Ewan McGregor
Ewan McGregor | |
|---|---|
_color.jpg) Ewan McGregor at Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2009 | |
| Born | Ewan Gordon McGregor |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse | Eve Mavrakis (1995–present) |
Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor who has had success in mainstream, indie and art house films. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Mark Renton in the 1996 film Trainspotting, the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the romantic penniless writer Christian in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!
In 2009, he appeared in the films I Love You Phillip Morris and Amelia, and portrayed Camerlengo Patrick McKenna in the film adaption of Angels & Demons. Apart from his film work, McGregor has starred in theatre productions of Guys and Dolls. He also appeared in television series such as The Scarlet and the Black, Lipstick On Your Collar, Tales from the Crypt, and ER. He was ranked No. 36 in Empire magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.
Early life
McGregor was born in the Perth Royal Infirmary, was brought up in the nearby small town of Crieff, and went to the independent fee-paying school Morrison's Academy. His mother, Carol Diane (née Lawson), is a teacher and school administrator, and his father, James Charles Stuart McGregor, is a physical education teacher.[1][2] His mother is the sister of actor Denis Lawson,[3] the sister-in-law of the late actress Sheila Gish, and the step-aunt of the late Lou Gish. McGregor attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1988 to study drama.[3] Six months before graduating, he won a leading role in Dennis Potter's six-part BBC series Lipstick on Your Collar,[3] and has been working steadily ever since then.
Career
Film
McGregor made his feature film debut in 1993 in Bill Forsyth's Being Human.[4] The following year, he earned widespread praise and won an Empire Award for his performance in the thriller Shallow Grave,[5] which marked his first collaboration with director Danny Boyle.[3] His major international breakthrough soon followed with the role of heroin addict Mark Renton in Boyle's film version of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.[3][4]
McGregor has been featured as the male romantic lead in Hollywood films such as Moulin Rouge! and Down With Love, and in the British film Little Voice.[3][6] He received excellent reviews for his performance as an amoral drifter mixed up in murder in the British film Young Adam (2003), which co-starred English actress Tilda Swinton.[7][8] McGregor was one of many actors rumoured to have been offered the lead role as James Bond in the 2006 reboot Casino Royale, along with Gerard Butler, Sam Worthington, Orlando Bloom and Hugh Jackman but he turned it down because he feared becoming typecast.[9] The role went to Daniel Craig.
McGregor is one of the few major male actors to repeatedly do full-frontal nudity in many of his films, including Trainspotting, Velvet Goldmine, The Pillow Book, and Young Adam.[10] He also played gay and bisexual characters in Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book, Todd Haynes' Velvet Goldmine,[10] and now recently in the new film with Jim Carrey, I Love You Phillip Morris.
In 2005, McGregor lent his voice to two successful animated features; the robot Rodney Copperbottom in Robots, which also featured the voices of Halle Berry and Robin Williams;[11] and the lead character in Gary Chapman's Valiant, alongside Jim Broadbent, John Cleese and Ricky Gervais.[12] Additionally in 2005, McGregor played two roles (one a clone of the other) opposite Scarlett Johansson in Michael Bay's The Island and then appeared in Marc Forster's Stay, a psychological thriller co-starring Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling.[13][14]
McGregor has narrated the STV show JetSet, a Scottish series following the lives of student pilots and navigators at RAF Lossiemouth as they undergo a gruelling six-month course learning to fly the Tornado GR4 — the RAF's primary attack aircraft.[15]
McGregor appears opposite Colin Farrell in the Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream,[4][16] and will co-star with Daniel Craig in Dan Harris' upcoming film adaptation of Glen Duncan's novel I, Lucifer.[17] He also appeared in 2003's Big Fish and alongside Jim Carrey in 2009's I Love You Phillip Morris. McGregor appeared opposite Renée Zellweger in the film Miss Potter (2006) as Norman Warne, publisher.
Star Wars
In 1999, McGregor starred in the blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, a role originally made famous by Sir Alec Guinness in the original Star Wars trilogy.[3] He reprised his role for the subsequent prequels Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). McGregor took very special care (especially in Revenge of the Sith) in his portrayal to ensure that Obi-Wan's mannerisms, speech timings, and accents closely resemble Obi-Wan's "Alec Guinness Self".[18] In appearing in the Star Wars films, he was continuing a family tradition of sorts: his uncle, Denis Lawson, had played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy.[19]
Theatre
McGregor starred alongside Jane Krakowski, Douglas Hodge, and Jenna Russell in the original Donmar Warehouse production of Guys and Dolls[20] in London at the Piccadilly Theatre. He played the leading role of Sky Masterson, made famous by Marlon Brando in the film, and he received the LastMinute.com award for Best Actor in 2005.[21] He was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical.[22]
From December 2007 to February 2008, he starred as Iago in Othello at the Donmar Warehouse alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor as Othello and Kelly Reilly as Desdemona.[23][24] He reprised the role on BBC Radio 3 in May 2008.[23]
Personal life
On 22 July 1995, in a village in France, McGregor married Eve Mavrakis, a French production designer, whom he met while filming a guest appearance on the British television series Kavanagh QC.[3] They have two daughters together, Clara Mathilde (born February 1996) and Esther Rose (born 7 November 2001), and McGregor has a Heart and Dagger tattoo of their names on his right arm.[3][6][25] In April 2006, McGregor and his wife adopted Jamiyan, a four-year-old girl from Mongolia (born June 2001).[26] McGregor refuses to talk about his family in interviews; "because it's private."[27] During the "fly-on-the-wall" filming of preparation for the Long Way Round and Long Way Down journeys, McGregor went to great lengths to keep his children — and information that could reveal the location of his home — away from the cameras. Unlike travelling companion Charley Boorman, whose daughters often appeared in front of the cameras, McGregor did not have his children present at the send-off or other filmed parts of either adventure, but they were filmed at the end when his family greeted him at the end of the journey.[27] Having lived in London for some time, in 2008 the family relocated their main base to their home in Los Angeles, while retaining their home in London.
A keen motorcyclist since his youth, McGregor undertook a marathon motorcycle trip with his friend Charley Boorman and cameraman Claudio von Planta in 2004. From mid-April to the end of July, they travelled from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Russia (including Siberia), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Canada on BMW R1150GS Adventure motorcycles, for a cumulative distance of 22,345 miles (35,960 km).[28] The trip formed the basis of a television series and a best-selling book, both called Long Way Round.[29] En route the Long Way Round team took time out to see some of UNICEF's work in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia.[29] The Long Way Round team reunited in 2007 for another motorcycle trip from John o' Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.[29] The journey, entitled Long Way Down lasted from 12 May until 5 August 2007.[29]
McGregor's brother, Colin, is a Tornado GR4 pilot in the Royal Air Force.[30] Colin joined the motorcycle team during the early stages of the Long Way Down journey.[29][30] His father Jim McGregor also rode on sections of both Long Way Round and Long Way Down, while his mother Carol surprised him in the latter stages of his African journey, serving him a can of Coca-Cola at a lodge in Malawi.[31][32]
In an episode of Parkinson in 2007, McGregor said that he has given up alcohol after a period where he was arguably a functioning alcoholic, and that he has not had a drink in seven years.[33] In 2008, he had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his right eye.[34]
Charity work
McGregor is involved in a large amount of charity work, including with UNICEF and GO Campaign, and he has hosted the annual Hollywood gala for GO Campaign for the past two years. In 2007 he and friend, Charley Boorman, did work for UNICEF in Africa. He and Eve are Patrons of the Zoological Society of London.
Filmography
Feature films
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Lipstick on Your Collar | PVT Mick Hooper | Six episodes, main character |
| The Scarlet and the Black | Julien Sorel | Mini-series | |
| Mike & Spike | Mike R. Alexanders and Monster Mike | Voice | |
| 1995 | Kavanagh QC | David Robert Armstrong | "Nothing But the Truth" |
| 1996 | Karaoke | Young Man | "Tuesday" |
| Tales from the Crypt | Ford | "Cold War" | |
| 1997 | ER | Duncan Stewart | "The Long Way Around" Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor – Drama Series |
| 2002 | The Polar Bears of Churchill with Ewan McGregor | Himself | Documentary series |
| 2004 | Long Way Round | Himself | Documentary series |
| 2007 | Long Way Down | Himself | Documentary series |
Discography
- "Choose Life" by PF Project (from the Trainspotting soundtrack), 1996
- "Gimme Danger" single (Soundtrack for movie Velvet Goldmine Cover version of original song by The Stooges - 1998)
- "TV Eye" single (Soundtrack for movie Velvet Goldmine Cover version of original song by The Stooges - 1998)
- "Come What May" Single (Duet with Nicole Kidman - October 2001) UK #27
- "Your Song" single
- "Elephant Love Medley" single (Duet with Nicole Kidman - October 2001)
- "Here's To Love" (Duet with Renee Zellweger - Soundtrack for movie Down With Love - 2003)
- "The Sweetest Gift" (Single recording from Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars - 2006)
References
- ^ "Ewan McGregor biography". tiscali.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ "Ewan McGregor Biography (1971-)". filmreference.com. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Profile - Ewan McGregor". Hello!. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ a b c "Hello Magazine Filmography - Ewan McGregor". Hello Magazine. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "Empire Awards, UK: 1996". IMDB.com. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Ewan McGregor Biography". Yahoo!. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Slater, Matthew (9 October 2003). "Young Adam's dark tale". BBC. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Dawtrey, Adam (21 September 2003). "Thomas' distrib misstep". Variety. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Stansfield, Robert (23 October 2006). "007 role offered to Ewan". Daily Mirror.
- ^ a b Farndale, Nigel (13 September 2003). "McGregor the brave". Telegraph. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Hartlaub, Peter (11 March 2005). "It's a bucket of bolts that rattles agreeably. Robots mingles brass, laughs and, yes, Robin Williams". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (19 August 2005). "Thse Brave Pigeons Are Doing Their Part for the War". New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Clinton, Paul (22 July 2005). "'Island' just interesting enough". CNN. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (21 October 2005). "Something Is Happening, but Who Knows What It Is?". New York Times. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "Ground School". STV. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2008.
- ^ Moore, Roger (29 January 2008). ""Dream" gives wakeup call to Woody Allen". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "I, Lucifer (2009)". Internet Movie Database. Amazon.com.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|citedate=ignored (help) - ^ Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith - Web Documentaries of Revenge of the Sith DVD (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2005.
- ^ Star Wars Trilogy (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2004.
- ^ "Guys and Dolls musical". Guys and Dolls the Musical. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ Singh, Anita (25 October 2005). "McGregor wins theatre award". The Scotsman.
- ^ "The nominees and winners of the 2006 Laurence Olivier Awards". The Society of London Theatre. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
- ^ a b "Ewan McGregor returns to London stage for minimum wage". International Herald Tribune. 12 May 2007.
- ^ "Ewan McGregor to Play Iago in Othello at London's Donmar". Broadway.com. 11 May 2007.
- ^ http://ready2beat.com/current-news/general-news/ewan-mcgregor-tattoo-pictures
- ^ "Ewan McGregor Adopts a Daughter". People. 12 April 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|authors=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Ewan McGregor". Cineman. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
- ^ "Long Ride to Self Discovery" (PDF). Telegraph. Long Way Around. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ a b c d e "Ewan McGregor gets back on his bike – this time for BBC Two". BBC. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
- ^ a b Spencer, Ben (18 September 2006). "Ewan felt the force of my lightsaber". Daily Record.
- ^ Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, and Russ Malkin (18 October 2004). "Long Way Round". Long Way Round. 42 minutes in. Sky One.
- ^ Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, and Russ Malkin (28 October 2007). "Long Way Down". Long Way Down. BBC Two.
- ^ C Taylor (17 November 2007). "Ewan McGregor Admits To Drinking Problem". Entertainment Wise. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
- ^ "McGregor fine after cancer scare". BBC. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2008.
Further reading
- Adams, Billy. Ewan McGregor: The Unauthorized Biography. Overlooks Press, 1999. ISBN 0879517042
- Bassom, David. Ewan McGregor: An Illustrated Story. Hamlyn, 1999. ISBN 0600596532
- Jones, Veda Boyd. Ewan McGregor. Facts On File Inc., 1999. ISBN 0791055019
- Nickson, Chris. Ewan McGregor: An Unauthorized Biography. Macmillan, 1999. ISBN 0312969104
- Pendreigh, Brian. Ewan McGregor. Thunder's Mouth Press, 1999. ISBN 1560252391
- Robb, Brian J. Ewan McGregor: From Junkie to Jedi. Plexus, 1999. ISBN 0859652769
External links
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- Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
- MTV Movie Award winners
- People from Crieff
- People self-identifying as alcoholics
- Scottish expatriates in the United States
- Scottish actors
- Scottish film actors
- Scottish musical theatre actors
- Scottish male singers
- Scottish stage actors
- Scottish television actors
- Scottish voice actors
- Skin cancer survivors
- Long-distance riding
- 1971 births
- Living people