Ewan McGregor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ewan McGregor
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McGregor in 2023
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Ewan Gordon McGregor
31 March 1971 Perth, Scotland
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| Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1992–present |
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Works
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Full list |
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| Children | 5, including Clara |
| Relatives | Denis Lawson (uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Ewan Gordon McGregor is a famous actor from Scotland, born on March 31, 1971. He has won many important awards, like a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, for his acting. In 2013, he was given a special honor called the OBE for his work in acting and for helping charities.
Ewan started his acting career while studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He first became well-known for his role as Mark Renton in the movie Trainspotting (1996). Later, he became even more famous playing Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel movies (1999–2005).
He has starred in many different types of films, including the musical Moulin Rouge! (2001), the action movie Black Hawk Down (2001), and the fantasy film Big Fish (2003). Ewan also directed his first movie, American Pastoral, in 2016. He won a Golden Globe Award for playing two brothers in the TV series Fargo (2017). In 2022, he returned to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new TV series.
Ewan McGregor has also acted in plays like Guys and Dolls and Othello. He is also a UNICEF UK ambassador, helping children around the world.
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Early Life and Education
Ewan McGregor was born in Perth, Scotland, on March 31, 1971. He grew up in a nearby town called Crieff. His mother, Carol, was a teacher, and his father, James, was a physical education teacher. Ewan has an older brother named Colin, who used to be a pilot in the Royal Air Force.
Ewan's uncle, Denis Lawson, is also an actor. His aunt, Sheila Gish, was an actress too. Ewan went to Morrison's Academy for school. When he was 16, he left school and worked backstage at the Perth Theatre. He then studied drama at Kirkcaldy College of Technology before moving to London. At 18, he began studying acting at the famous Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Acting Career
Early Roles in Film and TV
Before Ewan even finished drama school, he got a main role in a TV series called Lipstick on Your Collar in 1993. Soon after, he appeared in another BBC show, Scarlet and Black. His first movie role was in Being Human (1994).
He won an award for his role in the thriller Shallow Grave (1994). This was his first time working with director Danny Boyle. Ewan became internationally famous for playing Mark Renton in Boyle's movie Trainspotting (1996). This movie was based on a popular book.
Becoming a Star
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Ewan McGregor was chosen to play the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel movies. These films were released between 1999 and 2005. The original Obi-Wan was played by Alec Guinness. Ewan's uncle, Denis Lawson, had also been in the first Star Wars movies. Even though the prequel movies got mixed reviews, many people liked Ewan's performance as Obi-Wan. He said it was sometimes hard to act against green screens and that the dialogue wasn't always easy.
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In 2001, Ewan starred in the musical Moulin Rouge! as a young poet named Christian. His singing and acting in this movie were highly praised, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. He also appeared in the war film Black Hawk Down (2001). In 2003, he played a younger version of the main character in Tim Burton's movie Big Fish.
Ewan also lent his voice to animated movies. He was the voice of Rodney Copperbottom in Robots (2005) and the main character in Valiant (2005). In the science fiction movie The Island (2005), he played two roles, one a clone of the other.
He narrated a show about trainee pilots called JetSet in 2006. Ewan starred with Colin Farrell in Cassandra's Dream (2007) and with Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip Morris (2009). He played the main character in the thriller The Ghost Writer (2010). He was also in the mystery film Angels & Demons (2009) with Tom Hanks.
In 2011, Ewan starred in the comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which earned him another Golden Globe nomination. He also received a special award at the Seattle International Film Festival that year. In 2012, he was a judge at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. He also received a lifetime achievement award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, becoming the youngest person to get it. He starred in the disaster movie The Impossible (2012).
Ewan made his directing debut with the movie American Pastoral (2016), where he also acted. In 2017, he returned as Mark Renton in T2 Trainspotting. He also played Lumière in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. For his dual role in the TV series Fargo (2017), he won a Golden Globe Award.
In 2018, Ewan played the grown-up Christopher Robin in the movie Christopher Robin. In 2019, he starred as the older Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep. He also played the villain Roman Sionis / Black Mask in the DC Comics film Birds of Prey (2020).
In 2019, it was announced that Ewan would play Obi-Wan Kenobi again in a new Star Wars TV series for Disney+, which came out in 2022. In 2021, he played the fashion designer Halston in a Netflix miniseries called Halston, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2022, he voiced Sebastián J. Cricket in Pinocchio. In September 2024, Ewan McGregor received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Theatre Performances
Ewan McGregor has also had a successful career in theatre. From 1998 to 1999, he starred in a play called Little Malcolm and His Struggles Against the Eunuchs, directed by his uncle, Denis Lawson.
From 2005 to 2007, Ewan played the main role of Sky Masterson in the musical Guys and Dolls in London. He won an award for his performance and was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. From 2007 to 2008, he played Iago in the play Othello. In 2014, Ewan made his Broadway debut in a play called The Real Thing.
Motorcycling Adventures
Ewan McGregor loves motorcycles and has ridden them since he was young. In 2004, he went on a long motorcycle trip around the world with his best friend, Charley Boorman. They traveled from London to New York City, going through many countries like Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia. This journey was made into a TV series and a book called Long Way Round. During this trip, they visited several UNICEF projects.
In 2007, Ewan and Charley went on another big motorcycle trip. This time, they rode from Scotland all the way to Cape Town in South Africa. This adventure was also turned into a book and a TV series called Long Way Down.
In 2012, Ewan appeared in a BBC documentary called Ewan McGregor: Cold Chain Mission. In this show, he traveled by motorbike, boat, and plane to deliver vaccines to children in faraway parts of India, Nepal, and the Republic of Congo. This was part of his work as a UNICEF Ambassador.
In 2019, Ewan and Charley went on a third long trip, this time on electric motorcycles. They rode from Patagonia, Argentina, to California, USA. This journey was shown in the 2020 series Long Way Up.
Helping Others
Ewan McGregor is very involved in charity work. He has been an ambassador for UNICEF UK since 2004. Through his Long Way Round and Long Way Down trips, he saw UNICEF's work firsthand in different countries. He also supports the GO Campaign and the Children's Hospice Association Scotland.
In 2015, Ewan read Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl" for a children's fairy tale app called GivingTales. The money raised from the app went to UNICEF.
Personal Life
Ewan McGregor lives in both Los Angeles, California, and St John's Wood, London. He is a fan of the English football team Manchester City. He also supports the Fremantle Dockers, an Australian football team.
In 2020, Ewan shared that one of his great-grandfathers was born in Chile to Scottish parents. Ewan became a naturalized US citizen after 2016.
Family
Ewan McGregor married Eve Mavrakis, a production designer, in 1995. They have four daughters together, two of whom they adopted. One of their adopted daughters is from Mongolia, whom Ewan met during his Long Way Round trip. Ewan's children were raised in their mother's Jewish faith. Ewan has acted with his daughter Clara in several movies.
Ewan and Eve separated in 2017 and their divorce was finalized in 2020. In 2017, Ewan started a relationship with American actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whom he met while working on the TV series Fargo. They had a son, Laurie, in June 2021 and got married in April 2022.
Discography
Other appearances
- "TV Eye" with Wylde Ratttz, Velvet Goldmine: Music from the Original Motion Picture, 1999.
- "Elephant Love Medley" with Nicole Kidman, Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, 2001.
- "El Tango de Roxanne" with Jose Feliciano, Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, 2001.
- "Your Song" with Alessandro Safina, Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, 2001.
- "Here's To Love" with Renée Zellweger, Down With Love: Music from and Included in the Motion Picture, 2003.
- "The Sweetest Gift", Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars, 2006.
- "Be Our Guest" with Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beauty and the Beast, 2017.
- "Days in the Sun" with Adam Mitchell, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, Audra McDonald, Clive Rowe, Beauty and the Beast, 2017.
- "Something There" with Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Nathan Mack, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beauty and the Beast, 2017.
- "The Mob Song", with Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Mack, & Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Beauty and the Beast, 2017.
- "Better Tomorrows", Pinocchio, 2022.
Audiobooks
- 2006: Beatrix Potter: Favourite Beatrix Potter Tales (among others with Emily Watson and Renée Zellweger), Warne publishing (Read by Stars of the Movie Miss Potter)
See also
In Spanish: Ewan McGregor para niños
