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 and Esther |
| Relatives | Denis Lawson (uncle) |
| Awards | Full list |
Ewan Gordon McGregor (born 31 March 1971) is a famous Scottish actor. He has won many awards for his acting, including a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in acting and for his charity work.
McGregor is known for playing many different kinds of characters. He became famous worldwide for his role as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999–2005). He also starred in the musical movie Moulin Rouge! (2001), the action film Black Hawk Down (2001), and the fantasy movie Big Fish (2003).
He made his first movie as a director with American Pastoral (2016), which he also starred in. For playing two different brothers in the TV series Fargo (2017), he won a Golden Globe Award. He also voiced Lumière in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast (2017) and played the main character in Christopher Robin (2018).
More recently, he played the villain Black Mask in Birds of Prey (2020). He returned to his famous role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the 2022 miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi. He also won a Primetime Emmy Award for playing fashion designer Halston in the miniseries Halston (2021).
Besides movies, McGregor has acted in plays like Guys and Dolls and Othello. He is also known for his charity work with UNICEF UK and for his motorcycle travel shows, Long Way Round, Long Way Down, and Long Way Up.
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Early Life and Education
Ewan McGregor was born on March 31, 1971, in Perth, Scotland. He grew up in the nearby town of Crieff. His mother, Carol, was a teacher and a deputy head teacher. His father, James, was a physical education teacher. He has an older brother, Colin, who was a pilot in the Royal Air Force.
McGregor's uncle is the actor Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars movies. This family connection to acting inspired McGregor from a young age.
He attended Morrison's Academy in Crieff. When he was 16, he left school to work at the Perth Theatre. He then studied drama at Kirkcaldy College of Technology. At 18, he moved to London to attend the famous Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Acting Career
Famous Movie and TV Roles
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Even before he graduated, McGregor got a main role in the TV series Lipstick on Your Collar (1993). His big break in movies came with the film Shallow Grave (1994), which was his first time working with director Danny Boyle. He gained worldwide fame for his role in Boyle's next film, Trainspotting (1996).
The Star Wars Prequels
In 1999, McGregor was cast as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. This was a huge role, as the character was first played by the legendary Sir Alec Guinness. McGregor's uncle, Denis Lawson, had also been in the original trilogy.
The prequel movies had mixed reviews from critics, but McGregor's performance as the Jedi Master was highly praised. He later said that filming was challenging because he often had to act in front of green screens. In 2022, he returned to the role for the popular Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Other Major Films
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McGregor has shown he can act in many different types of movies. In 2001, he starred in the musical Moulin Rouge! as a poet who falls in love with a singer, played by Nicole Kidman. He also appeared in the war movie Black Hawk Down (2001).
He worked with director Tim Burton on the fantasy film Big Fish (2003). He also voiced characters in animated movies like Robots (2005) and Valiant (2005). In 2009, he starred in Angels & Demons with Tom Hanks.
In 2017, he played two roles in the TV series Fargo, which won him a Golden Globe. That same year, he voiced the talking candelabra Lumière in Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast. In 2018, he played the grown-up Christopher Robin in the Disney movie Christopher Robin.
He continued to take on interesting roles, playing the villain Black Mask in the DC Comics movie Birds of Prey (2020). In 2022, he voiced Sebastián J. Cricket in the award-winning animated movie Pinocchio.
Work in the Theatre
McGregor has also performed on stage. From 2005 to 2007, he starred as Sky Masterson in the musical Guys and Dolls in London. His performance earned him an award for Best Actor.
From 2007 to 2008, he played the villain Iago in William Shakespeare's play Othello at the Donmar Warehouse theatre in London. In 2014, he made his debut on Broadway in New York City in a play called The Real Thing.
Motorcycle Adventures
McGregor has been a passionate motorcyclist since he was young. He has gone on several long-distance motorcycle trips with his best friend, Charley Boorman. These trips were filmed for TV shows.
- Long Way Round (2004): McGregor and Boorman traveled from London to New York City. They rode through Europe, Asia, and North America, covering over 22,000 miles (35,960 km).
- Long Way Down (2007): They rode from the northern tip of Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa.
- Long Way Up (2020): For this trip, they rode electric motorcycles from the southern tip of Argentina all the way to California.
During these journeys, they visited UNICEF programs to bring attention to the charity's work.
Charity Work
McGregor is very active in charity work. He has been an ambassador for UNICEF UK since 2004. He has traveled to places like India, Nepal, and the Republic of Congo to help deliver vaccines to children in remote areas. This was filmed for a BBC documentary called Ewan McGregor: Cold Chain Mission.
He also supports the GO Campaign, which helps children in need around the world. He has hosted fundraising events for the organization in Hollywood.
Personal Life
McGregor became a U.S. citizen in 2016 so he could vote in American elections. He now divides his time between Los Angeles, California, and London, England. In 2008, he had a cancerous mole removed from under his right eye.
He was married to Eve Mavrakis, a production designer, from 1995 to 2020. They have four daughters together. In 2017, McGregor began a relationship with American actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, whom he met while filming Fargo. Their son was born in June 2021, and the couple married in April 2022.
McGregor is a fan of the Fremantle Dockers in the Australian Football League.
Awards and Recognition
McGregor has received many honors for his work.
- In 2010, the French government made him a Knight of the Order of the Arts and Letters.
- In 2013, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to acting and charity.
- In 2012, he received the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, becoming its youngest recipient.
- In September 2024, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
See also
In Spanish: Ewan McGregor para niños
