Jamie Bell

For the singer with the band Triple 8, see Jamie Bell (singer).

Jamie Bell
Bell at the 2019 Berlinale
Born	Andrew James Matfin Bell (1986-03-14) 14 March 1986 (age 38) Billingham, County Durham, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–present
Spouses	Evan Rachel Wood ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2014)​ Kate Mara ​ (m. 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^[1] was born on 14 March 1986 in Billingham, Teesside, England, where he grew up with his mother, Eileen Matfin and his elder sister Kathryn.^[2] His father, John Bell, a toolmaker, left before Jamie was born.^[3][4] Bell began his involvement with dancing after he accompanied his sister to her ballet lessons.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9][10] The film was released in 2011.^[11]

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.^[12]

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.^[13][14] 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."^[15]

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.^[16]

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."^[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 in California 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 from Los Angeles to Nashville; Wood claimed she did this to protect the child from former fiancé Marilyn 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 his Fantastic Four co-star Kate 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 an atheist.^[32] He is also a keen football fan and an avid supporter of Arsenal F.C.^[33]

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
	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		Filming

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[34]	Won
		British Independent Film Award for Best Newcomer[35]	Won
		Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Young Performer	Won
		Empire Award for Best Debut[36]	Won
		Evening Standard British Film Award for Most Promising Newcomer	Won
		London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Newcomer of the Year[37]	Won
		National Board of Review Award for Outstanding Young Actor	Won
		Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in an International Film[38]	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[39]	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
2013	Nymphomaniac	Bodil Award for Best Supporting Actor	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

• List of British actors

References

1. "Jamie Bell: An Oscar win would have ruined my life". Belfast Telegraph. 24 August 2007. p. 1. ProQuest 337399017. Real name: Andrew James Matfin Bell
2. "Jamie Bell". TV Guide. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
3. "Jamie's dance to fame". BBC News. 6 February 2001. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
4. "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". Evening Standard. London. 20 June 2003.
5. Pearce, Garth (1 June 2008). "On the move Jamie Bell". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
6. Billy Elliot, DVD, production notes
7. "Two Indies, 'King Kong,' Green Day Clip: Jamie Bell's A Long Way From 'Billy Elliot'". MTV. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
8. "I Know Hallam Foe! – KateModern". YouTube. 23 August 2007. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
9. "Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment Announce the January 26 Start of Principal Photography on the 3D Motion Capture Feature 'The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' Directed by Steven Spielberg and Starring Jamie Bell and Daniel Craig" (Press release). Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2009 – via PR Newswire.
10. Child, Ben (27 January 2009). "Spielberg casts Jamie Bell as Tintin". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
11. Fernandez, Jay A. (29 May 2009). "Spielberg's Tintin to unspool in late 2011". Reuters. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
12. O'Connor, Clint (2 July 2014). "'Snowpiercer': Chris Evans and Jamie Bell fight to control a future-shock train (review)". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
13. Nilles, Billy (20 February 2014). "'Fantastic Four' reboot cast: Kate Mara and Jamie Bell revealed to be amongst four leads". Zap2it. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
14. Kroll, Justin (19 February 2014). "'Fantastic Four' Cast Revealed". Variety. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
15. Klein, Brennan (29 April 2022). "Jamie Bell Reflects On Disastrous Fantastic Four 2015 Reboot". Screen Rant. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
16. "Jamie Bell Plays Elton John's Best Friend in 'Rocketman'". Pop Inquirer. 17 June 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
17. Johnson, Zach (9 January 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood Engaged to Jamie Bell – See Her Ring!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
18. "Wood, Bell rekindle romance". Toronto Sun. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
19. Wong, Zara (1 November 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood's under-the-radar wedding". Vogue. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
20. Jordan, Julie (31 October 2012). "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Get Married". People. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
21. Eggenberger, Nicole (29 July 2013). "Evan Rachel Wood Welcomes Baby Boy With Jamie Bell!". Us Weekly. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
22. Blumm, K.C. (28 May 2014). "Evan Rachel Wood and Jamie Bell Separate". People. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
23. Tenreyro, Tatiana (8 December 2021). "Evan Rachel Wood details the alleged threats Marilyn Manson made against her son Jack". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
24. Blanchet, Brenton (7 December 2021). "Evan Rachel Wood Reportedly Increased Security After Marilyn Manson Threatened to 'F*ck' Her Young Son". Complex. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
25. Alter, Rebecca (7 December 2021). "Evan Rachel Wood Claimed Marilyn Manson Threatened to Assault Her Son". Vulture. New York Magazine. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
26. "Evan Rachel Wood Gives Up Custody Of Son After Alleged Marilyn Manson Threats". Yahoo Entertainment. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
27. Nessif, Bruna (3 March 2016). "Jamie Bell Says He's Not Engaged to Girlfriend Kate Mara Despite Her Ring on That Finger". E! News.
28. Woo, Kelly (13 January 2017). "'Fantastic Four' Co-Stars Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Get Engaged". Moviefone. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
29. Miller, Mike (17 July 2017). "Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Tie the Knot in Surprise Ceremony". People. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
30. Mizoguchi, Karen (27 May 2019). "Fantastic News! Kate Mara and Jamie Bell Welcome a Daughter". People. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
31. "Kate Mara and Husband Jamie Bell Welcome Second Baby Together, a Son — See the Photo!".
32. "Contact with Jamie Bell". Blank Check with Griffin and David. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
33. "The Last Word: Jamie Bell". Montreal Canadiens. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2021.^{[dead link‍]}
34. "British Academy of Film and Television Arts: Film Nominations 2000". BAFTA. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
35. "Winners Nominations". British Independent Film Awards (BIFA). 24 October 2000.
36. "Sony Ericsson Empire Awards: 2001 Winners". Empire. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
37. The Critics' Circle: Film – British Newcomer of the Year (archive from 3 August 2007)
38. Twenty-Second Annual Young Artist Awards Archived 28 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine – according to the introduction page Archived 3 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine, the year of award is 2001 and the performance years are 1999–2000.
39. "26th Young Artist Awards: Winners and Nominees". Youngartistawards.org. Retrieved 3 August 2010.

External links

• Jamie Bell at IMDb
• People in Film: Jamie Bell – Focus Features
• Jamie Bell on Twitter