It's fair to say that Jamie Dornan is one of Northern Ireland's most-loved actors.
Making the big time internationally for his starring role in Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie was catapulted to fame and has remained in the public eye ever sense.
As his new film, 'Belfast', is set to hit UK cinemas, we thought it would be the perfect chance to take a look back on Jamie Dornan's life and career so far.
Early life in Holywood and Belfast
Born in Hoylwood, Co Down, Jamie soon moved to the suburbs of Belfast where he grew up. His mum, Lorna, died of pancreatic cancer when he was just 16, and his dad - well-known obstetrician and gynecologist Dr Jim Dornan - died in March 2021 following complications related to coronavirus.
Jamie has two older sisters; Liesa, who works for Disney in London, and Jessica, a fashion designer based in Cornwall.
He attended and boarded at Methodist College in South Belfast, where he played rugby and was an active member of the school's drama department. Some of Jamie's roles at school included in the Christmas pantomime, Bugsy Malone, and Blood Brothers.
Initially, Jamie went to Teeside University but dropped out and moved to London in 2002 to train as an actor. As a way to make ends meet, he worked in a pub in Knightsbridge for six months before embarking on a modelling career.
Early career in music and modelling
We all knew he could sing, after he wowed the audience at a 'Belfast' after party with his rendition of Everlasting Love - but did you know Jamie Dornan was initially in a folk band?
He performed in the band called Sons of Jim, alongside school friend David Alexander, before disbanding in 2008. They even formed their own record label, Doorstep Records, to release their tracks and supported KT Tunstall on tour.
Soon, however, Dornan found himself working as a model. He wasn't initially keen to pursue modelling, but was persuaded by his step mum and sisters. In 2001, he took part in Channel 4 series 'Model Behaviour' and although he was eliminated, Jamie signed a modelling contract and by 2003 was working for Abercrombie & Fitch.
In 2004, he began a long-running modelling relationship with Calvin Klein, and was even the face of Dior Homme in 2005.
Jamie appeared in adverts for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Zara, Banana Republic, and Levi's Jeans. He was dubbed "the male Kate Moss" by GQ in 2006, and in 2015 was ranked as one of the 25 biggest male models of all time by Vogue.
Beginning of acting career and success with 'The Fall'
Although he had always been interested in acting, Jamie was initially concerned he would be labelled as a "model turned actor." However, very early into his career he was proving his acting abilities.
His first acting role in a film came in 2006, when he was cast as Count Axel Fersen in the Sofia Coppola film Marie Antoinette. But he began to gain widespread recognition in 2011, when he appeared in nine episodes of ABC series Once Upon A Time, where he was cast as Sheriff Graham.
Critical acclaim came for Jamie when he starred alongside Gillian Anderson in the Northern Irish drama series, The Fall. He initially auditioned for the role of a police officer, but was later asked to audition for the lead role of serial killer Paul Spector, for which he was selected.
Beginning in 2013, the show aired for three series ending in October 2016. In preparation for the role, Jamie read books about serial killers, watched interviews of Ted Bundy, and even briefly stalked a woman on the London Underground.
Hitting the big time with 'Fifty Shades of Grey'
Jamie became known around the globe whenever he took on the role of Christian Grey in the film adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015. He reprised his role as the sadistic character in the second and third installments of the Fifty Shades film franchise, with films released in 2017 and 2018.
In November 2014, Dornan was ranked third in People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive rankings.
Around this time, Dornan began to venture into independent features, including roles in Netflix's historical warm film The Siege of Jadotville, war film Anthropoid alongside Cillian Murphy, and alongside Peter Dinklage in HBO film My Dinner With Hervé.
Recent acting credits including 'Belfast'
In the past two years, Jamie Dornan has appeared in two comedy films, 'Wild Mountain Thyme' (2020) and 'Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar' (2021). He received rave reviews for his musical number and comedic turn in Barb and Star.
Even though Wild Mountain Thyme received criticism for its accent inaccuracy, Jamie's performance continued to receive praise.
In early 2022, Dornan appeared in BBC thriller 'The Tourist', starring as a crash-victim who wakes up in hospital with amnesia. The series was well-received, breaking BBC records with 22 million streams across iPlayer on January 2.
Jamie's role in Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical film, 'Belfast', is a working class father based on Branagh's own dad. For his performance, Dornan was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture award at the Golden Globes, and was nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor too.
For the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter here.
