Jamie Bell
{{short description|English actor (born 1986)}}
{{For|the singer with the band Triple 8|Jamie Bell (singer)}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Jamie Bell-8448 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Bell at the 2019 Berlinale
| birth_name = Andrew James Matfin Bell
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1986|03|14|df=y}}
| birth_place = Billingham, County Durham, England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 2000–present
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Evan Rachel Wood|2012|2014|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Kate Mara|2017}}}}
| 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), Rocketman (2019), and All of Us Strangers (2023). 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
Andrew James Matfin Bell was born on 14 March 1986 in Billingham, Teesside, England, where he grew up with his mother, Eileen Matfin and his elder sister Kathryn.{{cite journal| url=http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jamie-bell/bio/155584| title=Jamie Bell| journal=TV Guide| access-date=28 May 2014| archive-date=3 October 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003142407/http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jamie-bell/bio/155584/}} His father, John Bell, a toolmaker, left before Jamie was born.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/entertainment/1154689.stm| work=BBC News| title=Jamie's dance to fame| date=6 February 2001| access-date=5 May 2010}}{{cite web| title=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| newspaper=Evening Standard| url=https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1G1-103844488/jamie-s-next-step-jamie-bell-shot-to-stardom-at-13| location=London| date=20 June 2003}} Bell began his involvement with dancing after he accompanied his sister to her ballet lessons.{{cite news| url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article4030105.ece| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905190345/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article4030105.ece| url-status=dead| archive-date=5 September 2008| work=The Times| location=London| title=On the move Jamie Bell| first=Garth| last=Pearce| date=1 June 2008| access-date=5 May 2010| url-access=subscription}}
Career
=2000s=
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.Billy Elliot, DVD, production notes 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. His lack of an Oscar nomination was met with criticism. 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.{{cite web |title=Two Indies, 'King Kong,' Green Day Clip: Jamie Bell's A Long Way From 'Billy Elliot' |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1509454/two-indies-king-kong-green-day-clip-jamie-bells-a-long-way-from-billy-elliot/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712231757/http://www.mtv.com/news/1509454/two-indies-king-kong-green-day-clip-jamie-bells-a-long-way-from-billy-elliot/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 July 2020 |website=MTV |access-date=9 July 2020}} 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X48be0ZpEcM | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211031/X48be0ZpEcM| archive-date=2021-10-31 | url-status=live|title=I Know Hallam Foe! – KateModern | date=23 August 2007|publisher=YouTube |access-date=3 August 2010}}{{cbignore}} 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.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/27/jamie-bell-daniel-craig-spielberg-tintin| title=Spielberg casts Jamie Bell as Tintin| last=Child| first=Ben| date=27 January 2009| newspaper=The Guardian| access-date=19 September 2015}} The film was released in 2011.{{cite news |last=Fernandez |first=Jay A. |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews/idUSTRE54S0S620090529 |title=Spielberg's Tintin to unspool in late 2011 |work=Reuters |date=29 May 2009 |access-date=3 August 2010}}
=2010s=
Bell appeared in a number of films during the early 2010s, beginning with 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.{{cite web |last1=O'Connor |first1=Clint |title='Snowpiercer': Chris Evans and Jamie Bell fight to control a future-shock train (review) |url=https://www.cleveland.com/moviebuff/2014/07/snowpiercer_chris_evans_and_ja.html |website=The Plain Dealer |date=2 July 2014 |access-date=9 July 2020}}
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.{{cite journal| url=http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2014/02/fantastic-four-reboot-cast-kate-mara-and-jamie-bell-revealed-to-be-amongst-four-leads.html| title='Fantastic Four' reboot cast: Kate Mara and Jamie Bell revealed to be amongst four leads| date=20 February 2014| access-date=19 September 2015| journal=Zap2it| last=Nilles| first=Billy| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310154506/http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2014/02/fantastic-four-reboot-cast-kate-mara-and-jamie-bell-revealed-to-be-amongst-four-leads.html| archive-date=10 March 2014}}{{cite news| url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/miles-teller-kate-mara-fantastic-four-1201099921/| title='Fantastic Four' Cast Revealed| last=Kroll| first=Justin| newspaper=Variety| date=19 February 2014| access-date=20 February 2014}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/fantastic-four-2015-movie-jamie-bell-review-response/|title=Jamie Bell Reflects On Disastrous Fantastic Four 2015 Reboot|website=Screen Rant|last=Klein|first=Brennan|date=April 29, 2022|access-date=April 29, 2022}}
In 2017, Bell had starring roles in 6 Days and Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. The latter earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2019, he had a supporting role as Bernie Taupin in the biographical musical film based on the life of Elton John, Rocketman.{{cite web |title=Jamie Bell Plays Elton John's Best Friend in 'Rocketman' |url=https://pop.inquirer.net/76008/jamie-bell-plays-elton-johns-best-friend-in-rocketman |website=Pop Inquirer |date=17 June 2019 |access-date=9 July 2020}}
In 2023, he appeared in the critically acclaimed movie All of Us Strangers as the protagonist's father.
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."{{cite news| url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/evan-rachel-wood-engaged-to-jamie-bell-see-her-ring-201291| title=Evan Rachel Wood Engaged to Jamie Bell – See Her Ring!| date=9 January 2012| magazine=Us Weekly| access-date=10 January 2012| last=Johnson| first=Zach}} Five years later, in mid-2011, it was reported that Bell and Wood had rekindled their relationship.{{cite news| url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/01/wood-bell-rekindle-romance| title=Wood, Bell rekindle romance| date=1 July 2011| newspaper=Toronto Sun| access-date=10 January 2012| archive-date=1 December 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201141632/http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/01/wood-bell-rekindle-romance| url-status=dead}} The couple married in a small ceremony in California on 30 October 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.vogue.com.au/brides/news/evan-rachel-woods-undertheradar-wedding/news-story/d6b2cca553ab9915c8734e8be847a5f9#:~:text=Evan%20Rachel%20Wood%20has%20confirmed,the%20representative%20in%20a%20statement. |title=Evan Rachel Wood's under-the-radar wedding |work=Vogue |last=Wong |first=Zara |date=1 November 2012 |access-date=11 August 2023}}{{cite news| last=Jordan| first=Julie| title=Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Get Married| url=https://people.com/celebrity/evan-rachel-wood-wedding-marries-jamie-bell/| magazine=People| access-date=31 October 2012| date=31 October 2012}} They have one son, born in July 2013.{{cite web |last=Eggenberger |first=Nicole |title=Evan Rachel Wood Welcomes Baby Boy With Jamie Bell! |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/evan-rachel-wood-welcomes-baby-boy-with-jamie-bell-2013297 |magazine=Us Weekly |access-date=30 July 2013 |date=29 July 2013}} The couple announced that they had separated on 28 May 2014.{{cite web| title=Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Separate| url=http://www.people.com/article/evan-rachel-wood-jamie-bell-separate| magazine=People| access-date=28 May 2014| date=28 May 2014| first=K.C.| last=Blumm}}
Starting in 2020, Wood and Bell were in dispute over the custody of their son.{{cite web|last=Tenreyro|first=Tatiana|url=https://www.avclub.com/evan-rachel-wood-details-the-alleged-threats-marilyn-ma-1848179109|title=Evan Rachel Wood details the alleged threats Marilyn Manson made against her son Jack|website=The A.V. Club|date=December 8, 2021|access-date=March 4, 2023}} Bell said he was deprived of contact with him when Wood moved from Los Angeles to Nashville; Wood claimed she did this to protect the child from former fiancé Marilyn Manson.{{cite web|last=Blanchet|first=Brenton|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/evan-rachel-wood-increased-security-marilyn-manson-threatened-her-young-son |title=Evan Rachel Wood Reportedly Increased Security After Marilyn Manson Threatened to 'F*ck' Her Young Son|work=Complex|date=December 7, 2021|access-date=March 4, 2023}} 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."{{cite web|last=Alter|first=Rebecca|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/12/evan-rachel-wood-claimed-marilyn-manson-threatened-her-son.html|title=Evan Rachel Wood Claimed Marilyn Manson Threatened to Assault Her Son|work=Vulture|publisher=New York Magazine|date=December 7, 2021|access-date=March 4, 2023}} 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.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=Evan Rachel Wood Gives Up Custody Of Son After Alleged Marilyn Manson Threats |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/evan-rachel-wood-gives-custody-093030020.html |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}
In late 2015, Bell began dating his Fantastic Four co-star Kate Mara,{{cite web| last1=Nessif| first1=Bruna|title=Jamie Bell Says He's Not Engaged to Girlfriend Kate Mara Despite Her Ring on That Finger| url=http://www.eonline.com/news/745517/jamie-bell-says-he-s-not-engaged-to-girlfriend-kate-mara-despite-her-ring-on-that-finger| work=E! News| date=3 March 2016}} and in January 2017 the couple became engaged.{{cite web| url=https://www.moviefone.com/2017/01/13/fantastic-four-co-stars-kate-mara-and-jamie-bell-get-engaged/| title='Fantastic Four' Co-Stars Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Get Engaged| first=Kelly| last=Woo| work=Moviefone| date=13 January 2017| access-date=13 January 2017}} On 17 July 2017 they announced that they had married.{{cite web| url=http://people.com/movies/kate-mara-and-jamie-bell-tie-the-knot-in-surprise-ceremony/| title=Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Tie the Knot in Surprise Ceremony| first=Mike| last=Miller| magazine=People| date=17 July 2017| access-date=17 July 2017}} They have a daughter, born in May 2019.{{cite web| url=https://people.com/parents/kate-mara-jamie-bell-welcome-daughter-first-child/| title=Fantastic News! Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Welcome a Daughter| first=Karen| last=Mizoguchi| magazine=People| date=27 May 2019| access-date=27 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.{{cite web | url=https://people.com/parents/kate-mara-jamie-bell-welcome-second-baby-son/ | title=Kate Mara and Husband Jamie Bell Welcome Second Baby Together, a Son — See the Photo! }}
Bell is an atheist.{{cite web| url=https://audioboom.com/posts/7725023-contact-with-jamie-bell| title=Contact with Jamie Bell |work=Blank Check with Griffin and David| date=8 November 2020| access-date=11 November 2020}} He is also a keen football fan and an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.{{Cite news|title=The Last Word: Jamie Bell |url=https://www.nhl.com/news/canadiens/news/the-last-word-jamie-bell/c-606246 |website=Montreal Canadiens |date=15 December 2011 |access-date=28 January 2021}}{{dead link|date=July 2023}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2000
| Billy Elliot | |
| rowspan=2| 2002
| Pvt. Charlie Shakespeare | |
| Nicholas Nickleby
| Smike | |
| 2004
| Undertow | Chris Munn | |
| rowspan=3| 2005
| Dick Dandelion | |
| The Chumscrubber
| Dean Stifle | |
| King Kong
| Jimmy | |
| 2006
| |
| 2007
| Hallam Foe | |
| rowspan=2| 2008
| Jumper | Griffin O'Conner | |
| Defiance
| |
| rowspan=4| 2011
| Esca | |
| Jane Eyre
| St. John Rivers | |
| Retreat
| Pvt. Jack Coleman | |
| The Adventures of Tintin
| Tintin | Motion-capture |
| 2012
| Joey Cassidy | |
| rowspan=3| 2013
| Edgar | |
| Filth
| Ray Lennox | |
| Nymphomaniac
| K | |
| 2015
| Also motion-capture |
| rowspan=2| 2017
| Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool | Peter Turner | |
| 6 Days
| Rusty Firmin | |
| rowspan=2| 2018
| Jarhead Earl | |
| Skin
| |
| 2019
| |
| 2020
| Cranston Academy: Monster Zone | Danny | Voice only |
| 2021
| Robert Ritter | |
| rowspan=2|2023
| Tommy Walsh | |
| All of Us Strangers
| Adam's father | |
| TBA
| | Filming |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2000
| Mark Sheedy | 1 episode |
| 2014–2017
| Main role, 40 episodes |
| 2022
| Harper Curtis | Main role, 8 episodes |
| 2026
| Two Men | Niall |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! Notes |
|---|
| 2005
| Jimmy | |
| 2008
| Griffin O'Conner | |
=Music videos=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Artist(s) ! Notes |
|---|
| 2005
| "Wake Me Up When September Ends" | |
Accolades
See also
References
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|68260}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110219021726/http://focusfeatures.com/splashpage/jamie_bell/?film=jane_eyre People in Film: Jamie Bell] – Focus Features
- {{Twitter}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Jamie Bell
|list =
{{BAFTA Award for Best Actor 2000-2019}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best Young Performer}}
{{Empire Award for Best Newcomer}}
{{Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Performance}}
{{Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film (1991–2010)}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Jamie}}
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:Male actors from County Durham
Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners
Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States
Category:English male ballet dancers
Category:English male child actors
Category:English male film actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:English male video game actors
Category:English male voice actors
Category:Male motion capture actors
Category:People educated at Northfield School