Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan
Dornan at the premiere of the film Fifty Shades of Grey at the Berlin International Film Festival on 11 February 2015
Born	James Dornan (1982-05-01) 1 May 1982[1] Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Nationality	Northern Irish
Occupation	Actor, model, musician
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	Amelia Warner (m. 2013)
Children	1

James "Jamie" Dornan (born 1 May 1982)^[2][3] is a Northern Irish actor, model, and musician. He played Axel von Fersen in Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette, Sheriff Graham Humbert in the ABC series Once Upon a Time and serial killer Paul Spector in the BBC Two crime drama series The Fall. He played the titular character, Christian Grey, in the film Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).

Early life

Dornan was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. He grew up in the suburbs of Belfast,^[4] and has two older sisters, Liesa, who works in London for Disney, and Jessica, a fashion designer based in Falmouth, England.^[5] His father, Professor Jim Dornan, is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who had also considered becoming an actor.^[6][7] Dornan was 16 when his mother, Lorna, died of cancer.^[4][8][9] Jamie Dornan is a first cousin, twice removed, of actress Greer Garson.^[4] His grandparents on both sides of his family were Methodist lay preachers.^[6]

He attended and boarded at Methodist College in Belfast, where he played rugby and participated in the drama department. He attended Teesside University, but dropped out and moved to London to train as an actor.^[10]

Career

Dornan performed in the folk band Sons of Jim, until it disbanded in 2008. Sons of Jim supported Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on tour.^[11]

Dornan first worked as a model. In 2003, he modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch.^[12] He then modelled for a number of fashion houses and retailers, including Aquascutum, Hugo Boss, and Armani.^[13] Notable works include major ad campaigns with Dior Homme and Calvin Klein (with both Kate Moss and Eva Mendes), and he was labelled "The Golden Torso" by The New York Times.^[14][15]

In 2006, Dornan had his first acting role in a film as Count Axel Fersen in the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette.^[16] Dornan also appeared in the drama film Shadows in the Sun in 2009, which starred three-time Academy Award nominee Jean Simmons. In 2008, he played the lead role of Ed in the Hammer Horror production Beyond the Rave.

In 2011, Dornan appeared in eight episodes of the ABC television series Once Upon a Time, playing the role of Sheriff Graham.^[17] While Graham from Storybrooke was killed by the town's mayor Regina (The Evil Queen) in the episode "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", Dornan stated that he would return as the Huntsman from the Enchanted Forest at some point and he remained a regular on the series. He returned as The Huntsman for the season finale episode, "A Land Without Magic".

Dornan stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the Northern Irish drama series The Fall, playing Paul Spector, a serial killer terrorising Belfast.^[18][19] In May 2013, the show was renewed for a second series halfway through the broadcast of series one.

On 23 October 2013, Dornan was cast as Christian Grey^[20] in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, replacing Charlie Hunnam.^[21] Initially announced to be released on 1 August 2014,^[22] the film was later rescheduled to, and released on, 13 February 2015.^[23] On 27 August 2014, it was announced that Jamie Dornan would play Dr. Allan Pascal in an upcoming Miramax film titled The 9th Life of Louis Drax, a supernatural thriller based on a book of the same name.^[24] In November 2014, Dornan was ranked #3 in People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive.^[25]

In February 2015 it was confirmed that Dornan has signed up for the second instalment of the Fifty Shades film franchise – Fifty Shades Darker.^[26]

Personal life

Dornan had a relationship with actress Keira Knightley from 2003 to 2005.^[27] He married English actress and singer-songwriter Amelia Warner in a country house in Somerset on 27 April 2013.^[28] In June 2013, the couple confirmed they were expecting their first child,^[28] and Warner gave birth to a girl, Dulcie, in late November 2013.^[29][30][31]

Dornan's father's second wife, Samina is a gynaecologist and obstetrician and a strong supporter of women’s rights. She appeared in the BBC Three documentary, 'Abortion: Ireland's Guilty Secret?'.^[32]

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jamie Dornan.

• Jamie Dornan at the Internet Movie Database
• Jamie Dornan at Models.com