 James Andrew McAvoy (MAC-Av-OY) was born on April 21, 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. When James was seven, his parents separated and he lived with his mother and grandparents. At the age of 15, a film director visited his school to give a talk on acting. This was a significant moment in James's life because he was taken by the director's speech that he approached him and asked if he could get some work experience. James tells Nylon Guys magazine, "I thought I could make the coffee, tea, or do some photo copies." That wasn't the case. The director was actually a Scottish man by the name of David Hayman and he was making a film called The Near Room in 1995. He asked James to audition for the film about child prostitution and James won the part almost immediately. He was bitten by the acting bug and wanted to do more films.
At age 18, he thought more and more about his future and filled out applications for the Navy, drama school, and the local university. The drama school (Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) was the one that came calling, so he seized that opportunity. He notes, "But if one of the others had come along earlier, I'd probably have gone for that instead. Life could have been very different." After graduating from the drama school, James landed plum roles in British television cop shows and sitcoms and taking supporting roles in independent films. It wasn't until he landed a major role in the award-winning comedy/drama series, Shameless, that he finally made it. This brought the attention of casting directors on all parts of the globe and just as important, introduced him to his future wife, Anne-Marie Duff.
 After finishing one season on Shameless, both McAvoy and his now girlfriend, Anne, left the show and movie roles began pouring in. He landed the role of Mr. Tumnus in 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, one of his favorite books as a young child and then landed a role in 2006's The Last King of Scotland, pairing him with powerhouse actor, Forest Whitaker as the brutal dictator of Uganda, Idi Amin. The role was challenging, with his character being dangled on hooks in the country of Uganda. James helped out a local tribe alongside the American Red Cross and met with the people, who welcomed him, as well as Internally Displaced Peoples camps and hospitals. This effort became life changing and a real eye-opener for James. As for the movie, Last King of Scotland? The movie went on to win Forest Whitaker Best Actor in a Leading Role in the 2007 Academy Awards and garnered many more nominations, including a nod at the BAFTA Film Awards for James as Best Actor in a Supporting Role. James's role as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan was acclaimed by critics all over, proving that James could definitely hold his own against big name actors.
 2007 saw more big things for James. First, Penelope, a comedy about an heiress with a pig nose, was released at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival to much acclaim and would later be released theatrically in 2008. An independent film starring James and produced by Tom Hanks called Starter For 10 was released in early 2007. Finally, Atonement was released December 7 2007 and nabbed James his first Golden Globe Award as Best Actor. The movie was in total, nominated for 7 Golden Globe Awards, the most nominations for a movie this year. Oscar buzz has been around this movie since the beginning and much of the industry is buzzing about James's heartbreaking role as Robbie.
James is truly one-to-watch with everyone watching. He is winning over fans all over the world and Hollywood as well. His choices in his movie roles are clearly thought out - James doesn't want to do a silly film or a huge blockbuster just for the money. He is doing it because he truly loves the art, and it's apparent on the screen. We can't wait to see what he'll do next.
Biography last updated on December 23, 2007. Do not take without permission. Written by the webmiss of this site.
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