James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt is a Northern Irish actor whose career spans over four decades, beginning with his first professional stage role in 1987 after graduating from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Born William James Nesbitt on 15 January 1965 in Ballymena, County Antrim, he grew up in a Protestant Unionist family where his father was a school headmaster and his mother a civil servant, experiences that later informed his nuanced portrayals of characters navigating the complexities of Irish identity. After early theatre work in productions such as Up on the Roof and Hamlet, Nesbitt broke into film with Hear My Song (1991) and achieved international recognition playing the lovable pig farmer “Pig” Finn in Waking Ned (1998), a role that earned the ensemble a Screen Actors Guild nomination. His breakthrough on television came with the ITV comedy‑drama Cold Feet (1998‑2003, 2016‑2020), where his portrayal of Adam Williams won multiple awards including a British Comedy Award and a National Television Award, cementing his status as a household name across the UK and Ireland. In 2002 he delivered a career‑defining performance as civil rights leader Ivan Cooper in Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday, a role that garnered a British Independent Film Award and a BAFTA nomination, and marked a transition toward more serious, politically charged work. Subsequent highlights include starring as detective Tommy Murphy in Murphy’s Law (2001‑2007), dual‑role lead in the BBC series Jekyll (2007) which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and portraying dwarf Bofur in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy (2012‑2014). Beyond acting, Nesbitt is a UNICEF ambassador, patron of several charities, and served as Chancellor of Ulster University, reflecting his commitment to social causes and education. His honours include an OBE (2016) and multiple honorary doctorates, underscoring a distinguished career that blends artistic excellence with public service.