James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt in 2007
Born	15 January 1965 (1965-01-15) (age 43) Broughshane, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Other name(s)	Jimmy Nesbitt
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1987 – present
Spouse(s)	Sonia Forbes-Adam (1994 – present)

James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is a Northern Irish actor. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Broughshane (in Irish: Bruach Sheáin, ie Shane’s dwelling is a village within the Ballymena Borough Council area, in County Antrim County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works Nesbitt began his career in the 1980s after leaving the Central School of Speech and Drama. The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young Actors and other students His first appearances on stage and screen were critically praised and he came to wider attention in the mid-1990s after appearing in Cold Feet and Waking Ned. Cold Feet is a British Comedy drama television series produced by Granada Television for ITV. Waking Ned, titled Waking Ned Devine in North America is a 1998 comedy film starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula He took the lead role in Peter Cattaneo's Lucky Break in 2001 and in the same year was cast as the title character in Murphy's Law, the role being created for him by Colin Bateman. Peter Cattaneo (born 1964 in Twickenham London) He has four children Louis Freddie Stella and Sunny Lucky Break is a 2001 British comedy film starring James Nesbitt and directed by Peter Cattaneo Murphy's Law is a BBC television drama, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Northern Ireland, starring James Nesbitt as an Colin Bateman is a Novelist, Screenwriter and former Journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. In 2002 he played Ivan Cooper in Bloody Sunday, a dramatisation of the events of 1972, for which he won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor. Ivan Averill Cooper (born 1944 is a former politician from Northern Ireland who was a Member of Parliament of Northern Ireland, and founding member of the SDLP Bloody Sunday is a 2002 Television film about the 1972 " Bloody Sunday " shootings in Derry, Northern Bloody Sunday (Domhnach na Fola is the term used to describe an incident in Derry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 26 The British Independent Film Awards were created in 1998 by Raindance founder Elliot Grove, to celebrate achievement in independently funded British movies

Bloody Sunday established him as a competent dramatic actor and since 2002 he has appeared in the fact-based drama Wall of Silence, the adaptation of Quite Ugly One Morning, and Steven Moffat's Jekyll (the latter he was nominated for a Golden Globe award). Quite Ugly One Morning is Christopher Brookmyre 's first Novel which introduces Jack Parlabane the writer's most used character Steven Moffat (born 1961 in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Comedy / Drama writer who has contributed to Television series Jekyll is a British television drama series produced by Hartswood Films and Stagescreen Productions for BBC One. The Golden Globe Awards are American awards for motion pictures and Television programs given out each year during a formal dinner Comedic roles are still offered to him; he appeared alongside Dennis Waterman and Billie Piper in the light-hearted BBC series The Canterbury Tales and has filmed an adaptation of Cinderella, which was broadcast as part of the BBC's Fairy Tales anthology in 2008. Dennis Waterman (born February 24 1948 in Clapham, London) is an English Actor and Singer, best known for Billie Paul Piper (born Lianne Paul Piper on 22 September 1982 is an English actress and pop Singer. The Canterbury Tales is a Dramatic Anthology series that aired on BBC One. Cinderella ( French: Cendrillon, Slovak: Popoluška, German: Aschenputtel, Spanish: Cenicienta Fairy Tales is a British television drama anthology series produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC Northern Ireland and broadcast on BBC

Additional film roles include appearances in Woody Allen's Match Point, and Danny Boyle's Millions. Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; December 1 1935 is an American Film director, Writer, Actor, Comedian, and Match Point is a 2005 film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer Danny Boyle (born 20 October 1956 is an English director and Film producer, best known for his work on films such as Trainspotting Millions is a 2004 British film and a book written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. Theatrical roles include a leading role in Owen McCafferty's Shoot the Crow in 2005, his first time on stage in 11 years. Owen McCafferty (born 1961 is a playwright from Northern Ireland. He is a patron of numerous charities, including UNICEF, Action Cancer, and Art Wave. The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 It is often noted that he has a characteristic "arched eyebrow", which he has joked that he has "worked on" since his school days. ^[1][2]

Early life and education

Nesbitt was born in 1965 as the fourth child and first son to James and May Nesbitt—a schoolmaster and a civil servant respectively. ^[3][4] He grew up in Lisnamurrican, a hamlet near Ballymena, and attended the local primary school, which was headed by his father. Ballymena ( is a Town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. ^[5] When he was 11, the family moved to Blagh, near Coleraine. Coleraine ( is a large Town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland near to the mouth of the River Bann. ^[5] He received secondary education at the Coleraine Academical Institution, where a teacher encouraged him to try acting at the Riverside Theatre. Australia See also Education Coleraine Academical Institution, also known as CAI or Coleraine Inst, is an all boys voluntary Grammar school in Coleraine, County Londonderry The Riverside Theatre is located at the University of Ulster at Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He made his acting debut at the age of 13 as the Artful Dodger in a production of Oliver!, the auditions of which his parents "dragged" him to. The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens Novel Oliver Twist. Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. ^[3] He continued to appear in Christmas productions, and got his Equity card at the age of 17 after stepping in to a production of Pinocchio when the actor playing Jiminy Cricket was injured. Equity (formerly British Actors' Equity Association) is the Actors Trade union in the United Kingdom Pinocchio (piˈnɔkːjo in Italian is a fictional character that first appeared in 1883, in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, and Jiminy Cricket is the Walt Disney version of " The Talking Cricket " ( Italian: Il Grillo Parlante) a Fictional character created by ^[2]

Despite enjoying these acting stints, a career as an actor did not appeal to Nesbitt; he planned to follow his father and sisters into teaching, wanting to specialise in French. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people He began reading for a degree at the University of Ulster at Jordanstown but dropped out after getting "fed up", saying "I had the necessary in my head, but I just couldn't be bothered. The University of Ulster ( UU; Ollscoil Uladh is a multi-centre University located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university on the Jordanstown is a suburb of Belfast located within the borough of Newtownabbey, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Being 18 is the worst age to expect people to learn things. There are other things to be bothered with, like girls and football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered "^[2][4] On the suggestion of his father, he moved to England to enroll at the Central School of Speech and Drama. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young Actors and other students ^[3] On growing up as a Protestant in Northern Ireland, Nesbitt has spoken of being lost and misrepresented: "[W]hen I first went to the Central School of Speech and Drama . . . I either had the whole of London thinking I was a Paddy, or I had drama-school students going, 'God, yeah, Brits out', and I'd be going, 'Well. . . '. "^[6]

Career

Early career

Only a few days after leaving Central in 1987, Nesbitt had secured an agent and a bit part in Virtuoso, a BBC biographical film about John Ogdon. John Andrew Howard Ogdon ( January 27 1937 &ndash August 1 1989) was an English Pianist and Composer. ^[7] He worked for two days on the production, earning £250 a day, which he describes as being "enormous money". ^[4] The programme was not broadcast until 1989 but was his television debut. He made his professional stage debut in Up on the Roof at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth before going into a "shockingly reviewed but exciting" world tour of Hamlet, in which he played Guildenstern, Barnardo and the second gravedigger. Up on the Roof is a musical by Simon Moore and Jane Prowse, which follows a decade in the lives of five friends who form an A cappella singing The Theatre Royal in Plymouth is a major producing and receiving house consisting of a large main auditorium housing west end Musicals, Opera and Ballet Hamlet is a Tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Fictional characters from William Shakespeare 's tragedy Hamlet. ^[1]

He lived with fellow actor and friend Jerome Flynn for a few months in the early 1990s, signing fan mail for the successful star of Soldier Soldier, before being cast in as Fintan O'Donnell in Hear My Song. Jerome Flynn (b 16 March 1963) is an English actor best known for his role as Corporal Paddy Garvey of the King's Fusiliers in the ITV Soldier Soldier was a British Television Drama series The title comes from a traditional song of the same name Hear My Song is a 1991 film written by the actors Peter Chelsom (who directed and Adrian Dunbar (who plays the lead based on the true story His part was critically praised, but left him unemployed for six months afterwards when his newfound success made him complacent. ^[2] He has said of that time, "When I did Hear My Song, I disappeared so far up my own arse afterwards. I thought, 'Oh, that's it, I've cracked it. ' And I'm glad that happened, because you then find out how expendable actors are. "^[3] The long-term effects of the role were more positive; his acting impressed both Kirk Jones and Christine Langan enough to cast him in Waking Ned and Cold Feet respectively. Christine Langan (born January 1965 is an English television and Film producer. Waking Ned, titled Waking Ned Devine in North America is a 1998 comedy film starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula Cold Feet is a British Comedy drama television series produced by Granada Television for ITV. ^[2][8] The New York Times called his performance "jaunty" and "bemused". ^[9]

In 1994 he played Damien in Daniel Magee's Paddywack at the Cockpit Theatre, transferring to a production at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut in October. The Cockpit Theatre is a Fringe Theatre in Marylebone London The Cockpit Theatre was designed by Edward Mendelsohn built in 1969-70 by the Inner London Education Long Wharf Theatre started life in a warehouse alongside the harbor of New Haven, Connecticut, in 1965, the brainchild of 2 alumni of Yale University Variety commended his acting of "the play's only fully developed character" as "the one strong, telling performance [of the cast]". Variety is a weekly entertainment trade newspaper founded in New York in 1905 by Sime Silverman ^[10] While in New Haven he once again felt the same disconnected identity as he did at Central. ^[6] In the 1990s he featured in several films directed by Michael Winterbottom, including Love Lies Bleeding, Go Now, and the award-winning Jude. Michael Winterbottom (b March 29 1961 in Blackburn, Lancashire) is a prolific British Filmmaker who has directed fifteen For the song go to Go Now (song. Go Now is a 1995 Feature film directed by Jude is a 1996 English film based on the novel Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy and directed by Michael Winterbottom

In 1996 he was cast in Granada Television's one-off television romantic comedy Cold Feet after producer Christine Langan saw his performances in Hear My Song and Go Now. Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Cold Feet is a one-off British television Comedy drama directed by Declan Lowney. The director, Declan Lowney, already knew him through a friend and cast him as Adam Williams, a semi-autobiographical depiction of the writer Mike Bullen. Declan Lowney is a BAFTA -winning Irish television and Film director. Michael "Mike" Bullen (born 13 January 1960 is a United Kingdom -born Screenwriter. Although Adam was not written as an Irish character, Nesbitt went out of his way to get an audition, eager to play an Irishman unconnected to the Troubles, which he believed was rare in contemporary drama. ^[11] The programme was not broadcast until 1997, and in the meantime he took other roles.

Breakthrough

After Jude he was cast in the BBC Northern Ireland drama television series Ballykissangel as Leo McGarvey, the boyfriend of Assumpta Fitzgerald (the lead, played by Dervla Kirwan). Ballykissangel was a BBC television drama set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. Dervla Kirwan (born 24 October 1971) is an Irish actress famous for roles in British Television shows such as The character appeared in one episode in 1996 and then five more in 1998, as a point in the love triangle that kept apart the series protagonists Assumpta and Father Peter Clifford (played by Stephen Tompkinson). Stephen Tompkinson is an English Actor, born 15 October 1965 in Stockton-on-Tees. Meanwhile, Nesbitt appeared in another Winterbottom film, as Gregg the cameraman in the Palme d'Or-nominated Welcome to Sarajevo. The Palme d'Or ( English: Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival. Welcome to Sarajevo is a British War film from 1997. It is directed by Michael Winterbottom.

Cold Feet was broadcast in 1997 and, after winning the Golden Rose of Montreux, was commissioned for a full six-episode series that was filmed in 1998. The Rose d'Or ( Golden Rose in English is a highly prestigious Television award given annually since 1961 at the Festival Rose d'Or in spring each year Cold Feet is a British Comedy drama television series produced by Granada Television for ITV. The programme became one of the most popular shows on British television, though reaction to Nesbitt's performance was mixed; on the BBC 2 arts programme The Late Review, Germaine Greer described his acting in the first episode as "especially awful", while Tony Parsons longed for Nesbitt to have fallen off a scissor lift—that Adam appeared on in one scene—and died. The Late Show (1989&ndash1995 was a British television arts magazine programme broadcast on BBC Two weeknights at 11 Germaine Greer (born 29 January 1939 is an Australian born Writer, Academic, Journalist and Scholar of early modern English literature Tony Parsons (born November 1953) is a British Journalist and Author. An aerial work platform (AWP or elevated work platform ( EWP) is a mechanical device used to provide temporary access for people or equipment to inaccessible Parsons' comments upset Nesbitt and his wife, and in an interview shortly afterwards he said "I'd rather be me than Tony Parsons; I'd rather have my life than his; I'd rather be content with my lot than be involved with some esoteric heap of s***e". ^[2] Cold Feet ran for five series, concluding with four 90-minute episodes in 2003 in which Nesbitt's character deals with the death of his wife Rachel (played by Helen Baxendale). The fifth series of the British Comedy drama Television series Cold Feet, about three couples was broadcast on the Helen Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English Actress, known for her roles in Cold Feet, Friends Over the six years the programme was on the air, Nesbitt was nominated for three British Comedy Awards (winning the gong for Best TV Comedy Actor at the 2000 ceremony). The British Comedy Awards is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year Host Jonathan Ross Television and film Winners first nominees indented Best TV Comedy Dinnerladies ^[12] He won the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Actor in 2003. The National Television Awards is a British Television awards ceremony sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. ^[13]

He came to international attention in 1998 when he played amiable pig farmer "Pig" Finn in Kirk Jones's directorial debut feature Waking Ned. Waking Ned, titled Waking Ned Devine in North America is a 1998 comedy film starring Ian Bannen, David Kelly and Fionnula The part was offered to him in late 1997 and filming would have commenced at the time his first daughter was born, so he turned down the part. His wife read the script and convinced him to accept the role. ^[2] The film was well-received worldwide, particularly in the United States where the cast was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture in 1999. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Screen Actors Guild Awards are an annual award given by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG to recognize outstanding performances by members ^[14] Additional roles around this time included John Dolan, the coach of a women's football team, in the first two series of Kay Mellor's Playing the Field (appearing alongside his Cold Feet co-star John Thomson), investigative journalists Ryan and David Laney in Resurrection Man and Touching Evil respectively, and trouble-maker Stanley in Women Talking Dirty. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Kay Mellor (born 1951 is an English actress scriptwriter and director best known for her work on several successful Television drama series For other uses see Playing the field (disambiguation. Playing the Field was a BBC television drama series which ran for John Patrick Thomson (born Patrick Francis McAleer, 2 April 1969) is an English Comedian and actor known for his roles in Touching Evil is a 1997 British Television drama serial, produced by Anglia Television and screened on the ITV network ^[2]

In 2001 he made his debut as a lead in a feature film playing crooning crook Jimmy Hands, in Peter Cattaneo's Lucky Break. Peter Cattaneo (born 1964 in Twickenham London) He has four children Louis Freddie Stella and Sunny Lucky Break is a 2001 British comedy film starring James Nesbitt and directed by Peter Cattaneo On preparing for the role of a prisoner, Nesbitt said "Short of robbing a bank there wasn't much research I could have done but we did spend a day in Wandsworth Prison and that showed the nightmare monotony of prisoners' lives. I didn't interview any of the inmates because I thought it would be a little patronising as it was research for a comedy and also because we were going home every night in our fancy cars to sleep in our fancy hotels. "^[15] The film was a critical and commercial failure. The same year he appeared as the title character, DS Tommy Murphy, in Murphy's Law. Superintendent ( Supt) often shortened to "Super" is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations Murphy's Law is a BBC television drama, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Northern Ireland, starring James Nesbitt as an The role was created for Nesbitt by Colin Bateman, a close friend of Nesbitt's. Colin Bateman is a Novelist, Screenwriter and former Journalist from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Bateman had lobbied for Nesbitt to be cast in Divorcing Jack, but he was not a popular enough actor when the film went into production in 1997. Divorcing Jack is a 1998 Satirical Black comedy. The plot is set around the Northern Irish reporter Dan Starkey who gets entangled ^[16][17] In The Guardian Gareth McLean wrote "the likeable James Nesbitt turned in a strong, extremely watchable central performance, though rarely did he look taxed by his efforts, and his chemistry with Harrison was promising and occasionally electric". The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Claudia Harrison is a British actress She was educated at Bradfield College and Birmingham University, from where she graduated with a 1st class honours ^[18]

A turning point in his career came in 2001 when he was cast as Ivan Cooper in the factual drama Bloody Sunday, directed by Paul Greengrass. Ivan Averill Cooper (born 1944 is a former politician from Northern Ireland who was a Member of Parliament of Northern Ireland, and founding member of the SDLP Bloody Sunday is a 2002 Television film about the 1972 " Bloody Sunday " shootings in Derry, Northern Paul Greengrass (b August 13, 1955 in Cheam, Surrey) is an Academy Award -nominated BAFTA Award -winning English The events of Bloody Sunday passed him by when he was young; he was six years old at the time and it did not figure into his education. Bloody Sunday (Domhnach na Fola is the term used to describe an incident in Derry, Northern Ireland, on 30 January 1972 in which 26 To prepare for the role he met with Cooper, talking with him for many hours. He described reading the script as "a learning process" that made up his mind whether he should take the part. ^[19] There was controversy when the film was released; Unionists criticised Nesbitt for saying that Northern Irish Protestants felt "a collective guilt" over the events in Londonderry,^[20] his parent's home was vandalised by Protestants, and threats were made on his life. ^[21] Aside, the film and Nesbitt received critical acclaim, and he won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actor, and the Best Actor prize at the Stockholm Film Festival. The British Independent Film Awards were created in 1998 by Raindance founder Elliot Grove, to celebrate achievement in independently funded British movies In an analysis of the film in History & Memory, Aileen Blaney opines that it is Nesbitt's real-life "household name" status that made his portrayal of Cooper such a success, offering the thought that Nesbitt's "celebrity status" mirrors that of Cooper's in the 1970s. ^[22]

"Post-Bloody Sunday"

From the third series of Murphy's Law, Nesbitt adopted a handlebar moustache and a darker look.

Bloody Sunday established Nesbitt as a serious dramatic actor and turned his career in a new direction; he has described his career since 2002 as "post-Bloody Sunday". ^[7] Murphy's Law returned for a full series in 2003 and each year after that. By 2005 Nesbitt had become tired of the formula and threatened to quit unless the structure of the stories was changed. He was made a creative consultant and suggested Murphy keep one undercover role for a full series, instead of changing into a new guise every episode. ^[23] Alongside his research with former undercover officer Peter Bleksley, Nesbitt hired a personal trainer and grew a Zapata moustache to change Murphy's physical characteristics. The reimagined series marked another milestone in Nesbitt's career; he describes it as "a big moment in [his] life". ^[24] The role gained him an IFTA for Best Actor in a TV drama in 2003. ^[25]

In 2003 he was cast in the BBC anthology series The Canterbury Tales, appearing in an episode based on The Miller's Prologue and Tale alongside Billie Piper and Dennis Waterman. The Canterbury Tales is a Dramatic Anthology series that aired on BBC One. The Miller's Tale is the second of Geoffrey Chaucer 's Canterbury Tales (1380s-1390s told by a drunken miller to "quite" (requite The Knight's Billie Paul Piper (born Lianne Paul Piper on 22 September 1982 is an English actress and pop Singer. Dennis Waterman (born February 24 1948 in Clapham, London) is an English Actor and Singer, best known for On Newsnight Review, Richard Jobson described his performance as "our version of a kind of actor who brings the same thing to the table, generally speaking, each time. For the CNN programme see NewsNight with Aaron Brown Newsnight is a British daily News analysis Richard Jobson may refer to Richard Jobson (explorer Richard Jobson (footballer Richard Jobson (television presenter And he can do something which brings a kind of familiarity, so you are looking for it. He is almost like a pop star, in a way, you are looking for him doing the things you like best. "^[26]

The following year he was cast as Jack Parlabane in the adaptation of Christopher Brookmyre's Quite Ugly One Morning for ITV. Christopher Brookmyre (born September 6, 1968) is a Scottish novelist whose novels mix politics social comment and action with a strong narrative Quite Ugly One Morning is Christopher Brookmyre 's first Novel which introduces Jack Parlabane the writer's most used character ITV had requested Nesbitt play the role over the original choice of Douglas Henshall. Douglas James Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish Actor. Brookmyre called the casting of Nesbitt "perfect" and was "really thrilled". ^[27] The casting of an Ulsterman in a Scottish role caused some outcry; Scotland on Sunday noted that Nesbitt is "as Scottish as James Doohan". Scotland on Sunday is a Scottish Sunday Newspaper, published in Edinburgh by The Scotsman Publications Ltd and consequently assuming James Montgomery Doohan ( March 3, 1920 &ndash July 20, 2005) was a Canadian character and voice Actor ^[21] Brookmyer wrote Parlabane with a Glaswegian background and Nesbitt was initially to have worked with an accent coach. ^[21] The accent was discarded after "a chat" between Nesbitt and the director, and when Nesbitt tried it out on co-star Daniela Nardini. Daniela Nardini (born April 26, 1968 in Largs) is a British actress of Italian ancestry best known for playing Anna Forbes in the ^[23]

In 2004 he filmed the part of Detective Banner in Match Point, Woody Allen's first film to be shot outside of America in 30 years. Match Point is a 2005 film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; December 1 1935 is an American Film director, Writer, Actor, Comedian, and Despite accidentally settling himself into Scarlett Johansson's trailer, Nesbitt enjoyed working with Allen, complementing the director's style of filming. Scarlett I Johansson (born November 22 1984 is an actress and Singer, of dual American and Danish citizenship ^[28]

Following the conclusion of filming on the 2005 series of Murphy's Law, Nesbitt planned to take the remainder of the year off, promising to return to acting only if he was shown a good script. That script came when he was offered the part of Socrates in the Trafalgar Studios' production of Owen McCafferty's Shoot the Crow—his first time on stage in 11 years. Trafalgar Studios is a West End theatre in Whitehall in the City of Westminster. Owen McCafferty (born 1961 is a playwright from Northern Ireland. ^[1] His role as one of four tilers gained mixed reviews. In The Independent, Michael Coveney described one performance negatively, suggesting the role did not fit the actor. The Independent is a British compact Newspaper published by Tony O'Reilly 's Independent News & Media. Coveney rated the whole play one star. ^[29] In The Daily Telegraph, Charles Spencer described Nesbitt's acting in a performance in the same month as "outstanding". For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. ^[30]

Nesbitt spent an hour in make-up each day for his role as Hyde, requiring prosthetics to be fitted to his ears and chin, and for contact lenses to be worn.

Around this time Nesbitt and his agent attended a meeting with BBC controller of fiction Jane Tranter regarding the 2006 series of Murphy's Law. Jane Tranter (born 17 March 1963 is an English television executive who is the "Head of Fiction" at the BBC. At the conclusion of the meeting, Tranter offered him the script for Jekyll—a new series written by Steven Moffat—suggesting that he might like to take the dual role of Tom Jackman and Hyde. Jekyll is a British television drama series produced by Hartswood Films and Stagescreen Productions for BBC One. Steven Moffat (born 1961 in Paisley, Scotland) is a Scottish Comedy / Drama writer who has contributed to Television series Nesbitt read the script and took the parts as a way of putting a distance between his previous work. Filming was not scheduled to begin until September 2006, increasing his anticipation. ^[31] He spent an hour each day being made up as Hyde—the modern-day descendant of Mr Hyde; a wig altered his hairline and prosthetics were added to his chin, nose and ear lobes. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a Novella written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and first published in 1886 He also wore black contact lenses to make Hyde "soulless", though CGI was used to show the transformation from Jackman in close-ups. Computer animation Computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI) is the application of the field of Computer graphics or more specifically 3D computer graphics ^[32] The programme was broadcast on BBC One in June and July 2007. A Times reviewer called Nesbitt "as entertainingly OTT [. . . ] as a dozen Doctor Who villains, with a palpable sense of menace to boot. "^[33] For his performance, Nesbitt was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Best Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television For the main article see Golden Globe Award. ^[34]

While Jekyll was being broadcast, Nesbitt filmed Cinderella in Belfast—part of an anthology series commissioned by the BBC from Hat Trick Productions. Hat Trick Productions is a British independent television production company Nesbitt stars alongside Maxine Peake as Professor Hans M. Maxine Peake (born 14 July 1974 in Bolton, Greater Manchester) is an English Television actress. Prince at a modern-day university. He described the character as needing "padding" due to the prince's minor role in the traditional fairy tale. ^[35] The programme was broadcast in January 2008. A Guardian writer described the script as "embarrassingly bad" and Nesbitt and Peake's on-screen chemistry as "zero". ^[36]

In late 2007 he filmed the role of Pontius Pilate in The Passion, a BBC/HBO adaptation of the last week in the life of Jesus. The Passion is a British television serial produced by the BBC and HBO in association with Deep Indigo Productions telling the story of the Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) After filming, he described the role of Pilate as "impossible to turn down", despite originally rejecting the script due to other filming commitments. ^[36][37] His agent told him to re-read the script before making a final decision, something he was glad he did. ^[37] Contrary to previous portrayals of Pilate, Nesbitt played the biblical figure as "nice", and—as when playing Jack Parlabane—used his own accent. The serial aired in the UK during Easter week 2008. ^[36] Shortly after filming The Passion, he filmed the part of journalist Max Raban in the Carnival Films thriller Midnight Man, which is due for broadcast on ITV in May 2008. Carnival Films is a British television production company founded by Brian Eastman in 1978 as Picture Partnership Productions Limited Midnight Man is a 2008 British television serial produced by Carnival Films for the ITV network ^[38] He is due to appear in Five Minutes of Heaven, a one-off drama produced by Big Fish Films for broadcast on BBC Two. The film is based on the true story of Alistair Little, a member of the Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force, who was convicted of murder in 1975. Nesbitt will play the brother of the victim. ^[39] Filming commenced in the last week of May 2008. ^[40]

Other projects

In 2002 Nesbitt made his documentary debut as the presenter of James Nesbitt's Blazing Saddles, a production for BBC Choice that saw him spend two weeks in Las Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo and the Miss Rodeo America pageant. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship Rodeo event in the United States. ^[41] He hosted the Irish Film and Television Awards ceremony on three consecutive occasions between 2002 and 2005 and has presented the British Independent Film Awards since 2005. The Irish Film and Television Awards (IFTAs were first awarded in 1999 The British Independent Film Awards were created in 1998 by Raindance founder Elliot Grove, to celebrate achievement in independently funded British movies ^[42][43] Additionally he presented a 2007 edition of the late-night Channel 4 comedy The Friday Night Project^[44] and the football DVD Eat My Goal, which shows footballers making embarrassing mistakes in games for their club or country. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began

An amateur golfer since his teenage years, Nesbitt joined the European team for Sky One's All*Star Cup in 2005, returning in 2006. The All*Star Cup is a celebrity Golf match first held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in 2005 that pitted two teams of celebrities against ^[45] He signed up to a series of television advertisements for the Yell Group in 2003, playing a hapless character called "James" for the company's Yellow Pages campaign until 2006. Yell Group plc ( is a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK US Spain and Latin America through printed online and telephone-based The term Yellow Pages refers to a Telephone directory of Businesses categorized according to the product or service provided ^[46] While frequently mocked in popular media, and labelled as "costing him some credibility"^[7] Nesbitt has said "I'd rather be in the Yellow Pages ads than a lot of the shit films that come out in this country. "^[1]

In 2004 he joined the supergroup Twisted X to produce "Born in England", an unofficial anthem for the England national football team's entry in the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament. SuperGroup is a Reality show on the channel VH1. The show puts together five Heavy metal musicians packed into a large mansion that must play a show after The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship (or just Euro 2004) was the twelfth edition of the UEFA European Football Championship, a quadrennial football ^[47] His vocals have also appeared in Lucky Break and an episode of Cold Feet. The song he performed in the latter—"(Love Is) The Tender Trap"—was released on one of the series' soundtrack albums. ^[48] He also contributed vocals to the Waking Ned soundtrack. ^[49] A fan of Irish band Ash, he made a cameo in their unreleased film Slashed. Ash are an Alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992 ^[50]

Personal life

Family

Nesbitt met his wife Sonia during the Hamlet production in 1989. They had both attended Central at the same time. The two split up for a year after the release of Hear My Song but reunited and married in 1994. ^[2] They have two daughters—Peggy (born 1998) and Mary (born 2002). His sister-in-law is Victoria Forbes Adam, the director of the Coalition Against Child Soldiers. ^[28] His sisters—Margaret, Kathryn and Andrea—all became teachers. ^[4]

In 2002 a Sunday tabloid published an interview with a legal secretary who claimed to have had a "two-month, cocaine-fuelled affair" with him. ^[51] Shortly afterwards, another tabloid story revealed an affair with a prostitute, who claimed Nesbitt had boasted of affairs with his Cold Feet co-star Kimberley Joseph, and Amanda Brunker, a former Miss Ireland. Kimberley Joseph (born August 30 1973 is a Canadian - Australian actress who is based in the United States. Amanda Brunker (born 1973 in Dublin, Ireland is a former Miss Ireland winner and current Journalist / Columnist for the Irish Sunday ^[51][7][52] Commenting on the publication of details about his personal life, Nesbitt has said he feared that he would lose his marriage, though the exposing of his "dual life" allowed him to "take a long and considered look at" himself. ^[51][52] Years later, he described what happened as strengthening his marriage. ^[52]

Charity and community work

Nesbitt is a patron of Wave, a charity set up to support those traumatised by the Troubles. The charity faced closure due to funding problems before Nesbitt encouraged celebrities and artists to become involved. ^[51] Since 2005 he has been a UNICEF ambassador, working with HIV and Aids sufferers, and former child soldiers in Africa, a role he describes as "a privilege". ^[28] Writing in The Independent about his visit to Zambia in 2006, Nesbitt concluded that the children he met were owed a social and moral responsibility. The Republic of Zambia (ˈzæmbɪə is a Landlocked country in Southern Africa. ^[53] The article was described in the Evening Standard as "moving and notably well-crafted". The London Evening Standard is an English Tabloid regional local newspaper published and sold in London and surrounding areas of southeast ^[52] Since 1999 he has been a patron of Action Cancer, a result of both his father's affliction with prostate cancer and a storyline in the second series of Cold Feet, where his character suffered testicular cancer. ^[54] He has been an honorary patron of Youth Lyric, one of Ireland's largest theatre schools, since 2007. ^[55]

He is a fan of football teams Coleraine F.C. and Manchester United F.C.. Coleraine FC is a Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership (IPL In 2003 he made a donation of "thousands of pounds" to Coleraine, after the team came close to bankruptcy. He has called the team "a heartbeat of the town [Coleraine]" and encouraged more people to watch Irish League football. ^[56] He was a vocal opponent of Malcolm Glazer's 2005 takeover of Manchester United, though after he did television advertisements promoting executive boxes at Old Trafford he was criticised by fans. Malcolm Irving Glazer (born 25 May 1928 in Rochester, New York) is an American businessman and sports-team owner After Manchester United FC was floated on the stock market in 1990 the high value of the club made it seem unlikely that a hostile takeover would be possible As a result, he pledged one half of his £10,000 fee to the "Shareholders United" group and the other half to UNICEF. ^[45]

Honours

In June 2003 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Ulster for his contributions to drama. Doctor of Letters ( Latin: Litterarum doctor; DLitt; or Litt D The University of Ulster ( UU; Ollscoil Uladh is a multi-centre University located in Northern Ireland and is the largest single university on the ^[5] A listing compiled by industry experts for the Radio Times in 2004 named him the sixth most powerful figure in TV drama. For the US radio series see WHYY-FM. Radio Times is the BBC 's weekly Television and Radio programme ^[57]

Credits and awards

Stage

Screen

References

External links

• James Nesbitt at the British Film Institute
• James Nesbitt at the Internet Movie Database
• James Nesbitt—UNICEF UK Ambassador