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Jamie Bell
Jamie Bell-8448 (cropped).jpg
Bell at the 2019 Berlinale
Born
Andrew James Matfin Bell

(1986-03-14) 14 March 1986 (age 38)
Occupation Actor
Years active 1999–present
Spouse(s)
Children 3

Andrew James Matfin Bell (born 14 March 1986) is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his debut role in Billy Elliot (2000), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest winners of the award. He is also known for his leading roles as Tintin in The Adventures of Tintin (2011) and as Ben Grimm / Thing in Fantastic Four (2015). Other notable performances include in the films King Kong (2005), Jumper (2008), Snowpiercer (2013), and Rocketman (2019). He earned a second BAFTA Award nomination for his leading performance in Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017). In television, Bell starred as Abraham Woodhull in the AMC historical drama series Turn: Washington's Spies (2014–2017).

Early life

Jamie Bell was born on 14 March 1986 in Billingham, Teesside, England, where he grew up with his mother, Eileen Matfin, and elder sister, Kathryn. His father, John Bell, a toolmaker, left before Jamie was born. Bell began his involvement with dance after he accompanied his sister to her ballet lessons.

Career

In 1999, Bell 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. Bell's performance received widespread acclaim, and 14-year-old Bell won London 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, and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, becoming one of the youngest winners of the awards. He also appeared in Close and True, an ITV legal drama shown in 2000, which starred Robson Green, James Bolam, Kerry Ann Christiansen 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. 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 1,200 lives during the Holocaust.

In 2009, producers announced that Bell would play the title role in the motion capture film The Adventures of Tintin, alongside Andy Serkis and Daniel Craig. The film was released in 2011. 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.

From 2014 to 2017, Bell appeared as Abraham Woodhull in Turn: Washington's Spies. In 2015, he played the Thing in the Fantastic Four reboot. The film would go on 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."

In 2017, Bell had starring roles in 6 Days and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. In 2019, he had a supporting role as Bernie Taupin in the biographical musical film based on the life of Elton John, Rocketman.

Personal life

Bell dated American actress Evan Rachel Wood for a year in 2005 after they had met at the Sundance Film Festival. Wood was aware of the false claims that they had first met while co-starring in the music video for Green Day's song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and has stated they were "already dating and very much in love by that point." Five years later, in mid-2011, it was reported that Bell and Wood had rekindled their relationship. The couple married in a small ceremony in California on 30 October 2012. They have one son, born in July 2013. The couple announced that they had separated on 28 May 2014.

In late 2015, Bell began dating his Fantastic Four co-star Kate Mara, and in January 2017 the couple became engaged. On 17 July 2017 they announced that they had married. They have a daughter, born in May 2019. On 17 November 2022 his wife announced on her Instagram account that she had given birth to a son in the previous week.

Bell is an atheist. He is also a keen football fan and an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.

Filmography

Film

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
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

Television

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

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2005 King Kong Jimmy
2008 Jumper: Griffin's Story Griffin O'Conner

Music videos

Year Title Artist(s) Notes
2005 "Wake Me Up When September Ends" Green Day

Accolades

Year Nominated work Award Result
2000 Billy Elliot BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Won
British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer Won
Empire Award for Best Debut Won
Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer Won
London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year Won
National Board of Review Award for Outstanding Young Actor Won
Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in an International Film 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
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
2001 MTV Movie Award for Best Dance Sequence (shared with Julie Walters) 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 Won
2005 Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Spike Video Game Award for Best Cast 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
2016 Fantastic Four Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screen Combo (shared with Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Miles Teller) Nominated
2018 Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Jamie Bell para niños

  • List of British actors
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