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Jamie Bell
File:Jamie Bell by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Bell at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International promoting Fantastic Four
Born
Andrew James Matfin Bell

(1986-03-14) 14 March 1986 (age 38)
Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationsActor, dancer
Years active2000–present
Spouses
Evan Rachel Wood
(m. 2012; separated 2014)
Children1

Andrew James Matfin Bell[1] (born 14 March 1986)[2] is an English actor and dancer who rose to prominence for his debut role in Billy Elliot (2000) for which he won the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He is also known for his roles in the films King Kong (2005), Jumper (2008), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), and Snowpiercer (2013), as well as starring as Abraham Woodhull in the TV series, Turn: Washington's Spies (2014). He portrayed the Thing in the 2015 film Fantastic Four.

Early life[]

Bell was born in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, England,[2] where he grew up with his mother, Eileen (née Matfin), and elder sister, Kathryn. His father, John Bell, a toolmaker, left before Bell was born.[3][4] Bell began his involvement with dance after he accompanied his sister to her ballet lessons.[5] He was a pupil at Northfield School and took performing arts classes at the local franchise of Stagecoach Theatre Arts. He was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre.

Career[]

In 1999, he was chosen from a field of over 2,000 boys for the role of Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old boy who dismays his working-class widowed father and elder brother by taking up ballet.[6] He also appeared in Close and True, an ITV legal drama shown in 2000, which starred Robson Green, James Bolam, and Susan Jameson.

Bell served as Honorary Jury President of the 2001 Giffoni Film Festival. In 2002, he appeared as the disabled servant Smike in an adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby and a young soldier in Deathwatch. In the following years, he portrayed a teenager on the run in Undertow, a gun-toting pacifist in Dear Wendy, a disaffected Southern California teenager in The Chumscrubber, and the young Jimmy in the 2005 film version of King Kong. Also in 2005, he starred opposite Evan Rachel Wood in the Green Day video Wake Me Up When September Ends, directed by Samuel Bayer. In 2007, he played the title character in Hallam Foe – for which he was nominated for the best actor award at the British Independent Film Awards – and appeared as himself in lonelygirl15 spin-off KateModern.[7] He had roles in two 2008 films: the sci-fi film Jumper and the World War II drama Defiance. In the second film he plays Asael Bielski, the third of the Bielski Brothers – leaders of a partisan group that saved some 1,200 lives during the Holocaust.

In 2009, it was announced Bell would play the title role in the motion capture film The Adventures of Tintin, alongside British double act Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.[8][9] The film was released in 2011.[10] He also starred in the 2011 films The Eagle as Esca and Jane Eyre as St. John Rivers. In 2013, he starred alongside James McAvoy in the film Filth and appeared as Edgar in Snowpiercer.

Since 2014, Bell has appeared as Abraham Woodhull in Turn: Washington's Spies; the fourth and final season will begin airing in April 2017. In 2015, he played the Thing in the Fantastic Four reboot.[11][12]

Personal life[]

Bell began dating American actress Evan Rachel Wood after they met while co-starring in the music video for Green Day's 2005 song "Wake Me Up When September Ends".[13] After a year together, the couple broke up in 2006.[14] Five years later, in mid-2011, it was reported that Bell and Wood had rekindled their relationship.[15] The couple married in a small ceremony on 30 October 2012.[16] They have one son, born in July 2013.[17] Bell and Wood announced that they had separated on 28 May 2014.[18]

In late 2015, Bell began dating his Fantastic Four co-star Kate Mara[19] and in January 2017, the couple got engaged.[20]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Director
2000 Billy Elliot Billy Elliot Stephen Daldry
2002 Deathwatch Pvt. Charlie Shakespeare Michael J. Bassett
2002 Nicholas Nickleby Smike Douglas McGrath
2004 Undertow Chris Munn David Gordon Green
2005 Dear Wendy Dick Dandelion Thomas Vinterberg
2005 The Chumscrubber Dean Stifle Arie Posin
2005 King Kong Jimmy Peter Jackson
2006 Flags of Our Fathers Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski Clint Eastwood
2007 Hallam Foe Hallam Foe David Mackenzie
2008 Jumper Griffin O'Conner Doug Liman
2008 Defiance Asael Bielski Edward Zwick
2011 The Eagle Esca[21] Kevin Macdonald
2011 Jane Eyre St. John Rivers Cary Fukunaga
2011 Retreat Jack Carl Tibbets
2011 The Adventures of Tintin Tintin Steven Spielberg
2012 Man on a Ledge Joey Cassidy Asger Leth
2013 Snowpiercer Edgar Bong Joon-ho
2013 Filth Ray Lennox Jon S. Baird
2013 Nymphomaniac K Lars von Trier
2015 Fantastic Four Ben Grimm/The Thing Josh Trank
2017 Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool Peter Turner Paul McGuigan

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Close and True Mark Sheedy 1 episode: "Town and Gown"
2014–present TURN: Washington's Spies Abraham Woodhull Main cast (2014–present; 30 episodes)

Music videos[]

Year Title Role Notes
2005 "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day

Video games[]

Year Title Role
2005 Peter Jackson's King Kong Jimmy (voice)
2008 Jumper: Griffin's Story Griffin O'Conner (voice)
2008 Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures Enemy Butler (voice)
2009 Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Enemy Agent, Brawler, Greaser, Chef (Voices)

Accolades[]

Year Nominated work Award Result
2000 Billy Elliot BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role[22] Won
British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer[23] Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer Won
Empire Award for Best Debut[24] Won
Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Youth in Film[25] Won
London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year[26] Won
National Board of Review Award for Outstanding Young Actor Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Youth Performance Won
Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in an International Film[27] Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actor Nominated
European Film Award for Best Actor Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Newcomer[28] Nominated
Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Breakout Performance Nominated
2002 Nicholas Nickleby National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Won
Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor Nominated
2004 Undertow Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor[29] Won
2007 Hallam Foe BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor Nominated
British Independent Film Award for Best Actor Nominated
2008 Jumper MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (shared with Hayden Christensen) Nominated
2013 Nymphomaniac Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated
2016 Fantastic Four Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo (shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller) Nominated

References[]

  1. "Jamie Bell: An oscar win would have ruined my life". The Belfast Telegraph. 24 August 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2010. Real name: Andrew James Matfin Bell (subscription required)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Jamie Bell". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  3. "Jamie's dance to fame". BBC News. 6 February 2001. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  4. "Jamie's next step; Jamie Bell shot to stardom at 13 as Billy Elliot. With his new film 'Nicholas Nickleby' about to be released, the Teesside teenager talks to Lydia Slater about girlfriends, hating Hollywood and those tabloid rumours". Evening Standard. London. 20 June 2003. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. Pearce, Garth (1 June 2008). "On the move Jamie Bell". The Times. London. Retrieved 5 May 2010.(subscription required)
  6. Billy Elliot, DVD, production notes
  7. "I Know Hallam Foe! – KateModern". YouTube. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  8. "Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment Announce the January 26 Start of Principal Photography on the 3D Motion Capture Feature 'The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' Directed by Steven Spielberg and Starring Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009. Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. Child, Ben (27 January 2009). "Spielberg casts Jamie Bell as Tintin". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  10. Fernandez, Jay A. (29 May 2009). "Spielberg's Tintin to unspool in late 2011". Reuters. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  11. Nilles, Billy (20 February 2014). "'Fantastic Four' reboot cast: Kate Mara and Jamie Bell revealed to be amongst four leads". zap2it. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  12. Kroll, Justin (19 February 2014). "'Fantastic Four' Cast Revealed". Variety. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  13. Raftery, Liz (9 January 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell: Engaged?". People. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  14. Johnson, Zach (9 January 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood Engaged to Jamie Bell – See Her Ring!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  15. "Wood, Bell rekindle romance". Toronto Sun. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  16. Jordan, Julie (31 October 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Get Married". People. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  17. Eggenberger, Nicole (29 July 2013). "Evan Rachel Wood Welcomes Baby Boy With Jamie Bell!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  18. Blumm, K.C. (28 May 2014). "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Separate". People. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  19. Nessif, Bruna. "Jamie Bell Says He's Not Engaged to Girlfriend Kate Mara Despite Her Ring on That Finger". eonline.
  20. Woo, Kelly (13 January 2017). "'Fantastic Four' Co-Stars Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Get Engaged". moviefone. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  21. Magnus Linklater (3 August 2009). "Kevin Macdonald will bring to film pre-Celtic clash of the cultures". The Times. London. Retrieved 25 August 2009.(subscription required)
  22. "British Academy of Film and Television Arts: Film Nominations 2000". Bafta.org. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  23. BIFA 2000: Nominations
  24. "Sony Ericsson Empire Awards: 2001 Winners". Empire. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
  25. LVFCS Sierra Award winners: 2000 (archive from 28 June 2007)
  26. The Critics' Circle: Film – British Newcomer of the Year (archive from 3 August 2007)
  27. Twenty-Second Annual Young Artist Awards Archived 28 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine – according to the introduction page, the year of award is 2001 and the performance years are 1999–2000.
  28. Phoenix Film Critics Society Archive of Past Winners: "Almost Famous" wins three PFCS Awards for the Year 2000 – the year of award is 2001 and the year of performance is 2000.
  29. "26th Young Artist Awards: Winners and Nominees". Youngartistawards.org. Retrieved 3 August 2010.

External links[]

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