Age: 47
male
James McAvoy (born April 21, 1979) is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play, science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and the channel 4s BAFTA award-winning series Shameless (British TV series) He has performed in several West End productions and has received four nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, and has also done voice work for animated films including Gnomeo & Juliet, its sequel Sherlock Gnomes, and Arthur Christmas. In 2003, McAvoy appeared in a lead role in Bollywood Queen, then in another lead role as Rory in Inside I'm Dancing in 2004. This was followed by a supporting role, as the faun Mr. Tumnus, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). His performance in Kevin Macdonald's drama The Last King of Scotland (2006) garnered him several award nominations, including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. The critically acclaimed romantic drama war film Atonement (2007) earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination and his second BAFTA nomination. He later appeared as a newly trained assassin in the action thriller Wanted (2008). In 2011, McAvoy portrayed Professor Charles Xavier in the superhero film X-Men: First Class, a role he reprised in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Dark Phoenix (2019). McAvoy starred in the crime comedy-drama film Filth (2013), for which he won Best Actor in the British Independent Film Awards. In 2016, he portrayed Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 23 alternate personalities, in M. Night Shyamalan's Split, for which he received critical acclaim, and later reprised the role for the sequel Glass (2019). Since 2019, he has portrayed Lord Asriel Belacqua in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials.
The upcoming Max series is a multi-season, faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling's seven "Harry Potter" books, promising a deeper dive into the wizarding world than the films. Targeting a 2026 or 2027 HBO/Max premiere, the decade-long series plans roughly one season per book. It follows orphan Harry Potter, who discovers he's a wizard on his 11th birthday and attends Hogwarts. The story centers on Harry's Hogwarts years and his fight against Lord Voldemort, who seeks immortality and control. Viewers will see Harry, Ron, and Hermione's adventures in detail as they face school, friendship, and Voldemort's rising threat. Producers stress a "faithful adaptation," meaning more screen time for book elements previously cut or condensed, possibly including Peeves and S.P.E.W. Featuring an all-new cast, J.K. Rowling executive produces to ensure alignment with her vision. Francesca Gardiner is showrunner, with Mark Mylod directing. The series aims to offer a fresh, authentic, and immersive experience for both long-time fans and new audiences.
