Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
James McAvoy is, to my mind, the rare actor who makes vulnerability feel dangerous. From his early television work like State of Play and Shameless to the aching restraint of Atonement, he builds characters from the eyes outward, letting guilt and longing flicker before a single line lands. The BAFTA Rising Star award in 2006 now reads like an understatement; he became less a star than a craftsman who happens to be magnetic. I admire how he never sanded off his Glaswegian identity to fit Hollywood, and how he treats blockbusters and small British films with the same seriousness. That consistency is what keeps me watching.
Overview
James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor and director. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his film career began. His television work includes the thriller State of Play (2003), the science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003), and the drama series Shameless (2004–2005).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- James McAvoy
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェームズ・マカヴォイ
- Reading
- じぇーむず・まかゔぉい
- Born
- April 21, 1979 (age 47)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Goat
- Origin
- Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / voice actor / stage actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2006 BAFTA Rising Star Award
- 2008 London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year
- 2013 British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Frank Herbert's Children of Dune | — | |
| Notable work | ShakespeaRe-Told | — | |
| Notable work | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | — | |
| Notable work | Starter for 10 | — | |
| Notable work | The Last King of Scotland | — | |
| Notable work | Atonement | — |
6. Links
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.