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Who is James Nesbitt and is he married?

NORTHERN Irish actor James Nesbitt has become a TV star on both sides of the Atlantic after humble beginnings in Cold Feet.

The actor is now back on the box as the lead character in Channel 4's Suspect.

Who is James Nesbitt?

James Nesbitt is a 57-year-old Northern Irish actor from Ballymena in Country Antrim - the same small town Liam Neeson grew up in.

His father was a headmaster and his mother was a civil servant, and they had three daughters as well as James.

During his teen years he appeared in amateur productions, beginning with a role as the Artful Dodger in Oliver!.

When he was 15 he also worked as a bingo caller in the seaside town of Portrush.

 James Nesbitt is a superstar TV and film actor
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James Nesbitt is a superstar TV and film actorCredit: Getty

Then, after dropping out of uni in Northern Ireland, James moved to London and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

After that he spent the early 90s appearing in various theatre productions and taking supporting roles in TV shows.

Is James Nesbitt married and how many children does he have?

In 2013, James Nesbitt split from his wife Sonia Forbes-Adam - who he'd met way back in 1989 during his theatre days.

They have two daughters called Peggy, 25, and Mary, 201- who appeared in the two final Hobbit movies as the daughters of Bard the Bowman.

The split was blamed on the fact the couple had been living apart for two years during the production of the Hobbit.

But James had spoken about how reports alleging a series of infidelities had affected his relationship in the early 2000s.

At the time James commented that he was taking a "long and considered look" at his "dual life".

It's not known if James is in a relationship.

What shows has James Nesbitt been on?

In 1996, footie fanatic James landed the part of Adam Williams, a womaniser who falls for a married woman, in new ITV comedy-drama Cold Feet.

He starred alongside Friends star Helen Baxendale as Rachel, who became Adam's wife and then died in series five, around the time James was threatening to leave.

The success of the show, which came to an end in 2003, acted as a springboard for James - but Cold Feet made a comeback in 2016 for its seventh series, then an eighth in 2019, and a ninth in 2020.

From 2003 onwards James was all over TV, starring in Murphy's Law, The Canterbury Tales and Jekyll.

He also landed roles in Danny Boyle's movie Millions and Woody Allen's Match Point.

He branched out of his usual playing type with the comedy role of Bofur in Peter Jackson's Hobbit movies.

He starred in big budget US series Stan Lee's Lucky Man and impressed BBC viewers in The Missing.

In 2020 he played Tom Brannick in Bloodlands and in 2021 we will see him in Netflix drama Stay Close.

In 2022 he starred in Channel 4 crime thriller Suspect.

 

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