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Discover more about the stars of BBC Drama. |
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 James McAvoy
Tipped in 2004 as one of the top ten hottest talents in the UK by Broadcast Magazine, Scottish actor James McAvoy is a fast rising star. Probably best known as Steve in Shameless*, other roles include Liam in Early Doors and Joe Macbeth in the BBC's updating of Shakespeare's Macbeth.
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Despite only graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2000, James has already had masses of major roles. Probably the best known is middle-class car thief Steve in Paul Abbott's Shameless*, in which he co-starred with David Threlfall and Anne-Marie Duff. The role won him a nomination for Best Comedy Performance in the British Television Comedy Awards.
This autumn, he appears as meat-obsessed top chef Joe Macbeth in Peter Moffat's tense updating of Shakespeare's Macbeth for BBC ONE. When three mysterious figures predict he'll inherit a three-star restaurant, it sets into motion a bloody descent into madness for him and his wife Ella, played by Keeley Hawes.
James' many other and varied TV roles have included playing Liam, the boyfriend of Christine Bottomley's* Melanie in pub-set sitcom Early Doors, and cheeky freelance reporter Dan Foster in State of Play and the role of mystic heir to empire Leto Atredies II in Children of Dune* (2003) allowed him to indulge his love for science fiction. He also played Josh in Channel Four's adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2002).
On film, James won the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival Audience Award* for his performance as cocky, loudmouthed muscular dystrophy sufferer Rory in Inside I'm Dancing* (2004). He's also appeared as Paul Bettany's younger brother in tennis romance Wimbledon (2004) and as posh, decadent gossip columnist Simon Balcairn in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things (2003). His first big film role was Anthony Balfour in Regeneration, a film based on Pat Barker's book about First World War officers in a mental asylum. James took the role while still at drama school!
Coming up for James fans is the chance to see him as a faun, playing Mr Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe*. He's also recently finished filming for The Last King of Scotland*, about the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, which co-stars Gillian Anderson and David Oyelowo. In 2006 he'll playing the part of Robert Ainslie in Burns*, about Scottish national poet Robert Burns, and working-class boy Brian Jackson at posh private school romantic drama Starter for Ten*.
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| Did you know? |
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He was the winner of the Orange Rising Star Award at the 2006 BAFTA* Awards.
James is a huge fan of science fiction. Interviewed by the Independent on Sunday*, he confessed to "A humungous all-encompassing passion for sci-fi: films, books, art, memorabilia - I'm a proper addict. It dates from when I read The Lord of the Rings at 11, and after that I read Frank Herbert's Dune chronicles and watched things like Star Trek."
His skills include acrobatics, boxing and fencing.
He's a supporter of Celtic football club.
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| Personal Details |
He was born in 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland.
His parents split up when he was seven, and he has not seen his father since he was thirteen.
He's engaged to his girlfriend, Shameless co-star Anne-Marie Duff.
His sister Joy is a singer with hiphop/R&B girl group Streetside.
* The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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