James McAvoy's biography
James McAvoy is an actor of Scottish descent, who made his film debut at 15. He is mostly known for the following films: «The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe», «Inside I'm Dancing», «Wanted», «X-Men: First Class», «Split».
Childhood
James McAvoy was born in Glasgow, Scotland in the family of Elizabeth Johnstone, a psychiatric nurse and James McAvoy, a builder. The family struggled financially, perhaps unable to handle the ongoing hardships, James' parents divorced when he was 7, after which James Jr. permanently lost contact with his father.

«I wanted to become a priest, a missionary, maybe even travel to far-off Africa in order to save people from starvation, - told the actor. – but eventually I changed my mind. I just imagined I had to wake up early in the morning at six every single day and walk to the church. Of course, I didn't mind becoming a priest but I was absolutely against getting up early. For me, that would be torture!».

After leaving school, the young actor began honing his acting skills at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He got in easily despite fierce competition and numerous applicants. During his studies, he appeared in several film projects («Regeneration», «An Angel Passes By, «Lorna Doone»). In the year 2000, he became a graduate actor.
Acting career
After playing dozens of small roles in various projects, he landed the male lead in a low-budget melodrama called «Bollywood Queen». In the early 2000s, he performed at the youth theatre PACE, notably playing a male escort in the production «Out in the Open». The production was seen by filmmaker Joe Wright, who was blown away by McAvoy's performance. He began showering the young actor with offers, which James declined one after another.

The «Inside I'm Dancing» film was released in 2004 with the tag line «Live life like you mean it». In the story, Michael, a young man with cerebral palsy, moves into a care facility where he meets another resident - Rory O'Shea, played by McAvoy. Rory is practically immobile because of Duchenne muscular dystrophy but any healthy person could envy his vitality.




Interestingly, James McAvoy was actually considered for the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." However, the filmmakers ultimately went with Martin Freeman, who better matched Tolkien's description of Bilbo Baggins.

Still, his blockbuster skepticism didn't stop him from taking on young Professor Charles Xavier in the fantasy thriller «X-Men: First Class» (2011). The film explored the origins of the school for gifted mutants and the beginning of the rivalry between Xavier and Magneto, played by Michael Fassbender. McAvoy returned to that character in 2014 and 2016 in the «X-Men: Days of Future Past» and «X-Men: Apocalypse».




James McAvoy's personal life
James McAvoy was in a long-term relationship with his classmate Emma Nelson for 9 years. After their breakup, he struggled with alcohol addiction. Around the same time, the actor hit a creative low point.James' life changed after the filming of the British series «Shameless» (don't mix it with the American remake of the same name), where he met actress Anne-Marie Duff, who played his on-screen girlfriend. She was 9 years older than her co-star. She taught James to "respect life" and helped boost his self-esteem.



According to Zoomboola.com, in 2016, after 10 years of what seemed like an ideal marriage, the couple announced their divorce. But those close to the actors weren't surprised – they'd known the couple had been struggling in recent years. Young actress Alexandra Shipp, who played Storm in "X-Men," was rumored to be the cause of their split. James and Anne-Marie decided to remain friends for Brendan's sake.

