This is an accepted version of this page James Peter Maxwell Dornan (/ˈdʒeɪmi ˈdɔːrnən/; born 1 May 1982) is an actor, model, and musician from Northern Ireland.

Initially beginning his career as a model in 2001, he appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss, Dior Homme, and Calvin Klein.

Afterwards, he had minor roles in various independent films and television shows, that included Sheriff Graham Humbert in the series Once Upon a Time (2011–2013).

He earned critical acclaim portraying serial killer Paul Spector in the crime drama series The Fall (2013–2016), for which he was nominated for a British Academy Television Award for Best Actor.

His profile grew with roles such as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades franchise (2015–2018), Jan Kubiš in Anthropoid (2016), Edgar Pagét in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), and Pa in Belfast (2021), receiving a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for the lattermost.

"[6] Dornan has two older sisters: Liesa, who works for Disney in London, and Jessica, a fashion designer based in Falmouth, Cornwall, England.

[28] In 2009, he was made the face of Calvin Klein's 'CK Free' fragrance[29] and also appeared as a judge in its model hunt competition, Nine countries, nine men, one winner that year.

[30] In 2006, he was labelled "The Golden Torso" by The New York Times[31][32] and was dubbed the "male Kate Moss" by GQ's creative director Jim Moore.

[44] When asked if the transition into an acting career was problematic, Dornan stated that the "model turned actor" label held a significant stigma.

[48] While Graham was killed by the town's mayor Regina/the Evil Queen in the episode "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter",[49] Dornan confirmed that he would return as the Huntsman from the Enchanted Forest at some point.

[49] Dornan's breakout role was alongside Gillian Anderson in the Northern Irish drama series The Fall, where he played Paul Spector, a serial killer terrorising Belfast.

[53] He read books about serial killers and watched interviews of Ted Bundy to get an understanding of the mindset of his character,[54] and stalked a woman in his preparation for the role.

Rupert Hawksley of The Daily Telegraph felt that he made a decent fist of portraying Kubiš and said: "Nazi nail-biter Anthropoid shows Jamie Dornan has many more than 50 shades".

[83] He also appeared in a Miramax film titled The 9th Life of Louis Drax, a supernatural thriller based on a book of the same name, in 2016.

[84] In 2018, Dornan co-starred alongside Peter Dinklage, as a journalist Danny Tate, in the HBO television film My Dinner with Hervé,[85] written and directed by Sacha Gervasi.

[85] Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe said: "The Danny plot is fine - nothing special really, although Dornan is excellent and manages to bring a good sense of transformation to an underwritten character".

[98] Dornan then appeared in two comedy films, Wild Mountain Thyme (2020)[99] and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021).

[100] Wild Mountain Thyme, John Patrick Shanley's film adaptation of his own play Outside Mullingar, was poorly received and was criticised for accent inaccuracy.

[101] Dornan starred as Anthony Reilly, a bashful farmer unable to confess his love for Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt).

[102] While critic Christy Lemire praised his dramatic work but was less impressed by his attempt at physical comedy,[103] Simran Hans of The Guardian described his performance as "a commendable feat of comic brilliance, not to be missed".

[104] Playing a "lovestruck henchman" Edgar in Barb and Star,[105] he won plaudits from critics for his musical number and comedic turn.

[112][113] Critic Peter Travers wrote on Good Morning America: "Dornan, free of the s&m sex trap of the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, builds on his virtuoso turn on The Fall to show an actor of ferocity and feeling as he invests Pa, often absent from home for construction work in England, with simmering emotion and quiet strength".

[117] After Belfast, he played the lead role of Elliot Stanley/Eugene Cassidy, an amnesiac trying to learn about his past, in BBC thriller series The Tourist.

[121][122] In a review for The Guardian, TV critic Lucy Mangan highlighted Dornan's "compelling performance" and found him in "fine form".

[123] For his performance he received a nomination for the AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama[124] and was featured on the Radio Times's TV 100 power list in 2023.

[131] Helen O'Hara, reviewing the film for Empire, felt that his character was comparatively small, but said: "Dornan is suitably twitchy as a veteran with PTSD".

[140] Dornan has appeared in annual fundraising events Red Nose Day by Comic Relief[141] and Children in Need by BBC.

[157] Dornan's most acclaimed films, according to review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, include A Private War (2018), Belfast (2021), My Dinner with Hervé (2018), Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021), Synchronic (2019), A Haunting in Venice (2023), Anthropoid (2016) and The Siege of Jadotville (2016).