Acclaimed Irish actor James Nesbitt was a popular comic performer in the late 1990s and early 2000s thanks to the popular television series “Cold Feet” (ITV, 1998-2003) and light-hearted films like “Hear My Song” (1991) and “Waking Ned Devine” (1998). A dramatic turn in Paul Greengrass’ “Bloody Sunday” (2001) convinced audiences and critics of his broader talent, which he displayed in projects like Woody Allen’s “Match Point” (2005) and the television series “Jekyll” (BBC One, 2007) in which he essayed a descendant of the infamous Dr. Henry Jekyll who shares his ancestor’s ability to transform into a monstrous, id-driven alter ego. His fearless performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination in 2007.
Born in Broughshane, County Antrim, in Ireland on Jan. 15, 1965, Nesbitt was the son of an educator and initially planned to follow his father’s footsteps into a career as a French teacher. In his early teens, he experimented with acting at the suggestion of another professor, earning his Equity card at age 17. But performing remained only a passing fancy until Nesbitt’s college years, when he dropped out of the University of Ulster after devoting too much of his attention to girls and football. His father recommended that he give classes at the acclaimed Central School for Speech and Drama in London a shot. He made his stage debut in a 1987 production of the musical “Up on the Roof,” which preceded a 1989 international tour of “Hamlet,” for which he played several roles. He also met his wife, Sonia Forbes-Adam, while on the tour; the couple married in 1993 and had two daughters in 1998 and 2002.
The year 1989 also marked his television debut in a bit part for “Virtuoso” (1989), a BBC TV production about schizophrenic concert pianist John Ogden. Three years later, he won his breakthrough role in 1991’s “Hear My Song,” as the breezy pal of the film’s con man lead (Adrian Dunbar). The role won him critical acclaim and international attention, but Nesbitt failed to parlay this newfound fame into a substantial follow-up; instead, he subsided on a string of supporting parts on television series – including the Stateside adventure series “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles” (ABC, 1992-93) and the independent feature “Go Now” (1995) for director Michael Winterbottom – who would become one of his strongest advocates by casting him in several features, including “Love Lies Bleeding” (1993) and “Jude” (1996) with Kate Winslet.
In 1996, Nesbitt was cast in the romantic comedy pilot “Cold Feet” for ITV; the program, which focused on the romantic travails of two relationship-wary Britons, aired a year later and received only middling ratings and reviews. Undaunted, Nesbitt moved on to more television, including a recurring role on the popular drama “Ballykissangel” (BBC One, 1996-2001). He also returned to features with a supporting role in Winterbottom’s dark war drama “Welcome to Sarajevo” (1997). Meanwhile, “Cold Feet” had won an award at the prestigious Festival Rose d’Or in Switzerland, and a series was quickly commissioned by ITV; “Cold Feet” (ITV, 1998-2003) quickly bloomed into one of the most popular shows on UK television, netting three British Comedy Awards for Best TV Comedy Drama and one as Best TV Comedy Actor for Nesbitt, as well as the National Television Award in 2003.
Nesbitt’s popularity jumped again after he appeared as lovestruck pig farmer “Pig” Finn in “Waking Ned Devine” (1998), a comedy hit from Ireland that earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Nesbitt initially turned down the role due to the impending birth of his daughter, but his wife convinced him to take the part. By 2001, Nesbitt had made the transition to lead, though his first effort, “Lucky Break” (2001) for “Full Monty” (1997) director Peter Cattaneo was a critical and box office flop. He then returned to television in the series “Murphy’s Law” (BBC One, 2001- ) as a fast-talking undercover policeman. Initially, the program was envisioned as a comedy-drama, but the tone changed to a darker and more dramatic program in its later seasons.
Nesbitt took an even deeper dramatic tack with his next project, “Bloody Sunday” (2001), about a 1972 protest by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Movement, which ended in the deaths of 13 participants at the hands of English troops. Nesbitt played the movement’s leader, Protestant Member of Parliament Ivan Cooper, in the stark drama, and won international acclaim for his portrayal, as well as two Best Actor Awards from the British Independent Film Festival and the Stockholm International Film Festival. He also found himself the target of criticism and even violence from fellow Protestants over his participation in the film. Despite the problems, it was clear to the British and international community that Nesbitt had developed into a first-rate dramatic lead.
By 2002, Nesbitt was appearing regularly in both film and television; he was the host of an offbeat documentary called “James Nesbitt’s Blazing Saddles” (BBC Choice, 2002), which dispatched him to Las Vegas to observe the National Rodeo Finals; co-starred with Billie Piper in an updated version of “The Miller’s Tale” for a six-episode series based on The Canterbury Tales for BBC One in 2003; and co-starred in Danny Boyle’s charming fantasy, “Millions” (2004), which netted several festival awards. He also co-starred as a police detective investigating the involvement of failed tennis player Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in the murder of American actress Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen’s clever mystery, “Match Point” (2005). He also returned to the stage in a much-praised production of “Shoot the Crow” in Westminster, and appeared in a series of humorous ads for the Yellow Pages from 2003-06. The spots earned criticism from pundits for flying in the face of his newly-minted “serious actor” status, but Nesbitt dismissed these comments in particularly colorful language.
In 2006, Nesbitt signed on to the six-part series “Jekyll,” a co-production between BBC One and BBC America. The series, which focused on a modern-day doctor who finds himself transforming into a more violent alter ego, required Nesbitt to undergo an hour of prosthetic makeup for each episode. The series netted mixed reviews from UK critics, who did praise Nesbitt’s exuberant performance, but found some of the fantastic elements difficult to swallow. Audiences on both sides of the Atlantic found his turn magnetic, and in 2007, Nesbitt was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Made for Television.
In addition to his acting career, Nesbitt was also an ambassador for UNICEF and Amnesty International, and played a substantial role in supporting several football clubs in the United Kingdom. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from his one-time alma mater, the University of Ulster.