James McAvoy was born on April 21, 1979, in Glasgow, Scotland, to James, a bus driver, and Elizabeth (née Johnstone),a nurse. He was raised by his maternal grandparents, James, a butcher, and Mary, after his parents divorced when he was 11.
He attended St Thomas Aquinas Secondary in Jordanhill, Glasgow, where he did well and started a school band with friends. As a child, McAvoy considered becoming a Catholic priest but was inspired to pursue acting after a visit from actor David Hayman when he was 16.
Hayman offered him a part in the film The Near Room (1995),and although McAvoy enjoyed the experience, he didn't seriously consider acting as a career. He applied to the Royal Navy but was also accepted into the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD),which he attended instead.
After graduating in 2000, McAvoy moved to London and continued to work in TV and film. His breakthrough came in 2004 with the role of Steve McBride in the UK TV series Shameless, followed by Mr. Tumnus in Disney's adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).
McAvoy's career continued to grow with roles in The Last King of Scotland (2006),Atonement (2007),and Filth (2013),for which he won several awards. He has also appeared in the X-Men franchise and played the role of Kevin Wendell Crumb in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller Split (2016).
In addition to his film work, McAvoy has also had a successful stage career, starring in productions of Macbeth and The Ruling Class, for which he won several awards. He will continue his collaboration with director Jamie Lloyd in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac in December 2019.
