James Nesbitt

James Nesbitt, besides being one of the top actors in the UK is an accomplished  after dinner speaker  and a delightful and funny  awards host .

Born and raised in Northern Ireland, James Nesbitt followed the advice of his school teacher and attended drama school in London. Starting his career on stage, Nesbitt has appeared in numerous plays including Paddywack, Translations, As You Like It, Philadelphia Here I Come, and Can't Pay, Won't Pay and most recently Shoot The Crow in the West End.

His first major TV roles included Ballykissangel and Playing The Field but it was playing Adam in Cold Feet that brought him to the attention of a wider audience. Based around the lives of three thirty-something couples, this critically-acclaimed drama won James a British Comedy Award in 2000 and a UK National Television Award in 2003. Reprised to much excitement in 2016 after a 13-year break, Cold Feet was again met with high viewing figures and a warm reception by critics.

His range of TV roles since then has included the title role of Tommy Murphy in Murphy's Law. This was specially written for James by writer Colin Bateman. The first season aired in 2001 and the fifth series aired in 2007.

In 2002, he played the leading role, Ivan Cooper, in Bloody Sunday which won him a BAFTA nomination and Best Actor award at the British Independent Film Awards and the Stockholm Film Festival.

In 2003 BBC Drama produced a modern reworking of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales with James playing the main lead, Nick in The Miller's Tale.

In 2007 he starred in the critically acclaimed BBC series Jekyll which gained him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture made for Television and a Rose D'Or nomination for Best Actor.

James played the part of Bofur in The Hobbit trilogy; and starred in the Channel 4 drama Babylon, directed by Danny Boyle. In late 2014, he appeared in haunting BBC drama The Missing, where his extraordinary and powerful portrayal of a father looking for his young son has received acclaim from both the public and critics alike.

James is a charismatic and entertaining awards host; he has previously hosted the British Independent Film Awards, the Irish Film and Television Awards and the Music Week Awards amongst others.