
Ewan McGregor (birthname: Ewan Gordon McGregor) is one of the most acclaimed and popular Scottish movie actors of his generation, nimbly shifting from roles in low-budget British, Scottish, and American independent films to playing such high-visibility roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise. McGregor debuted in features in director/writer Bill Forsyth’s character study, Being Human (1994), starring Robin Williams and John Turturro, and then had his first starring role in the Danny Boyle-directed Scottish crime comedy, Shallow Grave (1994), written by John Hodge, with Kerry Fox and Christopher Eccleston and grossing $20 million.
McGregor appeared in director/co-writer Carl Prechezer’s little-seen British comedy drama, Blue Juice (1995), starring Sean Pertwee, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Steven Mackintosh, and then McGregor had his movie breakthrough starring in his second movie with director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge, the highly acclaimed Trainspotting (1996), based on Irvine Welsh’s 1993 novel, with Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald, earning a spectacular $72 million (based on estimated costs) for TriStar Pictures (U.S.)/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (U.K.). McGregor co-starred with Vivian Wu and Ken Ogata in director/writer/editor Peter Greenaway’s erotic drama inspired by Sei Shonagon’s ancient Japanese diary, The Pillow Book (1996), produced by Kees Kasander, premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and grossing $2.4 million.
Ewan McGregor joined the cast of director/writer Douglas McGrath’s film version of Jane Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma (1996), starring Gwyneth Paltrow (in the title role), Toni Collette, Alan Cumming, Jeremy Northam, Greta Scacchi and Juliet Stevenson and grossing a profitable $37 million for distributors Miramax (U.S.)/Buena Vista International (U.K.). McGregor was in the ensemble of British director/writer Mark Herman’s comedy drama, Brassed Off (1996), with Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fitzgerald and Stephen Tompkinson, and then McGregor made his American movie debut in director/co-writer Ole Bornedal’s English-language remake of the 1994 Danish movie, Nightwatch (1997), with Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette and Nick Nolte.
McGregor starred in his second Cannes-premiering movie, The Serpent’s Kiss (1997), with Greta Scacchi and Pete Postlethwaite under Philippe Rousselot’s direction, followed by McGregor reuniting for the third time with director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge in their first money-losing movie, A Life Less Ordinary (1997), co-starring Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo and Ian Holm, released by 20th Century Fox (International)/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment (U.K.). McGregor then shared top billing with Jonathan Rhys Meyers in director/writer Todd Haynes’s fabulous Glam Rock musical, Velvet Goldmine (1998), with Toni Collette and Christian Bale, premiering in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and distributed by Miramax Films (U.S.)/FilmFour Distribution (U.K.).
Ewan McGregor did his second consecutive musical released by Miramax, reuniting with British director/writer Mark Herman for Little Voice (1998), co-starring Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn and Jim Broadbent. McGregor landed the coveted role of younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’s trilogy which opens the saga, Star Wars: Episode 1—The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith (2005) (which was Lucas’s last directorial effort), with the ensemble of Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee, grossing a cumulative $2.5 billion for 20th Century Fox; McGregor later delivered voice cameos as Obi-Wan in the reboot sequels, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
McGregor co-starred with Ashley Judd in Australian director/writer Stephen Elliott’s mystery based on Marc Behm’s novel, Eye of the Beholder (1999), released by Destination Films (U.S.)/Seville Pictures (Canada)/Metrodome Distribution (U.K.)/Roadshow Entertainment (Australia), and then McGregor made his directorial debut of the segment, Bone, in the British anthology movie, Tube Tales (1999), including segments directed by Jude Law, Bob Hoskins, Armando Iannucci and Stephen Hopkins. McGregor portrayed James Joyce in director/co-writer Pat Murphy’s biopic, Nora (2000), co-written by George Stembridge, with Susan Lynch and Andrew Scott, followed by McGregor making a big impact as co-star of director/co-writer/produced Bax Luhrmann’s jukebox musical, Moulin Rouge (2001), co-starring Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh, launching in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and garnering eight Oscar nominations while grossing $179 million for 20th Century Fox.
Ewan McGregor joined the ensemble of Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Jason Isaacs, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Piven and Tom Hardy in director/producer Black Hawk Down (2001), based on Mark Bowden’s 1999 non-fiction book, and released by Sony Pictures Releasing. McGregor then co-starred with Renee Zellweger in another musical, 20th Century Fox’s Down with Love (2003), co-starring Renee Zellweger, David Hyde Pierce, Sarah Paulson and Tony Randall, followed by McGregor starring in director/writer David Mackenzie’s stunning erotic drama, Young Adam (2003), based on Alexander Trocchi’s 1954 novel, co-starring Tilda Swinton, Peter Mullan and Emily Mortimer, launching in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard selection and released by Sony Pictures Classics (U.S.)/Warner Bros. Pictures (U.K.).
McGregor teamed up with director Tim Burton as lead of his and screenwriter John August’s big-screen adaptation of Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel, Big Fish (2003), with Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Marion Cotillard, Danny DeVito and Steve Buscemi, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. McGregor then starred as the lead in his first animated movie voice role in 20th Century Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios’s sci fi comedy, Robots (2005), with the voices of Halle Berry, Greg Kinnear, Mel Brooks and Robin Williams under Chris Wedge’s direction, earning a strong $262.5 million (based on estimated costs), and then McGregor followed in his second consecutive Hollywood animation, Disney’s war comedy, Valiant (2005), with the voices of Ricky Gervais, Tim Curry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese, John Hurt and Olivia Williams under Gary Chapman’s direction.
Ewan McGregor joined co-star Scarlett Johansson and director/producer Michael Bay for the sci-fi action movie, The Island (2005), with Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi, and which was released by DreamWorks (North America)/Warner Bros. Pictures (International), followed by McGregor starring in the Marc Forster-directed psychological thriller, Stay (2005), co-starring Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling, and distributed worldwide by 20th Century Fox. McGregor was then part of the ensemble of Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (2006), adapted by screenwriter Anthony Horowitz from his first Alex Rider series novel, co-starring Alex Pettyfer, Mickey Rourke, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo, Damian Lewis, Stephen Fry, Andy Serkis and Robbie Coltrane, and released by The Weinstein Company and MGM (U.S.)/Entertainment Film Distributors (U.K.)/Sony Pictures (Germany)/Capitol Films (Elsewhere).
McGregor reunited with lead Renee Zellweger (in the title role of Peter Rabbit author Beatrix Potter) in the U.K./U.S. biopic, Miss Potter (2006), with Lloyd Owen, Bill Paterson and Emily Watson under Chris Noonan’s direction, produced (in part) by Mike Medavoy’s Phoenix Pictures, and distributed by The Weinstein Company and MGM (U.S.)/Momentum Pictures (U.K.)/Summit Entertainment (International), and then McGregor joined director/writer Woody Allen and co-star Colin Farrell for the London-based crime thriller, Cassandra’s Dream (2007), with Hayley Atwell, Sally Hawkins and Tom Wilkinson, launching at the Venice Film Festival and released via The Weinstein Company (U.S.)/Optimum Releasing (U.K.)/TFM Distribution (France).
McGregor shared top billing with Michelle Williams and Matthew Macfadyen in director/writer Sharon Maguire’s British drama, Incendiary (2008), based on Chris Cleave’s 2005 novel, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, and distributed by THINKFilm (U.S.)/Optimum Releasing (U.K.), and then McGregor continued with co-star Williams in the erotic thriller, Deception (2008), produced (in part) and co-starring Hugh Jackman under Marcel Langenegger’s direction, handled by distributors 20th Century Fox (U.S., Australia and New Zealand)/Summit Entertainment (International).
Ewan McGregor joined another franchise as a co-star of director/producer Ron Howard’s sequel of Dan Brown novel, Angels & Demons (2009), starring Tom Hanks, with Stellan Skarsgard, Nikolaj Lie Kaas and Armin Mueller-Stahl, co-written by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman, and earning $486 million for Sony Pictures Releasing via Columbia Pictures, and then McGregor joined co-star Jim Carrey and co-directors/co-writers John Requa and Glenn Ficarra for the biopic based on Steve McViker’s 2003 non-fiction book, I Love You Phillip Morris (2009), launching at the Sundance Film Festival before a release by LD Entertainment/Roadside Attractions. McGregor was part of the ensemble of star-producer George Clooney’s and director/producer Grant Heslov’s on Jon Ronson’s 2004 non-fiction book about the U.S. military’s psychic experimentation, The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009), with Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey, Robert Patrick, Stephen Lang and Stephen Root, and which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and earned $69 million for Overture Films (U.S.)/Momentum Pictures (U.K.).
McGregor was in the cast of the Mira Nair-directed biopic, Amelia (2009), co-starring Hilary Swank and Richard Gere, and distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures, followed by McGregor delivering a fine performance opposite Pierce Brosnan in director/co-writer/producer Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer (2010), a superb screen version of co-screenwriter Robert Harris’s 2007 novel titled The Ghost, co-starring Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, Jon Bernthal, Eli Wallach and Jim Belushi, earning Polanski the Best Director Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, and released by Summit Entertainment (U.S.)/Optimum Releasing (U.K.)/Pathe Distribution (France, Switzerland)/Kinowelt Filmverleih (Germany). McGregor played support to star/screenwriter Emma Thompson in the title role of the sequel, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010), based on Christianna Brand’s Nurse Matilda books, with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Rhys Ifans, Asa Butterfield, Ralph Fiennes and Maggie Smith, and which earned $93 million for Universal Pictures (International)/StudioCanal (France), and then McGregor co-starred with Christopher Plummer (who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar) and Melanie Laurent in director/writer Mike Mills’s comedy drama, Beginners (2010), launching at the Toronto Film Festival and earning over $14 million for Focus Features.
Ewan McGregor starred with Eva Green in the David Mackenzie-directed sci fi romance, Perfect Sense (2011), with Ewen Bremner, Stephen Dillane and Connie Nielsen, and released by Arrow Films (U.K.)/Eclipse Pictures (Ireland), followed by McGregor joining director/cinematographer Steven Soderbergh for the U.S./Ireland-produced thriller, Haywire (2011), with Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Mathieu Kassovitz, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas, produced and released in the U.S. by Relativity Media as well as Paramount Pictures and Momentum Pictures (U.K., Ireland). McGregor co-starred with Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas in the British rom com, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011), directed by Lasse Hallstrom and based on Paul Torday’s 2007 novel by writer Simon Beaufoy, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival before a release via CBS Films (U.S.)/Lionsgate UK (U.K.)., and then McGregor shared top billing with Naomi Watts (who was Oscar-nominated for Best Actress) of the J.A. Bayona-directed Spanish drama, The Impossible (2012), with Tom Holland, and was the highest grossing Spanish film on record ($198 million) via Warner Bros. Pictures.
McGregor was part of the ensemble of director/producer Bryan Singer’s fantasy adventure, Jack the Giant Slayer (2013), starring Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane and Bill Nighy, produced (in part) by New Line Cinema and Legendary Pictures and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, with McGregor then joining the distinguished ensemble of screenwriter Tracy Letts’ version of his Pulitzer Prize-winning 2007 drama, August: Osage County (2013), co-starring Meryl Streep (Oscar-nominated for Best Actress), Julia Roberts (Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actress), Chris Cooper, Abgail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson and Sam Shepard under John Wells’s direction, produced (in part) by George Clooney, and distributed by The Weinstein Company. McGregor starred in director/writer Julius Avery’s crime thriller, Son of a Gun (2014), with Brenton Thwaites and Alicia Vikander, and which was released by A24 (U.S.)/Hopscotch Entertainment One (Australia, New Zealand)/Koch Media (U.K.)/Mongrel Media (Canada), followed by McGregor co-starring in star/producer Johnny Depp’s action comedy flop, Mortdecai (2015), co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow under David Koepp’s direction, and distributed by Lionsgate.
Ewan McGregor took on the twin roles of Jesus and Satan in director/writer Rodrigo Garcia’s Biblical drama, Last Days in the Desert (2015), with Tye Sheridan, Ciaran Hinds and Ayelet Zurer, launching at the Sundance Film Festival, produced (in part) by American Zoetrope and released by Broad Green Pictures, and then McGregor joined star/director/co-writer/producer Don Cheadle’s jazz biopic about Miles Davis, Miles Ahead (2015), co-written by Steven Baigelman, co-starring Michael Stuhlbarg and LaKeith Stanfield, premiering at the New York Film Festival and distributed by Sony Pictures Classics. McGregor had a supporting role in the Gavin O’Connor-directed Western, Jane Got a Gun (2015), co-written (in part) by cast member Joel Edgerton, starring Natalie Portman, Noah Emmerich, Rodrigo Santoro and Boyd Holbrook, and which rolled out in cinemas care of The Weinstein Company, followed by McGregor leading the cast of the Susanna White-directed, Hossein Amini-written screen adaptation of John le Carré’s 2010 novel, Our Kind of Traitor (2016), with Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgard, Damian Lewis and Alicia von Rittberg, and released by Lionsgate (U.S.)/StudioCanal (International).
McGregor made his feature directorial debut and was lead of his ambitious film adaptation (with writer John Romano) of Philip Roth’s 1997 novel, American Pastoral (2016), co-starring Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Peter Riegert, Rupert Evans, Uzo Aduba, Molly Parker and David Strathairn, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival and released by Lionsgate, and then McGregor reunited with director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge for the long-awaited sequel, T2 Trainspotting (2017), based on Irvine Welsh’s novels Trainspotting and the 2002 sequel, Porno, with the original cast, and delivering $42 million for TriStar Pictures via Sony Pictures Releasing. McGregor joined the ensemble of Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast (2017), starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKelland and Emma Thompson under Bill Condon’s direction, and was that year’s second-highest-grossing movie with a $1.27 billion return, and then McGregor stayed with Disney for his portrayal of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne in the Marc Forster-directed Christopher Robin (2018), with Hayley Atwell and voice actors Jim Cummings, Nick Mohammed and Brad Garrett, and which grossed $197.7 million.
Ewan McGregor starred as Dan Torrance in director/writer Mike Flanagan’s anticipated sequel to Stephen King’s The Shining based on King’s 2013 novel, Doctor Sleep (2019), with Rebecca Ferguson, Kyliegh Curran and Cliff Curtis, produced (in part) and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, followed by McGregor taking on a supporting role in his first superhero movie, DC Films’ and Warners’ Suicide Squad spinoff, Birds of Prey (2020), produced (in part) by and starring Margot Robbie, with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina and Ali Wong under Cathy Yan’s direction, and which was released by Warner Bros. Pictures. McGregor co-starred in the ensemble of debuting director/co-writer Jimmy Giannopoulos’ crime movie, The Birthday Cake (2021), starring co-writer Shiloh Fernandez, Val Kilmer, Lorraine Bracco, John Magaro, Vincent Pastore, Marla Maples, William Fichtner, Jeremy Allen White, Penn Badgley, Luis Guzman, Aldis Hodge and Paul Sorvino, and distributed by Screen Media Films, which McGregor followed up with his reunion with director/writer Rodrigo Garcia for the comedy drama, Raymond & Ray (2022), co-starring Ethan Hawke, Maribel Verdu, Sophie Okonedo and Vondie Curtis-Hall, and after launching at the Toronto Film Festival was released theatrically before streaming by Apple Original Films.
McGregor voiced the role of Sebastian J. Cricket in co-director/co-writer/producer Guillermo del Toro’s animated Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022), based on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 novel, with the voices of Gregory Mann, David Bradley, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz and Tilda Swinton, produced (in part) by Netflix Animation Studios and The Jim Henson Company and released theatrically by Netflix before streaming, and then McGregor shared top billing with his daughter Clara (who also co-wrote) on the father-daughter drama, Bleeding Love (2023), with Kim Zimmer and Jake Weary under Emma Westenberg’s direction and distributed by Vertical Entertainment after premiering at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
McGregor topped the ensemble of director/writer Niclas Larsson’s comedy drama, Mother, Couch (2023), his English language adaptation of Jerker Virdborg’s 2020 Swedish novel, Mamma i soffa, co-starring Rhys Ifans, Taylor Russell, Ellen Burstyn, Lara Flynn Boyle, F. Murray Abraham and Lake Bell, launching at the Toronto Film Festival and released by Film Movement/Memory, followed by McGregor performing a lead voice role alongside voice actors Helena Bonham Carter, Asa Butterfield, Alisha Weir, Mel Brooks, Terry Jones under Leon Joosen’s direction in the animated fantasy, The Land of Sometimes (2024), produced (in part) by Brooksfilms and distributed care of Radial Entertainment (U.S.)/Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (U.K.)/Vision Film (China)/Front Row Filmed Entertainment (U.A.E., Middle East, North Africa, Iran)/Paradiz (Russia).
Ewan McGregor co-starred with Anne Hathaway in director/writer/producer David Robert Mitchell’s sci-fi thriller, The End of Oak Street (2026), with Maisy Stella and Christian Convery, produced (in part) by J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot and which was released wide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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