Jamie Dornan Biography

James "Jamie" Dornan (born 1 May 1982) is a Northern Irish actor, model, and musician. He played Axel von Fersen in Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette (2006), Sheriff Graham Humbert in the ABC series Once Upon a Time, serial killer Paul Spector in the BBC Two crime drama series The Fall, and the eponymous character, Christian Grey, in the film Fifty Shades of Grey (2015).

Early life

Dornan was born in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the suburbs of Belfast. He has two older sisters: Liesa, who works for Disney in London, and Jessica, a fashion designer based in Falmouth, England. His father, Professor Jim Dornan, is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who had also considered becoming an actor. Dornan was 16 when his mother, Lorna, died of cancer. Dornan is a first cousin, twice removed, of actress Greer Garson. His grandparents on both sides of his family were Methodist lay preachers.

He attended and boarded at Methodist College Belfast, where he played rugby and participated in the drama department. He later attended Teesside University but dropped out and moved to London to train as an actor.

Career

Dornan performed in the folk band Sons of Jim, until it disbanded in 2008. Sons of Jim supported Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on tour.

Dornan first worked as a model. In 2003, he modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch. He then modelled for a number of fashion houses and retailers, including Aquascutum, Hugo Boss, and Armani. Notable works include major ad campaigns with Dior Homme and Calvin Klein (with both Kate Moss and Eva Mendes), and he was labelled "The Golden Torso" by The New York Times.

Dornan's first acting role in a film was Count Axel Fersen in the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette (2006). Dornan also appeared in the drama film Shadows in the Sun (2009), which starred three-time Academy Award nominee Jean Simmons. In 2008, he played the lead role of Ed in the Hammer Horror production Beyond the Rave.

In 2011, Dornan appeared in eight episodes of the ABC television series Once Upon a Time, playing the role of Sheriff Graham. While Graham from Storybrooke was killed by the town's mayor Regina (The Evil Queen) in the episode "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", Dornan stated that he would return as the Huntsman from the Enchanted Forest at some point, and he remained a regular on the series. He returned as The Huntsman for the season finale episode, "A Land Without Magic".

Dornan stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the Northern Irish drama series The Fall, playing Paul Spector, a serial killer terrorising Belfast. In May 2013, the show was renewed for a second series halfway through the broadcast of series one.

On 23 October 2013, Dornan was cast as Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, replacing Charlie Hunnam. Initially announced to be released on 1 August 2014, the film was later rescheduled to, and released on, 13 February 2015. On 27 August 2014, it was announced that Dornan would play Dr. Allan Pascal in an upcoming Miramax film titled The 9th Life of Louis Drax, a supernatural thriller based on a book of the same name. In November 2014, Dornan was #3 in People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive rankings.

In February 2015, it was confirmed that Dornan has signed up for the second instalment of the Fifty Shades film franchise - Fifty Shades Darker.

In March 2015, it was reported that the BBC drama The Fall will return for a third series, revealing the fate of Dornan's character.

Personal life

Dornan had a relationship with actress Keira Knightley from 2003 to 2005. He married English actress and singer-songwriter Amelia Warner in a country house in Somerset on 27 April 2013. In June 2013, the couple confirmed they were expecting their first child, and Warner gave birth to a girl, Dulcie, in late November 2013.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	Marie Antoinette	Axel von Fersen
2008	Beyond the Rave	Ed
2009	Shadows in the Sun	Joe
2009	X Returns	X	Short film
2009	Nice to Meet You	The Young Man	Short film
2014	Flying Home	Colin	also known as Racing Hearts
2015	Fifty Shades of Grey	Christian Grey
2015	The 9th Life of Louis Drax	Dr. Allan Pascal	Post-production
2016	Jadotville	Pat Quinlan	Post-production
2016	Anthropoid	Jan Kubi	Post-production
2017	Fifty Shades Darker	Christian Grey	Filming
2018	Fifty Shades Freed	Christian Grey	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2011-13	Once Upon a Time	The Huntsman/Sheriff Graham Humbert	Main cast (season 1); Recurring cast (season 2) 9 episodes
2013-present	'	Paul Spector	16 episodes
2014	New Worlds	Abe Goffe	4 episodes
2015	Gogglebox: Stand Up to Cancer Celebrity Special	Himself	1 episode

Discography

Year	Single
2005	"Fairytale"
2006	"My Burning Sun"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Work
2014	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Breakthrough Award		The Fall
	British Academy Television Awards	Best Actor
	Irish Film and Television Awards	Best Lead Actor - Television
		Rising Star
2015		Best Actor in a Lead Role - Drama
	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards	Best Actor (longlisted)
	C21 International Drama Awards	Best Male Performance
2016	National Television Awards	Drama Performance (longlisted)
	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Actor		Fifty Shades of Grey
		Worst Screen Combo