Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

James Nesbitt(I)

  • Actor
  • Additional Crew
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000182
James Nesbitt
Detective Kat Donovan's world unravels when she finds her estranged fiancé on a dating app. Leading her to reopen her father's unsolved murder.
Play trailer2:25
Missing You (2025)
60 Videos
99+ Photos
James Nesbitt was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, to May, a civil servant, and James Nesbitt, a primary school headmaster. He was educated at Coleraine Academical Institution (also the school of Brian Campbell & Brian McAlister). He originally planned to be a French teacher. It was not until teacher Robert Simpson encouraged him to take an apprenticeship at the local Riverside Theatre that his interest in acting began, eventually leading him to a drama school in London, and to what has become a highly successful acting career.

James is a lover of football.
BornJanuary 15, 1965
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornJanuary 15, 1965
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000182
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
      • 10 wins & 27 nominations total

    Photos145

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 139
    View Poster

    Known for

    Martin Freeman in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
    The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
    7.8
    • Bofur
    • 2012
    Waking Ned Devine (1998)
    Waking Ned Devine
    7.3
    • Pig Finn
    • 1998
    Bloody Sunday (2002)
    Bloody Sunday
    7.6
    • Ivan Cooper
    • 2002
    Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson in Match Point (2005)
    Match Point
    7.6
    • Detective Banner
    • 2005

    Credits

    Edit
    IMDbPro

    Actor



    • Run Away
      • Simon
      • In Production
      • TV Mini Series
      • 2025
    • The Way: Chapter 2
      • Jack
      • Pre-production
    • The Unholylands
      • Jimmy Nesbitt
      • Completed



    • Richard Armitage, Ashley Walters, Jessica Plummer, and Rosalind Eleazar in Missing You (2025)
      Missing You
      6.1
      TV Mini Series
      • Dominic Calligan
      • 2025
    • Timothy Spall, James Nesbitt, Bamber Todd, and Joshua McLees in The Heist Before Christmas (2023)
      The Heist Before Christmas
      5.2
      • Bank Robber
      • 2023
    • James Nesbitt in Bloodlands (2021)
      Bloodlands
      6.7
      TV Series
      • DCI Tom Brannick
      • 2021–2022
    • Anne-Marie Duff, Tamsin Greig, Eddie Marsan, Gina McKee, Ben Miller, Vinette Robinson, Nicholas Pinnock, Dominic Cooper, and Celine Buckens in Suspect (2022)
      Suspect
      5.6
      TV Series
      • Danny Frater
      • 2022
    • Richard Armitage, James Nesbitt, Sarah Parish, and Cush Jumbo in Stay Close (2021)
      Stay Close
      6.9
      TV Mini Series
      • DS Michael Broome
      • 2021
    • Adrian Dunbar, Vicky McClure, and Martin Compston in Line of Duty (2012)
      Line of Duty
      8.7
      TV Series
      • DCI Marcus Thurwell (uncredited)
      • 2021
    • Robert Bathurst, James Nesbitt, Hermione Norris, Fay Ripley, and John Thomson in Cold Feet (1997)
      Cold Feet
      8.2
      TV Series
      • Adam Williams
      • 1997–2020
    • James Nesbitt and Thekla Reuten in Lucky Man (2016)
      Lucky Man
      7.1
      TV Series
      • DI Harry Clayton
      • 2016–2018
    • Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles (2017)
      Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles
      6.0
      TV Mini Series
      • Harry Clayton
      • 2017
    • James Nesbitt and Genevieve O'Reilly in The Secret (2016)
      The Secret
      7.1
      TV Mini Series
      • Colin Howell
      • 2016
    • The Missing (2014)
      The Missing
      8.1
      TV Series
      • Tony Hughes
      • 2014
    • Paterson Joseph, James Nesbitt, Martin Trenaman, Bertie Carvel, Ella Smith, and Daniel Kaluuya in Babylon (2014)
      Babylon
      7.1
      TV Mini Series
      • Commissioner Richard Miller
      • 2014
    • Martin Freeman in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
      The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
      7.4
      • Bofur
      • 2014
    • Gold (2014)
      Gold
      6.1
      • Frank
      • 2014
    • Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Martin Freeman, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, and Luke Evans in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
      The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
      7.8
      • Bofur
      • 2013

    Additional Crew



    • James Nesbitt in Murphy's Law (2003)
      Murphy's Law
      7.6
      TV Series
      • creative consultant
      • 2004–2007

    Producer



    • James Nesbitt and Thekla Reuten in Lucky Man (2016)
      Lucky Man
      7.1
      TV Series
      • executive producer
      • 2018
    • Bronagh Taggart in Guard (2017)
      Guard
      7.8
      Short
      • executive producer
      • 2017

    Videos60

    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    Clip 1:05
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    Clip 1:05
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    Clip 1:05
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    Clip 0:52
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    Clip 1:11
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
    The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
    Clip 1:08
    The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
    The Way
    Clip 1:05
    The Way

    Personal details

    Edit
    • Alternative name
      • Jimmy Nesbitt
    • Height
      • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
    • Born
      • January 15, 1965
      • Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
    • Spouse
      • Sonia Forbes-Adam1993 - 2016 (divorced, 2 children)
    • Children
        Mary Nesbitt
    • Relatives
      • Peggy Nesbitt(Grandchild)
    • Other works
      TV commercial for Persil dish-washing liquid.
    • Publicity listings
      • 1 Portrayal
      • 6 Interviews
      • 3 Articles
      • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      His two daughters, Mary and Peggy, both star alongside him (Bofur) in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), playing the two daughters (Tilda and Sigrid) of Luke Evans (Bard).
    • Quotes
      The thing to remember is that the work comes first, and not to get distracted by anything else. If you keep focused on the work, everything else will fall into place. That's my mantra now.
    • Trademarks
        Thick irish accent
    • Nickname
      • Jimmy

    FAQ

    Powered by Alexa
    • How old is James Nesbitt?
      60 years old
    • When was James Nesbitt born?
      January 15, 1965
    • Where was James Nesbitt born?
      Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
    • What is James Nesbitt's birth name?
      William James Nesbitt
    • How tall is James Nesbitt?
      5 feet 11 inches, or 1.80 meters

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.