James McAvoy was born on April 21, 1979, in Glasgow, Scotland, to James, a bus driver, and Elizabeth (née Johnstone),a nurse. His parents divorced when he was 11, and he was raised by his maternal grandparents, James, a butcher, and Mary.
McAvoy attended St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow, where he developed an interest in acting after a visit from actor David Hayman. Hayman offered him a part in his film The Near Room (1995),but McAvoy didn't initially consider acting as a career. Instead, he applied to the Royal Navy and was accepted, but also received a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD).
McAvoy chose to attend the RSAMD and graduated in 2000. He moved to London and began to land small roles in TV and film. He gained recognition for his portrayal of Steve McBride in the UK TV series Shameless (2004) and as Mr. Tumnus in Disney's adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).
His breakthrough role came in Atonement (2007),directed by Joe Wright. Since then, McAvoy has appeared in a range of films, including The Last King of Scotland (2006),Filth (2013),X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014),X-Men: Apocalypse (2016),and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
In addition to his film work, McAvoy has also had a successful stage career. He has appeared in productions such as Macbeth, The Ruling Class, and Cyrano de Bergerac, for which he received an Olivier award nomination for Best Actor and a London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor.
McAvoy has been recognized for his performances with numerous awards and nominations, including a Scottish BAFTA for Best Actor, a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor, a London Critics Circle Film Award for British Actor of the Year, and an Empire Award for Best Actor.
