James Nesbitt
Known for Acting · 99 credits
- Born
- 1965-01-15 (age 61)
- Place of birth
- Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Biography
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.
Known For
TV Shows (51)
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Top Gear
2002
as Self
The One Show
2006
as Self - Guest
Screen Two
1985
as Young man
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
1996
as Self
Soccer AM
1995
as Self
Parkinson
1998
as Self
The Jonathan Ross Show
2011
as Self
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self
GMTV
1993
as Self
Cold Feet
1998
as Adam Williams
Missing You
2025
as Dominic Calligan
Soldier Soldier
1991
as Corporal Bryan Casey
Run Away
2026
as Simon Greene
Ballykissangel
1996
as Leo McGarvey
Lovejoy
1986
as Jerry Boyle
Between the Lines
1992
ScreenPlay
1986
as Niall
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
1992
as Yuri
The Secret
2016
as Colin Howell
The Terry and Gaby Show
2003
Stay Close
2021
as DS Michael Broome
Michael McIntyre's Big Show
2016
as Self
Stan Lee's Lucky Man
2016
as Harry Clayton
The Late Late Show
1962
as Self
The Missing
2014
as Tony Hughes
Babylon
2014
as Commissioner Richard Miller
Canterbury Tales
2003
as Nick Zakian
Suspect
2022
as Danny Frater
Chris Moyles' Quiz Night
2009
as Self
Playing the Field
1998
Jekyll
2007
as Dr. Tom Jackman
DNA Journey
2019
as Self
Soccer Aid
2006
Bloodlands
2021
as DCI Tom Brannick
The Hollywood Greats
1977
Tractor Tom
2002
as Matt (voice)
Fairy Tales
2008
as Hans M. Prince
The Passion
2008
as Pilate
Murphy's Law
2001
as DS Tommy Murphy
Common As Muck
1994
Monroe
2011
as Gabriel Monroe
The Deep
2010
as Clem Donnelly
Occupation
2009
as Mike Swift
Midnight Man
2008
as Max Raban
Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles
2017
as Harry Clayton
The John Bishop Show
2022
as Self
James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain
2018
OFI Sunday
2005
Passer By
2004
as Joe Keyes
The Friday Night Project
2005
as Self - Host
Movies (48)
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
2014
as Bofur
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2012
as Bofur
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
2013
as Bofur
Five Minutes of Heaven
2009
as Joe Griffin
Match Point
2005
as Detective Banner
The Way
2010
as Jack
Coriolanus
2011
as Tribune Sicinius
Women Talking Dirty
2001
as Stanley
Millions
2005
as Ronnie
Hear My Song
1991
as Fintan O'Donnell
Cherrybomb
2009
as Crilly
Waking Ned
1998
as Pig Finn
Outcast
2010
as Cathal
Bloody Sunday
2002
as Ivan Cooper
Welcome to Sarajevo
1997
as Gregg
This Is the Sea
1997
as Constable Hubert Porter
Jude
1996
as Uncle Joe
Wild About Harry
2000
as Walter Adair
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell
1999
as Yuri
Lucky Break
2001
as James 'Jimmy' Hands
Quite Ugly One Morning
2004
as Jack Parlabane
The Heist Before Christmas
2023
as Bank Robber
The Coronation Concert
2023
as Self
Matching Jack
2010
as Connor
Resurrection Man
1998
as Ryan
Lost Lives
2019
as Self (voice)
Love Lies Bleeding
1993
as Niall
So You're Going to Die
as Liam Gallagher
Go Now
1995
as Tony
James Ellis: An Actor's Life
2007
as Himself
Gold
2014
as Frank McGunn
Wall of Silence
2004
as Stuart Robe
Big Dippers
2005
as Ray
The 50 Greatest Television Dramas
2007
as Self
The End of the World Man
1986
as Policeman
The Most Fertile Man in Ireland
2000
as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson
River Deep, Mountain High: James Nesbitt in New Zealand
2013
as Self
The James Gang
1997
as Graham Armstrong
Ireland's Rugby Number 10
as Narrator
Virtuoso
1989
as Young Man
Blessed
2008
as Peter
Occupation
2009
as Mike Swift
Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story
2012
as Narrator
Alex Higgins: The People's Champion
2010
as Narrator
James Nesbit: A Game of Two Halves
2020
as Himself
The Cry
1984
as B Special (uncredited)
What has the BBC ever done for me?
2026
as Self
James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal
2004
as Presenter
About James Nesbitt
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 music… With 99 credits spanning from 1962 to 2026, James Nesbitt has appeared in 48 films and 51 TV shows.
Fans searching for James Nesbitt movies, James Nesbitt filmography, or the latest projects starring James Nesbitt can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular James Nesbitt Movies
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) — as Bofur
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012) — as Bofur
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) — as Bofur
- Five Minutes of Heaven (2009) — as Joe Griffin
- Match Point (2005) — as Detective Banner
Where to Watch James Nesbitt Films
Most James Nesbitt movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring James Nesbitt, check our movies catalogue and browse page.