---
name: "James Nesbitt"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/james-nesbitt"
fi1m_id: "james-nesbitt"
imdb_id: "nm0626362"
tmdb_id: 34715
wikidata_id: "Q439174"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "15 January 1965"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 13
average_fi1m_score: 72
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 13
updated: "2026-10-07T17:38:05.606711+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# James Nesbitt

## Identity

James Nesbitt

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/james-nesbitt
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** james-nesbitt
- **IMDb ID:** nm0626362
- **TMDB ID:** 34715
- **Wikidata ID:** Q439174
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nesbitt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q439174, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626362/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34715

Actor. Born 15 January 1965 in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 15 January 1965, Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
- **Active:** 1991–present
- **Frequently works with:** [Lubna Azabal](https://film.one/person/lubna-azabal.md), [Nick Murphy](https://film.one/person/nick-murphy.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 72, as actor, over 13 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 76 (3), 2000s 74 (4), 2010s 67 (5), 2020s 68 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 71 across 9 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 9 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 6 of 12 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Action 3, Adventure 3, Crime 3, Fantasy 3, Mystery 3
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2,981m across 7 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nesbitt, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q439174, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0626362/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34715

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Go Now*](https://film.one/film/go-now.md) (77), [*Coriolanus*](https://film.one/film/coriolanus.md) (74)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug*](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug.md) (65), [*The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey*](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey.md) (60)
- **Apple TV:** [*The Missing*](https://film.one/tv/the-missing-2014.md) (83)
- **Netflix:** [*Run Away*](https://film.one/tv/run-away.md) (68)
- **Pluto TV:** [*Murphy's Law*](https://film.one/tv/murphys-law.md) (63)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on James Nesbitt

> James Nesbitt makes parental fear credible even when the mystery surrounding it is not. We value that emotional directness, though the repeated thriller roles risk making his distress too familiar.

In *Run Away* (2026), James Nesbitt makes Simon Greene's parental fear convincing through some increasingly unlikely plotting. We believe the distress without having to accept every twist. His performance is the main reason we would give this uneven family-secret thriller a chance. The difficulty comes when the script insists on explaining what he has already made clear.

*Cold Feet* (1997) made his name as Adam Williams, with the energy and appetite for life associated with his earlier comic work. *Bloody Sunday* (2002) marked the move into serious drama; *The Missing* (2014), with Nesbitt as Tony Hughes, put him at the centre of a missing-child story. Grieving and hard-bitten men have become familiar assignments. The danger of repetition is apparent in *Suspect* (2022), where the thriller manner risks becoming cartoonish. We would like to see more of the possibilities suggested by that earlier shift.

He also keeps his Northern Irish accent across roles, a welcome consistency in work that has shifted between comedy and drama. In *Run Away*, Ruth Jones, as Elena Ravenscroft, provides another reason to stay when we begin to question the story. The ensemble is less assured elsewhere, leaving both actors to do too much of the work. Their performances make the weak dialogue more frustrating, because the feelings are already clear.

We were irritated by the hospital dialogue in *Run Away*, because its stock phrases spell out distress Nesbitt has already made credible. Luke Richards's music cannot make those exchanges convincing; fewer words would help more. We would rather watch Nesbitt respond to trouble than hear him describe it in another borrowed phrase. Eight episodes is a substantial commitment to a mystery this uneven. Try it for him and Jones, provided an implausible twist will not undo an evening's enjoyment.

## Biography

James Nesbitt is a Northern Irish actor born on 15 January 1965 in Ballymena, County Antrim. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, graduating in 1987.

His breakthrough television role was as Adam Williams in *Cold Feet* (1998–2003). He is known for film roles including Pig Finn in *Waking Ned* (1998), Ivan Cooper in *Bloody Sunday* (2002), Detective Banner in *Match Point* (2005) and Bofur in the *Hobbit* trilogy (2012–2014), as well as Tony Hughes in *The Missing* (2014). He appeared as Simon Greene in the 2026 series *Run Away*. Nesbitt was appointed OBE in 2016 for services to drama and the community in Northern Ireland.

*Sources: imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (13)

- *Run Away* (2026), Fi1m 68, as Simon Greene — [page](https://film.one/tv/run-away.md)
- *The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies* (2014), Fi1m 54, as Bofur — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies.md)
- *The Missing* (2014), Fi1m 83, as Tony Hughes — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-missing-2014.md)
- *The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug* (2013), Fi1m 65, as Bofur — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug.md)
- *The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey* (2012), Fi1m 60, as Bofur — [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey.md)
- *Coriolanus* (2011), Fi1m 74, as Tribune Sicinius — [page](https://film.one/film/coriolanus.md)
- *Five Minutes of Heaven* (2009), Fi1m 72, as Joe Griffin — [page](https://film.one/film/five-minutes-of-heaven.md)
- *Occupation* (2009), Fi1m 80, as Mike Swift — [page](https://film.one/tv/occupation.md)
- *Bloody Sunday* (2002), Fi1m 83, as Ivan Cooper — [page](https://film.one/film/bloody-sunday.md)
- *Murphy's Law* (2001), Fi1m 63, as DS Tommy Murphy — [page](https://film.one/tv/murphys-law.md)
- *Waking Ned* (1998), Fi1m 73, as Pig Finn — [page](https://film.one/film/waking-ned.md)
- *Go Now* (1995), Fi1m 77, as Tony — [page](https://film.one/film/go-now.md)
- *Hear My Song* (1991), Fi1m 78, as Fintan O'Donnell — [page](https://film.one/film/hear-my-song.md)

## Complete filmography (77)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Run Away* (2026), series, as Simon Greene — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/tv/run-away.md)
- *Missing You* (2025), series, as Dominic Calligan
- *The Heist Before Christmas* (2023), as Bank Robber
- *Suspect* (2022), series, as Danny Frater
- *Stay Close* (2021), series, as DS Michael Broome
- *Bloodlands* (2021), series, as DCI Tom Brannick
- *James Nesbitt: Disasters That Changed Britain* (2018), series, Actor
- *Stan Lee's Lucky Man: The Bracelet Chronicles* (2017), series, as Harry Clayton
- *The Secret* (2016), series, as Colin Howell
- *Stan Lee's Lucky Man* (2016), series, as Harry Clayton
- *The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies* (2014), as Bofur — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies.md)
- *Babylon* (2014), series, as Commissioner Richard Miller
- *The Missing* (2014), series, as Tony Hughes — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-missing-2014.md)
- *Gold* (2014), as Frank McGunn
- *The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug* (2013), as Bofur — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug.md)
- *The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey* (2012), as Bofur — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey.md)
- *Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story* (2012), as Narrator
- *Monroe* (2011), series, as Gabriel Monroe
- *Coriolanus* (2011), as Tribune Sicinius — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/coriolanus.md)
- *Outcast* (2010), as Cathal
- *The Way* (2010), as Jack
- *Alex Higgins: The People's Champion* (2010), as Narrator
- *Matching Jack* (2010), as Connor
- *The Deep* (2010), series, as Clem Donnelly
- *Occupation* (2009), series, as Mike Swift — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/occupation.md)
- *Occupation* (2009), as Mike Swift
- *Cherrybomb* (2009), as Crilly
- *Five Minutes of Heaven* (2009), as Joe Griffin — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/five-minutes-of-heaven.md)
- *Blessed* (2008), as Peter
- *Midnight Man* (2008), series, as Max Raban
- *The Passion* (2008), series, as Pilate
- *Fairy Tales* (2008), series, as Hans M. Prince
- *Jekyll* (2007), series, as Dr. Tom Jackman
- *OFI Sunday* (2005), series, Actor
- *Match Point* (2005), as Detective Banner
- *Millions* (2005), as Ronnie
- *Big Dippers* (2005), as Ray
- *James Nesbitt Presents Eat My Goal* (2004), as Presenter
- *Quite Ugly One Morning* (2004), as Jack Parlabane
- *Passer By* (2004), series, as Joe Keyes
- *Wall of Silence* (2004), as Stuart Robe
- *Canterbury Tales* (2003), series, as Nick Zakian
- *Tractor Tom* (2002), series, as Matt (voice)
- *Bloody Sunday* (2002), as Ivan Cooper — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/film/bloody-sunday.md)
- *Women Talking Dirty* (2001), as Stanley
- *Murphy's Law* (2001), series, as DS Tommy Murphy — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/murphys-law.md)
- *Lucky Break* (2001), as James 'Jimmy' Hands
- *Wild About Harry* (2000), as Walter Adair
- *The Most Fertile Man in Ireland* (2000), as 'Mad Dog' Billy Wilson
- *The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Trenches of Hell* (1999), as Yuri
- *Waking Ned* (1998), as Pig Finn — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/waking-ned.md)
- *Cold Feet* (1998), series, as Adam Williams
- *Playing the Field* (1998), series, Actor
- *Resurrection Man* (1998), as Ryan
- *The James Gang* (1997), as Graham Armstrong
- *This Is the Sea* (1997), as Constable Hubert Porter
- *Welcome to Sarajevo* (1997), as Gregg
- *Ballykissangel* (1996), series, as Leo McGarvey
- *TFI Friday* (1996), series, Actor
- *Jude* (1996), as Uncle Joe
- *Go Now* (1995), as Tony — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/go-now.md)
- *Common As Muck* (1994), series, Actor
- *Love Lies Bleeding* (1993), as Niall
- *Between the Lines* (1992), series, Actor
- *The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles* (1992), series, as Yuri
- *Hear My Song* (1991), as Fintan O'Donnell — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/hear-my-song.md)
- *Soldier Soldier* (1991), series, as Corporal Bryan Casey
- *Virtuoso* (1989), as Young Man
- *The End of the World Man* (1986), as Policeman
- *ScreenPlay* (1986), series, as Niall
- *Lovejoy* (1986), series, as Jerry Boyle
- *Screen Two* (1985), series, as Young man
- *The Cry* (1984), as B Special (uncredited)
- *The Hollywood Greats* (1977), series, Actor
- *Ireland's Rugby Number 10*, as Narrator
- *Hercule*, series, Actor
- *So You're Going to Die*, as Liam Gallagher

## Gallery

- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-68c8b91bfc68.jpg) James Nesbitt — CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/JamesNesbitt.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![James Nesbitt at the closing of the Lyric Theatre Belfast. (2008)](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-f18bc56a4390.jpg) James Nesbitt at the closing of the Lyric Theatre Belfast. (2008) — fluterirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/JamesNesbittJan08.jpg/1280px-JamesNesbittJan08.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![James Nesbitt at the 2009 BAFTAs](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-d4ea35035e13.jpg) James Nesbitt at the 2009 BAFTAs — damo1977 from Southampton, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/James_Nesbitt_2009_BAFTAs2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-6582a1402ab8.jpg) James Nesbitt — Richard Redshaw, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/James_Nesbitt_July_2008.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-a2b263c17957.jpg) James Nesbitt — Image via TMDB
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-a224d7aa2ffd.jpg) James Nesbitt — Image via TMDB
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-c239a2dcb26c.jpg) James Nesbitt — Image via TMDB
- ![James Nesbitt presenting an award for retailer of the year at the Grosvenor Hotel , Park Lane, London. (2009)](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-04ad6af4355a.jpg) James Nesbitt presenting an award for retailer of the year at the Grosvenor Hotel , Park Lane, London. (2009) — Donnierbot, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/James_Nesbitt_Retailer_of_the_year.jpg/1280px-James_Nesbitt_Retailer_of_the_year.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-5d2192ade4d5.jpg) James Nesbitt — Image via TMDB
- ![James Nesbitt](https://film.one/media/person/23018/gallery-f6632ad84a60.jpg) James Nesbitt — Image via TMDB

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/james-nesbitt