James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt

William James Nesbitt is a British actor and television presenter from Northern Ireland. He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O’Donnell in Hear My Song. He got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama series Cold Feet. In 2014, he starred as Tony Hughes in the acclaimed BBC One drama series The Missing. He has been awarded an OBE for services to acting and television.

About James Nesbitt in brief

Summary James NesbittWilliam James Nesbitt OBE is a British actor and television presenter from Northern Ireland. He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O’Donnell in Hear My Song. He got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama series Cold Feet. He starred alongside Liam Neeson in Five Minutes of Heaven and was one of three lead actors in the television miniseries Occupation. He also starred in the movies Outcast and The Way. He portrayed Bofur in The Hobbit film series. In 2014, he starred as Tony Hughes in the acclaimed BBC One drama series The Missing. He has been awarded an OBE for services to acting and television. He is also a member of the British Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Irish Academy of Film and Television Arts. He was awarded a CBE in 2010 for his services to television and film. He lives in Ballymena, County Antrim, with his wife and three children. His father, James, was the headmaster of the primary school in Lisnamurrican, while his mother, May, was a civil servant. He grew up around women and spent a lot of time alone, kicking a ball against a wall. He had ambitions to play football for Manchester United or to become a teacher like his father. His parents were Protestants, and Lisnamuirrican was in ‘Paisley country’ His family lived in the house adjoining the one-room school where he was taught by his father, while the other pupils were all farmers’ children.

When he was 11 years old, the family moved to Coleraine, County Londonderry, where May worked for the Housing Executive. He continued to act and sing with Riverside until he was 16, and appeared as an extra in Play For Today: The Cry. In 1978, when he was 13, his parents took him to audition for the Riverside Theatre’s Christmas production of Oliver! He won the part of the Artful Dodger in his acting debut. He left the theatre at the age of 18 and began a degree in French at Ulster Polytechnic in Jordanstown, Ulster. He then went on to work as a bingo caller at Barry’s Amusements in Portrush. In 2007, he appeared 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. He appeared in Murphy’s Law as undercover detective Tommy Murphy, a role that was created for him by writer Colin Bateman. In 2011, he played the big man on the big attraction on the Isle of Wight in the film The Winslow Boy. In 2012, he was in the movie The Way and the TV series The Hobbit: A Game of Thrones, starring alongside Peter Dinklage and Tom Hiddleston. In 2013, he had a starring role in the TV show The Grand Budapest Hotel.