Ewan Mc Gregor

Profile
Name: Ewan McGregor
Birth Name: Ewan Gordon McGregor
Height: 5' 10 1/2"
Sex: M
Nationality: Scotish
Birth Date: March 31, 1971
Birth Place: Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, U.K.
Profession: actor
Education: Morrison's Academy in Crieff, Scotland Perth Repertory Theatre in Scotland
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London
Husband/Wife: Eve Mouvrakis (French production designer; born on June 22, 1966; met while filming for Kavanagh QC in 1994; married on July 22, 1995)
Father: James McGregor (teacher)
Mother: Carol McGregor (teacher)
Brother: Colin McGregor (Royal Air Force pilot; born in 1969)
Uncle: Denis Lawson (actor; born on September 27, 1947)
Daughter: Esther Rose (born on November 7, 2001 in London, England, UK), Clara Mathilde (born in February 1996)
Claim to fame: as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Biography
Ewan was born on March 31, 1971, in Perth Royal Hospital, Scotland. He was the second son of teachers Jim and Carol McGregor. His brother Colin, a tornado fighter pilot, is two years older than him. Ewan grew up in the small town of Crieff in Perthshire, and was privately educated at Morrison's Academy. Music played a big part in young Ewan's life. He mastered drums, guitar, and the French horn and played in the school's pipe band, a ceilidh band, and had a rock group called Scarlet Pride, Elvis Presley was his idol.

Ewan McGregor left school at 16 to pursue acting, and by the age of 23 was getting attention from critics and fans for his roles in Shallow Grave (1994) and Trainspotting (1996). Quickly tagged as an up-and-comer, McGregor tackled a range of roles: he appeared in the period piece Emma (1996), the glam-rock drama Velvet Goldmine (1998), the mainstream Hollywood action feature Black Hawk Down (2001, with Josh Hartnett) and the stylish musical Moulin Rouge! (2001, with Nicole Kidman). Perhaps most famously, he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels of the George Lucas series Star Wars. McGregor appeared in Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) and Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) and is scheduled to appear in the third episode, to be released in 2005. His other films include Down With Love (2003, co-starring Renee Zellweger) and Tim Burton's Big Fish (2004). No one could have foreseen when Ewan left Crieff how big a star he'd become. As well as his five-million-pound Star Wars role, his credits include A Life Less Ordinary, Rogue Trader, Velvet Goldmine to name a few.

Although he lives in London with his French set designer wife Eve Mavrakis and their daughter Clara, Ewan's heart will always be in Crieff. To his family, he's still a lovable, down-to-earth lad, completely unaffected by fame and fortune, even though he's starring in one of the biggest movies in cinema history.

Filmography
Actor
2007 The Tourist
2007 Jackboots on Whitehall
2007 Cassandra's Dream
2007 Number Thirteen
2006 Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
2006 Scenes of a Sexual Nature
2006 The Doctor, The Tornado & The Kentucky Kid
2006 Miss Potter
2005 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
2005 The Island
2005 Valiant
2005 The Island
2005 Stay
2005 Robots
2004 Long Way Round [TV Series]
2003 Down With Love
2003 Faster
2003 Big Fish
2003 Young Adam
2002 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
2002 In the Wild: The Polar Bears of Churchill with Ewan McGregor
2001 Moulin Rouge
2001 Black Hawk Down
2001 R2-D2: Beneath the Dome
2000 Killing Priscilla
2000 Nora
1999 Desserts
1999 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
1999 Eye of the Beholder
1998 Rogue Trader
1998 Velvet Goldmine
1998 Nightwatch
1998 Little Voice
1997 The Serpent's Kiss
1997 ER: The Long Way Around
1997 A Life Less Ordinary
1996 The Pillow Book
1996 Brassed Off
1996 Trainspotting
1996 Emma
1995 Blue Juice
1994 Shallow Grave
1993 Lipstick on Your Collar
1993 Scarlet & Black

Co-producer
2000 Nora

Director
1999 Tube Tales

Awards
Golden Globe
2001 Best Actor - Musical or Comedy Moulin Rouge

Trivia

Has received an apology from the Australian underwear firm which outed him as a fan of their Wonderjock pants. (May 22, 2007)

Will earn a mere $790 a week at a London stage — standard minimum wage for actors in Britain — playing Shakespeare’s arch villain Iago in Othello. (May 14, 2007)

Decided to see a hypnotherapist to help him finally quit smoking. (November 25, 2006)

McGregor and Colin Farrell are set to star in Woody Allen's next film, set in London, as brothers who turn to crime. (May 18, 2006)

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor adopts orphan from Mongolia – The STAR WARS star and his wife Eve Mavarkis have adopted a 4-year-old girl from Mongolia. I can confirm Ewan McGregor and his wife Eve Mavrakis have adopted the girl but cannot comment further, a spokesperson for the couple told People magazine. McGregor, 35, and Mavrakis, 39, met on the set of the British TV series Kavanaugh QC. They married in 1995 and have two biological daughters Esther, 4, and Clara, 1.

Is among the stars singing on new album Unexpected Dreams: Songs From The Stars to benefit the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra. (February 18, 2006)

Offers budding actors to get acting lessons from him at the Actors Center in London for just $68 a class. (October 1, 2005)

Is named the actor with the sexiest bottom on film for his nude scene in VELVET GOLDMINE according to a poll carried out by Odeon cinemas. (#9) (August 17, 2005)

Has defended his aggressive outburst at London premiere of THE ISLAND when a cheeky journalist asked him about his critically-mauled performance as an American in the movie, and replied he had no plans to abandon the accent. (August 11, 2005)

Has revealed that he was a miserable drunk, who quit booze because it was killing his career. (July 6, 2005)

Helped open UNICEF children's summit called C-8 in Scotland. (July 5, 2005)

Says he's amazed, if not a bit frightened, about STAR WARS die hard enthusiasts who have big meets and conventions. (May 12, 2005)

Denied reports he is disappointed with the recent Star Wars films, insisting the process of working on the sci-fi saga is simply hard work. (May 5, 2005)

Currently starring in a West End theatre production of 'Guys and Dolls', McGregor has barred STAR WARS fans from trying to get his autograph near the stage door because he doesn't want them clashing with theatre goers who wanted their programs signed. (April 18, 2005)

Former roommate of Jude Law.

His first name is pronounced you-in.

In the film MOULIN ROUGE (2001) McGregor sang alongside Nicole Kidman.

Originally up for the lead role in THE BEACH (2000), which would have reunited him with director Danny Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge (I) who collaborated with McGregor on SHALLOW GRAVE (1994), TRAINSPOTTING (1996) and A LIFE LESS ORDINARY (1997). The role went to Leonardo DiCaprio. While McGregor blames studio influence for the casting descision he has not spoken to either Boyle nor Hodge since.

Auditioned for the part of Mercutio for ROMEO + JULIET. Director Baz Luhrman later worked with Ewan in the film MOULIN ROUGE (2001).

During filming STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (1999), he made lightsaber noises as he dueled. It was noted and corrected during post production.

He and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers sang their own songs in VELVET GOLDMINE (1998). (Some of Rhys-Meyers' songs were overdubbed by Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke.)

He studied many of Alec Guinness' films, including the original STAR WARS, to ensure accuracy in everything from his accent to pacing of his words

His mother, Carole, has a cameo in SHALLOW GRAVE (1994) as one of the prospective flatmates.

Offered, but turned down, the part of Neo in MATRIX (1994).

To play the skinny heroin-addicted Renton in TRAINSPOTTING (1996), he was placed on a simple diet consisting of no alcohol or dairy products in order to lose weight. It only took him two months to reach Renton's desired size.

Was nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Action/Science Fiction in 2000 for STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE and Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 1997 for ER.

His daughter Esther Rose McGregor was born in late 2001.

His claim to fame was not STAR WARS, Ewan McGregor is actually a highly proclaimed actor in both Europe and the states, starring in many films such as TRAINSPOTTING, A LIFE LESS ORDINARY, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER, EMMA, and several others.

McGregor has patched up his differences with director Danny Boyle as Boyle seeks to reunite the stars of cult movie TRAINSPOTTING for a sequel. (October 25, 2002)

Quit smoking before filming STAR WARS

Nominated for Best Kiss at MTV Movie Awards for MOULIN ROUGE! (2002) - shared with Nicole Kidman

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture at Screen Actors Guild Awards for MOULIN ROUGE! (2002)

Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at Golden Globe Awards for MOULIN ROUGE! (2002)

Nominated for Best Fight at MTV Movie Awards for STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE (2000)

Nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast at Screen Actors Guild Awards for LITTLE VOICE (1999)

Nominated for Best Dance Sequence at MTV Movie Awards for A LIFE LESS ORDINARY (1998) - shared with Cameron Diaz

Nominated for Best Breakthrough Performance at MTV Movie Awards for TRAINSPOTTING (1997)

Nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series at Emmy Awards for ER (1997)