James McAvoy

Born: January 1, 1979
Where: Glasgow, Scotland

Once saddled with the label "the new Hugh Grant", McAvoy has graduated to Hollywood leading man with appearances in Atonment and Wanted.

The son of a builder and a psychiatric nurse, McAvoy was brought up by his maternal grandparents after his parents divorced when he was seven.

Brought up a Catholic, he attended St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow and briefly considered joining the priesthood.

He got his first taste of acting with the Pace Youth Theatre and he subsequently attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

While at college he made his big screen debut in the 1995 thriller The Near Room and went on to play Anthony Balfour in the feature adaptation of Pat Barker's Regeneration.

McAvoy got his first big international break with a role as Miller in the Steven Spielberg-produced World War II mini-series Band of Brothers.

His first international starring role was as Leto Atreides II in the 2003 adaptatation of Frank Herbert's Children of Dune.

The same year he also appeared in several episodes of thesitcom Early Doors and co-starred in Paul Abbott's acclaimed thriller serial State of Play.

First-time director Stephen Fry cast him as the aristocratic Simon Balcairn in his drama set among the upper classes, Bright Young Things.

In 2004 he starred as Steve McBride in another Abbott-written drama series, Shameless, for which he was nominated for the British Comedy Award for Best TV Newcomer.

He also appeared in Wimbledon as Paul Bettany's obnoxious brother, Carl Colt and as crippled rebel Rory O'Shea in Damian O'Donnell's touching drama Inside I'm Dancing.

In 2005, he memorably played Mr Tumnus, the fawn, in the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

The following year, he stepped up to a leading role as Dr Garrigan opposite an Oscar-winning Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

The film was an adaptation of Giles Foden’s novel about the regime of the brutal Ugandan dictator during the 1970s, as seen by his (fictional) personal physician and advisor.

McAvoy also took the lead role in 2006's Starter for 10, a gentle British comedy centring around the TV institution University Challenge.

Next up was the surreal drama Penelope opposite Christina Ricci and Jane Austen's speculative love in Becoming Jame opposite Anne Hathaway.

However, it was the Golden Globe nominated role of wronged gamekeeper's son Robbie Turner opposite Keira Knightly in Atonement that really propelled him into the ascendant.

He followed that up with the part of a reluctant assassin in the hi-octane drama Wanted alongside Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman.