Biography
Who is James McAvoy?
Early life
James McAvoy was born on April 21, 1979, in Glasgow, United Kingdom. His parents were James McAvoy Sr. And Elizabeth Johnstone. His mother worked as a psychiatric nurse, and his father worked as a builder. After his parents separated during his childhood, James went to live with his maternal grandparents in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow. He has a younger sister named Joy.
He attended St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in the Jordanhill area of Glasgow. During his school years, he briefly considered joining the priesthood as a way to look at the world through missionary work. He also worked at a local bakery during his education. Before turning to acting, he applied to join the Royal Navy and had already been accepted when he was also offered a place to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Acting career
James made his acting debut as a teenager in the film The Near Room in 1995. He appeared mostly on television throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, including roles in the miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and the thriller State of Play. In 2004, he joined the cast of the drama series Shameless, playing the character Steve McBride during the first two series.
His film career grew significantly when he portrayed Mr. Tumnus in the fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005. He won the inaugural BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2006. Following this success, he starred in the period dramas The Last King of Scotland and Atonement, earning BAFTA Award nominations for both performances.
Major film roles
In 2008, James starred as an assassin alongside Angelina Jolie in the action film Wanted. He joined the superhero film franchise as Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class in 2011, a role he reprised in four subsequent installments of the X-Men series. He also voiced title characters in the animated films Arthur Christmas and Gnomeo & Juliet.
He earned further praise for his performance in the independent crime film Filth in 2013. He later portrayed a man with multiple identities in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller Split in 2016 and its successor Glass in 2019. In the same year, he starred as Bill Denbrough in the horror film It Chapter Two. He also starred in the horror film Speak No Evil and made his directorial debut with California Schemin'.
Stage work
On stage, James has performed in several well-known West End productions in London. His theatre credits include Three Days of Rain in 2010 and Macbeth in 2013. He also starred in The Ruling Class in 2015 and Cyrano de Bergerac in 2020. For his performance in Cyrano de Bergerac, he received a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Birthday and age
James McAvoy was born on April 21, 1979, which makes James 47 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. James shares the date with 49 other famous people.
Explore more
