEX

 

 

 

Adam Sandler

Al Gore

Alec Baldwin

Angelina Jolie

Anthony Hopkins

Arnold Shwazenneger

Arnold Vosloo

Ashlea Kaye

Ben Affleck

Ben Stiller

Brad Pitt

Brendan Fraser

Bruce Willis

Burt Lancaster

Catherine Zeta Jones

Charlize Theron

Chris Cooper

Clint Eastwood

Daniel Craig

Demi Moore

Dennis Hopper

Denzel Washington

Dermot Mulroney

Drew Barrymore

Dwayne Johnson

Eric Bana

Eva Green

George Clooney

Gerard Depardieu

Glen Close

Goldie Hawn

Gregory Peck

Gwyneth Paltrow

Halle Berry

 

 

 

Harrison Ford

Harvey Keitel

Hugh Jackman

Humphrey Bogart

Ian Holm

Ingrid Bergman

Jack Black

Jack Nicholson

James Caan

James Cromwell

James McAvoy

Jason Statham

Jean Reno

Jeff Bridges

Jeff Daniels

Jennifer Garner

Jim Carrey

Joaquin Phoenix

John Hurt

John Mcavoy

John Travolta

John Wayne

Johnny Depp

Judi Dench

Julia Roberts

Julie Andrews

Kate Hudson

Kate Winslett

Kathy Bates

Keanu Reeves

Keira Knightley

Kevin Spacey

Kim Basinger

Kirk Douglas

 

 

 

Kirsten Dunst

Kristen Bell

Kurt Russell

Leonardo di Caprio

Liam Neeson

Linda King

Linda Kozlowski

Lindsay Lohan

Liz Hurley

Mads Mikkelsen

Marilyn Monroe

Mark Wahlberg

Marlon Brando

Matt Damon

Matthew McConaughey

Megan Fox

Mel Gibson

Michael Cain

Michael Douglas

Michael Fassbender

Michael J Fox

Michael Keaton

Michelle Pfeiffer

Mike Myers

Morgan Freeman

Naomi Watts

Nicholas Cage

Nicole Kidman

Orlando Bloom

Owen Wilson

Paul Bettany

Paul Hogan

Penelope Cruz

Pierce Brosnan

Rachel Weisz

 

 

Rebecca De Mornay

Reese Witherspoon

Rennee Zellweger

Richard Gere

Robert de Niro

Roger Moore

Russell Crowe

Sally Edwards

Sam Neil

Sam Worthington

Samuel L Jackson

Sandra Bullock

Scarlett Johansson

Sean Connery

Sharon Stone

Shia LeBeouf

Shirley Temple

Sigourney Weaver

Stanley Baker

Stephen Chow

Steve Martin

Steve McQueen

Steven Segal

Slyvester Stalone

Ted Danson

Tim Roth

Tobey Maguire

Tom Cruise

Tom Hanks

Tommy Lee Jones

Uma Thurman

Willem Dafoe

Will Smith

Yul Brynner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Mcvoy and Kiera Knightly - Atonement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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