James McAvoy

James McAvoy is one of the most acclaimed British actors of his generation, a Glaswegian who has moved with ease between intimate dramas and Hollywood blockbusters, from Atonement to the X-Men.

From Drumchapel to the stage

Born in Glasgow in 1979, McAvoy was largely brought up by his grandparents in the Drumchapel area of the city, and trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. He made his screen debut as a teenager, the start of a career that would carry the city’s culture onto the world stage.

Breakthrough

Winner of the first BAFTA Rising Star Award in 2006, McAvoy announced himself with powerful performances in The Last King of Scotland, as a young doctor to the dictator Idi Amin, and in Atonement, which brought him Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.

Hollywood and Professor X

He went on to lead the action thriller Wanted and to play the young Professor Charles Xavier across the X-Men films, as well as a tour de force as a man of many personalities in Split. On stage and screen alike he is regarded as one of the finest actors Scotland has produced.

A Glasgow talent

A versatile and admired performer, McAvoy stands among the wave of Glasgow actors, alongside the likes of Robert Carlyle, who have made their mark on world cinema.