Cast & creator
James McAvoy
Best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
James McAvoy (born April 21, 1979) is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in The Near Room (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes the thriller State of Play, science fiction miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and the channel 4s BAFTA award-winning series Shameless (British TV series). He has performed in several West End productions and has received four nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, and has also done voice work for animated films including Gnomeo & Juliet, its sequel Sherlock Gnomes, and Arthur Christmas. In 2003, McAvoy appeared in a lead role in Bollywood Queen, then in another lead role as Rory in Inside I'm Dancing in 2004. This was followed by a supporting role, as the faun Mr. Tumnus, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). His performance in Kevin Macdonald's drama The Last King of Scotland (2006) garnered him several award nominations, including the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor. The critically acclaimed romantic drama war film Atonement (2007) earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination and his second BAFTA nomination. He later appeared as a newly trained assassin in the action thriller Wanted (2008). In 2011, McAvoy portrayed Professor Charles Xavier in the superhero film X-Men: First Class, a role he reprised in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), Deadpool 2 (2018), and Dark Phoenix (2019). McAvoy starred in the crime comedy-drama film Filth (2013), for which he won Best Actor in the British Independent Film Awards. In 2016, he portrayed Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 23 alternate personalities, in M. Night Shyamalan's Split, for which he received critical acclaim, and later reprised the role for the sequel Glass (2019). Since 2019, he has portrayed Lord Asriel Belacqua in the BBC/HBO fantasy series His Dark Materials.
Also known as: James Andrew McAvoy
68
film credits
32
television credits
97
1953–2026 · acting roles
6.7
average across scored titles
Signature credits
Known for
Across film & television
Filmography (100)
Showing 100 of 100 credits
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest
2009
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self - Guest
2014
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self
2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self - Guest
2014
The Daily Show
Self
1996
Conan
Self - Guest
2010
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host
1975
The Graham Norton Show
Self - Guest
2007
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest
2003
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
Top Gear
Self
2002
Shameless
Steve McBride
2004
Band of Brothers
James W. Miller
2001
The Sandman
Golden Haired Man (voice)
2022
His Dark Materials
Lord Asriel
2019
Foyle's War
Ray Pritchard
2002
Deadpool 2
Charles Xavier (uncredited)
2018
The Oscars
Self
1953
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Mr. Tumnus
2005
The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer
Self - Guest
2018
Parkinson
Self - Guest
2004
It Chapter Two
Bill Denbrough
2019
Hot Ones Versus
Self
2024
X-Men: Apocalypse
Professor Charles Xavier
2016
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Charles Xavier
2014
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self - Guest
2001
Dark Phoenix
Charles Xavier / Professor X
2019
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
Gowan Ross
2002
Split
Dennis / Patricia / Hedwig / The Beast / Kevin Wendell Crumb / Barry / Orwell / Jade
2017
Speak No Evil
Paddy
2024
Atomic Blonde
David Percival
2017
Atonement
Robbie Turner
2007
Murder in Mind
Martin Vosper
2001
Wanted
Wesley Gibson
2008
Glass
Patricia / Dennis / Hedwig / The Beast / Barry / Heinrich / Jade / Ian / Mary Reynolds / Norma / Jalin / Kat / B.T. / Kevin Wendell Crumb / Mr. Pritchard / Felida / Luke / Goddard / Samuel / Polly
2019
Gnomeo & Juliet
Gnomeo (voice)
2011
Arthur Christmas
Arthur (voice)
2011
The Book of Clarence
Pontius Pilate
2024
Once Upon a Deadpool
Charles Xavier / Professor X (uncredited)
2018
The Last King of Scotland
Dr. Nicholas Garrigan
2006
Pose
Thomas
2026
Trance
Simon
2013
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune
Leto Atreides II
2003
State of Play
Dan Foster
2003
50/50
Thanks
2011
Muppets Most Wanted
UPS Guy
2014
Watership Down
Hazel (voice)
2018
The Claudia Winkleman Show
Self
2026
ShakespeaRe-Told
2005
Sherlock Gnomes
Gnomeo (voice)
2018
Victor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein
2015
Welcome to the Punch
Max Lewinsky
2013
Becoming Jane
Tom Lefroy
2007
Filth
Bruce
2013Filth
Producer
2013
Penelope
Johnny/Max
2007
The Conspirator
Frederick Aiken
2011
The Bubble
James McAvoy
2022
Early Doors
Liam
2003
Wimbledon
Carl Colt
2004
The Last Station
Valentin Bulgakov
2009
My Son
Edmond Murray
2021
Starter for 10
Brian Jackson
2006
White Teeth
Josh Malfen
2002
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them
Conor Ludlow
2014
Lorna Doone
Sergeant Bloxham
2000
One World: Together at Home
Self
2020
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him
Conor
2014
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Her
Conor
2014
California Schemin'
Anthony
2026California Schemin'
Director
2026
Submergence
James More
2018
Together
He
2021
Inside I'm Dancing
Rory O'Shea
2004
The Pool
Mike
2001
Children of the Atom - Filming X-Men: First Class
Self
2011
Bright Young Things
Simon Balcairn
2003
X-Men: First Class 35mm Special
Self
2012
The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends
Self
2019The Gruffalo and Me: The Remarkable Julia Donaldson
reader
2020
Faith
Michael
2026
The Bridge: Race to a Fortune
Narrator
2020
Strings
Hal
2004
ShakespeaRe-Told: Macbeth
Joe Macbeth
2005
Regeneration
Anthony Balfour
1997The Magical World of Julia Donaldson
Self - Readings
2020
Bollywood Queen
Jay
2002
Lorna Doone
Sergeant Bloxham
2001
Double Take: Xavier & Magneto
Self
2014
The Space Between Attack and Decay
Narrator
2025
The Near Room
Kevin
1997
The Making of 'Split'
Self
2017
National Theatre Live: Cyrano de Bergerac
Cyrano de Bergerac
2020
Svensken bakom Hollywoodkroppen
Himself
2023
X-Men: First Class
Charles Xavier (24 Years)
2011
The Sands Between
Man
2021Control
Dr. Conway
White Teeth
Josh Malfen
2002
Lions Uncut: Australia 2025
Narrator
2025