Jamie Bell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bell in 2019 | |
| Born | Andrew James Matfin Bell (1986-03-14)14 March 1986 (age 39) Billingham, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Andrew James Matfin Bell (born 14 March 1986) is an English actor. He rose to prominence with his debut performance inBilly Elliot (2000), for which he won theBAFTA Award for Best Actor, becoming the youngest-ever winner in the category. He is also known for his portrayals ofTintin inThe Adventures of Tintin (2011) andBen Grimm/The Thing inFantastic Four (2015).
Other notable film credits includeNicholas Nickleby (2002),King Kong (2005),Jumper (2008),Jane Eyre (2011),Man on a Ledge (2012),Snowpiercer,Filth,Nymphomaniac (all 2013),Rocketman (2019), andAll of Us Strangers (2023). He earned a second BAFTA nomination for his leading role inFilm Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017). On television, Bell starred asAbraham Woodhull in theAMC historical drama seriesTurn: Washington's Spies (2014–2017).
Andrew James Matfin Bell[1] was born on 14 March 1986 inBillingham, Teesside, England, where he grew up with his mother, Eileen Matfin and his elder sister Kathryn.[2] His father, John Bell, atoolmaker, left before Jamie was born.[3][4] Bell began his involvement with dancing after he accompanied his sister to her ballet lessons.[5]
In 1999, Bell was chosen from a field of over 2,000 boys for the role ofBilly Elliot, an 11-year-old boy who dismays hisworking-class widowed father and elder brother by taking up ballet.[6] Bell's performance received widespread acclaim, and 14-year-old Bell wonLondon Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year,British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer,Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer, andBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest winners of the awards. His lack of an Oscar nomination was met with criticism. He also appeared inClose and True, anITV legal drama shown in 2000, which starredRobson Green,James Bolam,Kerry Ann Christiansen andSusan Jameson.
Bell served as Honorary Jury President of the 2001Giffoni Film Festival. In 2002, he appeared as the disabled servantSmike in an adaptation ofNicholas Nickleby and a young soldier inDeathwatch. In the following years, he portrayed a teenager on the run inUndertow, a gun-toting pacifist inDear Wendy, a disaffectedSouthern California teenager inThe Chumscrubber, and the young Jimmy in the 2005 film version ofKing Kong. Also in 2005, he starred oppositeEvan Rachel Wood in theGreen Day video "Wake Me Up When September Ends", directed bySamuel Bayer.[7] In 2007, he played the title character inHallam Foe – for which he was nominated for the best actor award at theBritish Independent Film Awards – and appeared as himself inlonelygirl15 spin-offKateModern.[8] He had roles in two 2008 films: thesci-fi filmJumper and theWorld War II dramaDefiance. In the second film he playsAsael Bielski, the third of the Bielski Brothers, leaders of a partisan group that saved 1,200 lives during theHolocaust.
In 2009, producers announced that Bell would play the title role in themotion capture filmThe Adventures of Tintin, alongsideAndy Serkis andDaniel Craig.[9][10] The film was released in 2011.[11]
Bell appeared in a number of films during the early 2010s, beginning with the 2011 filmsThe Eagle as Esca andJane Eyre as St John Rivers. In 2013, he starred alongsideJames McAvoy in the filmFilth and appeared as Edgar inSnowpiercer.[12]
From 2014 to 2017, Bell appeared asAbraham Woodhull inTurn: Washington's Spies. In 2015, he played theThing in theFantastic Fourreboot.[13][14] The film would go down in infamy as one of the worst comic book films ever made. In 2022, Bell would say of it, "I don't think [it deserves a second look.] Save your money, save your time."[15]
In 2017, Bell had starring roles in6 Days andFilm Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. The latter earned him a nomination for theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2019, he had a supporting role asBernie Taupin in the biographicalmusical film based on the life ofElton John,Rocketman.[16]
In 2023, he appeared in the critically acclaimed movieAll of Us Strangers as the protagonist's father.
Bell dated American actressEvan Rachel Wood for a year in 2005 after they had met at theSundance Film Festival. Wood was aware of the false claims that they had first met while co-starring in the music video forGreen Day's song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and has stated they were "already dating and very much in love by that point."[17] Five years later, in mid-2011, it was reported that Bell and Wood had rekindled their relationship.[18] The couple married in a small ceremony inCalifornia on 30 October 2012.[19][20] They have one son, born in July 2013.[21] The couple announced that they had separated on 28 May 2014.[22]
Starting in 2020, Wood and Bell were in dispute over the custody of their son.[23] Bell said he was deprived of contact with him when Wood moved fromLos Angeles toNashville; Wood claimed she did this to protect the child from former fiancéMarilyn Manson.[24] Bell argued in court that Wood's story defied credibility, and accused her of "withholding our son from me for other reasons of her own invention."[25] In May 2023, Wood accepted terms for their son staying in Los Angeles with Bell, while seeing him "one extended weekend per month" and holidays.[26]
In late 2015, Bell began dating hisFantastic Four co-starKate Mara,[27] and in January 2017 the couple became engaged.[28] On 17 July 2017, they announced that they had married.[29] They have a daughter, born in May 2019.[30] On 17 November 2022, his wife announced on her Instagram account that she had given birth to a son in the previous week.[31]
Bell is anatheist.[32] He is also a keenfootball fan and an avid supporter ofArsenal F.C.[33]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Billy Elliot | Billy Elliot | |
| 2002 | Deathwatch | Pvt. Charlie Shakespeare | |
| Nicholas Nickleby | Smike | ||
| 2004 | Undertow | Chris Munn | |
| 2005 | Dear Wendy | Dick Dandelion | |
| The Chumscrubber | Dean Stifle | ||
| King Kong | Jimmy | ||
| 2006 | Flags of Our Fathers | Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski | |
| 2007 | Hallam Foe | Hallam Foe | |
| 2008 | Jumper | Griffin O'Conner | |
| Defiance | Asael Bielski | ||
| 2011 | The Eagle | Esca | |
| Jane Eyre | St. John Rivers | ||
| Retreat | Pvt. Jack Coleman | ||
| The Adventures of Tintin | Tintin | Motion-capture | |
| 2012 | Man on a Ledge | Joey Cassidy | |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | Edgar | |
| Filth | Ray Lennox | ||
| Nymphomaniac | K | ||
| 2015 | Fantastic Four | Ben Grimm / The Thing | Also motion-capture |
| 2017 | Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool | Peter Turner | |
| 6 Days | Rusty Firmin | ||
| 2018 | Donnybrook | Jarhead Earl | |
| Skin | Bryon Widner | ||
| 2019 | Rocketman | Bernie Taupin | |
| 2020 | Cranston Academy: Monster Zone | Danny | Voice only |
| 2021 | Without Remorse | Robert Ritter | |
| 2023 | Surrounded | Tommy Walsh | |
| All of Us Strangers | Adam's father | ||
| TBA | Rosebush Pruning† | Post-production | |
| The Uprising† | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Close and True | Mark Sheedy | 1 episode |
| 2014–2017 | TURN: Washington's Spies | Abraham Woodhull | Main role, 40 episodes |
| 2022 | Shining Girls | Harper Curtis | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2026 | Half Man | Niall | Main role, 6 episodes[34] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | King Kong | Jimmy | |
| 2008 | Jumper: Griffin's Story | Griffin O'Conner |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | Green Day |
Real name: Andrew James Matfin Bell
