Acting · Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland · Born January 15, 1965
James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is a Northern Irish actor. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher, like his father, so began a degree in French at the University of Ulster. He dropped out after a year when he decided to become an actor, and transferred to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating in 1987, he spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical Up on the Roof (1987, 1989) to the political drama Paddywack (1994). He made his feature film debut playing talent agent Fintan O'Donnell in Hear My Song (1991). Nesbitt got his breakthrough television role playing Adam Williams in the romantic comedy-drama Cold Feet (1998–2003), which won him a British Comedy Award, a Television and Radio Industries Club Award, and a National Television Award. His first significant film role came when he appeared as pig farmer "Pig" Finn in Waking Ned (1998). With the rest of the starring cast, Nesbitt was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. In Lucky Break (2001), he made his debut as a film lead playing prisoner Jimmy Hands. The next year, he played Ivan Cooper in the television film Bloody Sunday, about the 1972 shootings in Derry. A departure from his previous "cheeky chappie" roles, the film was a turning point in his career. He won a British Independent Film Award and was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. Nesbitt has also starred in Murphy's Law (2001–2007) as undercover detective Tommy Murphy—a role that was created for him by writer Colin Bateman. The role twice gained Nesbitt Best Actor nominations at the Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA). In 2007, he starred 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. Nesbitt has since appeared in several more dramatic roles; he starred alongside Liam Neeson in Five Minutes of Heaven (2009), and was one of three lead actors in the television miniseries Occupation (2009) and The Deep (2010). He also starred in the movies Outcast (2010) and Emilio Estevez's The Way (2011), and has been cast in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit (2012/13). Nesbitt is married to former actress Sonia Forbes-Adam, with whom he has two daughters. He is a patron of numerous charities and in 2010 accepted the ceremonial position of Chancellor of the University of Ulster.
What has the BBC ever done for me?
2026
as Self
TVRun Away
2026
as Simon Greene
TVMissing You
2025
as Dominic Calligan
MovieThe Heist Before Christmas
2023
as Bank Robber
MovieThe Coronation Concert
2023
as Self
TVSuspect
2022
as Danny Frater
TVThe John Bishop Show
2022
as Self
TVStay Close
2021
as DS Michael Broome
TVBloodlands
2021
as DCI Tom Brannick
James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves
2020
as Himself
TVDNA Journey
2019
as Self
MovieLost Lives
2019
as Self (voice)
TVJames Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain
2018
TVStan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles
2017
as Harry Clayton
TVThe Secret
2016
as Colin Howell
TVMichael McIntyre's Big Show
2016
as Self
TVStan Lee's Lucky Man
2016
as Harry Clayton
MovieThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
2014
as Bofur
TVBabylon
2014
as Commissioner Richard Miller
TVThe Missing
2014
as Tony Hughes
MovieGold
2014
as Frank McGunn
MovieRiver Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
2013
as Self
MovieThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2013
as Bofur
MovieThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2012
as Bofur
MovieHere Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
2012
as Narrator
TVThe Jonathan Ross Show
2011
as Self
TVMonroe
2011
as Gabriel Monroe
MovieCoriolanus
2011
as Tribune Sicinius
MovieOutcast
2010
as Cathal
MovieThe Way
2010
as Jack
MovieAlex Higgins: The People's Champion
2010
as Narrator
MovieMatching Jack
2010
as Connor
TVThe Deep
2010
as Clem Donnelly
TVOccupation
2009
as Mike Swift
MovieOccupation
2009
as Mike Swift
TVChris Moyles' Quiz Night
2009
as Self
MovieCherrybomb
2009
as Crilly
MovieFive Minutes of Heaven
2009
as Joe Griffin
MovieBlessed
2008
as Peter
TVMidnight Man
2008
as Max Raban
TVThe Passion
2008
as Pilate
TVFairy Tales
2008
as Hans M. Prince
MovieJames Ellis: An Actor's Life
2007
as Himself
TVJekyll
2007
as Dr. Tom Jackman
TVThe Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
MovieThe 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
TVThe One Show
2006
as Self - Guest
TVSoccer Aid
2006
OFI Sunday
2005
MovieMatch Point
2005
as Detective Banner
MovieMillions
2005
as Ronnie
MovieBig Dippers
2005
as Ray
TVThe Friday Night Project
2005
as Self - Host
MovieJames Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal
2004
as Presenter
Quite Ugly One Morning
2004
as Jack Parlabane
TVPasser By
2004
as Joe Keyes
MovieWall of Silence
2004
as Stuart Robe
TVCanterbury Tales
2003
as Nick Zakian
The Terry and Gaby Show
2003
TVTop Gear
2002
as Self
TVTractor Tom
2002
as Matt (voice)
MovieBloody Sunday
2002
as Ivan Cooper
MovieWomen Talking Dirty
2001
as Stanley
TVFriday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self
TVMurphy's Law
2001
as DS Tommy Murphy
MovieLucky Break
2001
as James 'Jimmy' Hands
MovieWild About Harry
2000
as Walter Adair
MovieThe Most Fertile Man in Ireland
2000
as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson
MovieThe Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
1999
as Yuri
MovieWaking Ned
1998
as Pig Finn
TVCold Feet
1998
as Adam Williams
TVPlaying the Field
1998
MovieResurrection Man
1998
as Ryan
TVParkinson
1998
as Self
MovieThe James Gang
1997
as Graham Armstrong
MovieThis Is the Sea
1997
as Constable Hubert Porter
MovieWelcome to Sarajevo
1997
as Gregg
TVNever Mind the Buzzcocks
1996
as Self
TVBallykissangel
1996
MovieJude
1996
as Uncle Joe
MovieGo Now
1995
as Tony
TVSoccer AM
1995
as Self
TVCommon As Muck
1994
MovieLove Lies Bleeding
1993
as Niall
TVGMTV
1993
as Self
TVBetween the Lines
1992
TVThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
1992
as Yuri
MovieHear My Song
1991
as Fintan O'Donnell
TVSoldier Soldier
1991
as Corporal Bryan Casey
MovieVirtuoso
1989
as Young Man
MovieThe End of the World Man
1986
as Policeman
TVScreenPlay
1986
as Niall
TVLovejoy
1986
as Jerry Boyle
TVScreen Two
1985
as Young man
MovieThe Cry
1984
as B Special (uncredited)
TVThe Hollywood Greats
1977
TVThe Late Late Show
1962
as Self
MovieIreland's Rugby Number 10
as Narrator
MovieSo You're Going to Die
as Liam Gallagher
