Jamie Dornan
James Peter Maxwell Dornan (/ˈdʒeɪmi ˈdɔːrnən/; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model, and musician from Northern Ireland. The recipient of two Irish Film and Television Awards, he has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 2020, he was named one of Ireland's greatest film actors by The Irish Times.
Not to be confused with Jamie Doran.
Jamie Dornan
- Methodist College Belfast
- Teesside University (dropped out)
- Actor
- model
- musician
2001–present
3
- Jim Dornan (father)
Initially beginning his career as a model in 2001, he appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss, Dior Homme, and Calvin Klein. Dubbed "the Golden Torso" by The New York Times, he was ranked one of the "25 Biggest Male Models of All Time" by Vogue in 2015. In addition, he performed in the folk band Sons of Jim until 2008.
Dornan began acting in 2006, and earned international recognition for playing Sheriff Graham Humbert in the series Once Upon a Time (2011–2013) and serial killer Paul Spector in the crime drama series The Fall (2013–2016). For the latter, he won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in Television and was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. In film, he has portrayed Axel von Fersen in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006), Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise (2015–2018), Jan Kubiš in Anthropoid (2016), Commandant Pat Quinlan in The Siege of Jadotville (2016), Paul Conroy in A Private War (2018), and Pa in Belfast (2021), receiving a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for the lattermost. He took on the lead role of Elliot Stanley/Eugene Cassidy in the thriller drama series The Tourist (2022–2024).
Early life[edit]
Dornan was born on 1 May 1982[1] in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the suburbs of Belfast.[2] His mother, Lorna, died of pancreatic cancer when Dornan was 16. His father Jim Dornan, an obstetrician and gynaecologist who had also considered becoming an actor, died from complications related to COVID-19 on 15 March 2021.[2][3][4][5] He has echoed his father's support throughout his career, stating: "[...] Some people go their whole lives without being told, 'You've made your parents proud'. My dad would tell me every day."[6]
Dornan has two older sisters: Liesa, who works for Disney in London, and Jessica, a fashion designer based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England.[7] He is a first cousin, twice removed, of actress Greer Garson.[2] His grandparents on both sides of his family were Methodist lay preachers.[3]
He attended and boarded at Methodist College Belfast,[8] where he played rugby and participated in the drama department.[8] In school, he appeared in a Christmas pantomime portraying Widow Twankey which earned him his first drama prize.[9] He also played Baby Face in Bugsy Malone and the milkman in Blood Brothers during school productions.[8] He was a member of Belfast's youth amateur drama group, Holywood Players and participated in the Ballymoney Drama Festival with this group on several occasions.[10] He played rugby as a winger for the Belfast Harlequins[11] and also for Ulster Rugby under-21 team.[12][13] He later claimed that he could have played professionally if not for a foot and mouth viral infection that broke out during his time on the under-21 team.[13]
He attended Teesside University but dropped out and moved to London in 2002 to train as an actor,[14] but never applied to drama school.[15] He worked in a pub in Knightsbridge for six months until he embarked on his modelling career.[16]
Initial career[edit]
Music[edit]
Dornan performed in the folk band Sons of Jim until it disbanded in 2008. He founded the band with his schoolmate David Alexander[17] and formed their own record label Doorstep Records[18] under which they published their songs "Fairytale" and "My Burning Sun".[19] Sons of Jim supported Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall on tour.[20]
Modelling[edit]
Dornan was not keen to pursue modelling as a career but was persuaded by his stepmother and sisters.[21] In 2001, he took part in the Channel 4 reality show Model Behaviour.[22] He was eliminated, but signed a modelling contract with Select Model Management.[22] In 2003, he modelled for Abercrombie & Fitch with Malin Åkerman.[23] He then modelled for Aquascutum, Hugo Boss, and Armani.[24] In 2005, he became the face of Dior Homme's fragrance advertising campaign.[25] Dornan's first appearance in Calvin Klein's advertising campaign was in 2004 with Russian model Natalia Vodianova.[26] His later notable works for Calvin Klein include the jeans advertising campaigns with Kate Moss in 2006[27] and with Eva Mendes in 2010.[28] In 2009, he was made the face of Calvin Klein's 'CK Free' fragrance[29] and also appeared as a judge in its model hunt competition, Nine countries, nine men, one winner that year.[30] In 2006, he was labelled "The Golden Torso" by The New York Times.[31][32]
Dornan also appeared in commercials for Dolce & Gabbana, Zara, Banana Republic, and Levi's Jeans. In 2006, he was dubbed the "male Kate Moss" by GQ's creative director Jim Moore[31] and in 2015 was ranked one of the "25 Biggest Male Models of All Time" by Vogue.[33] After his acting breakthrough, he became the new face of "Boss The Scent" for Hugo Boss alongside Dutch model Birgit Kos in 2018[34] and starred in the Fall/Winter Men's Fashion Campaign for Spanish luxury fashion brand Loewe in 2023, also becoming their global brand ambassador the following year.[35][36] During his career, he worked with fashion photographers Bruce Weber,[37] Carter Smith,[38] as well as designer Hedi Slimane.[37] He never participated in ramp walks because of his unconventional style of walking.[39]
Charitable work[edit]
Dornan has lent his support towards various means and organisations. He was the patron of TinyLife, a Northern Ireland charity for premature and vulnerable babies.[131] In 2017, he participated in a charity football match, Game 4 Grenfell, to provide aid to the victims of Grenfell Tower fire in West London that year.[132]
In 2018, Dornan became the patron of the newly established charity Northern Ireland Pancreatic Cancer (NIPanC) which was created in partnership with Pancreatic Cancer Action and the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.[133] Due to busy filming schedule, he quit the role in 2021 but considered himself a strong supporter of it.[134] In 2020, Dornan read a bedtime story as part of Save with Stories to raise funds for Save the Children's Emergency Coronavirus Appeal.[135][136] In the same year, he supported the Faster 5K Friday campaign for the Care Workers Charity, which provides financial grants for care workers.[137]
Dornan has appeared in annual fundraising events Red Nose Day by Comic Relief[138] and Children in Need by BBC.[139] He has also backed emergency campaigns providing help for children's treatment.[140]
