EWAN MCGREGOR played the starring role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ three Star Wars prequels. He recently starred in Roman Polanski’s The Ghost Writer, with Pierce Brosnan; Amelia, starring Hillary Swank; the thriller Incendiary, with Michelle Williams; The Men Who Stare At Goats, alongside George Clooney; and I Love You, Phillip Morris, opposite Jim Carrey.
McGregor was born in Scotland and started acting with the Perth Repertory Theatre. He was still a student at London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama when he won a leading role in Dennis Potter’s BBC series “Lipstick on Your Collar.” He has worked steadily ever since.
McGregor made his feature debut in Bill Forsyth’s Being Human. The following year, he won widespread acclaim for Shallow Grave, his first collaboration with director Danny Boyle. In 1996, McGregor starred in Boyle’s critically hailed crime-drama Trainspotting and in 1997, he played the lead in A Life Less Ordinary, opposite Cameron Diaz.
Other films in which McGregor has starred include Deception, opposite Michelle Williams; Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream, with Colin Farrell; Miss Potter and Down with Love, both opposite Renée Zellweger; Young Adam, alongside Tilda Swinton; Tim Burton’s Big Fish, with Albert Finney; Michael Bay’s The Island, opposite Scarlet Johansson; and Marc Forster’s Stay, with Naomi Watts. McGregor also lent his voice to the animated comedy Robots.
Other film credits include Emma, with Gwyneth Paltrow; Brassed Off and Little Voice, both for director Mark Herman; The Serpent’s Kiss, for Philippe Rousselot; Velvet Goldmine, for Todd Haynes; Moulin Rouge!, for Baz Luhrmann; and Black Hawk Down, for Ridley Scott.
On American television, McGregor received an Emmy® nomination for his performance on “E.R.” His documentary series “Long Way Down,” which chronicled his motorbike trip from Northern Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa, premiered in 2008 on Fox Reality Channel.
McGregor was seen on the West End stage as Sky Masterson in the Donmar Theatre’s multi-award-winning production of “Guys and Dolls.” He also starred in the critically acclaimed West End production of “Othello.”
Biography courtesy of Relativity Media. Haywire opened Jan. 20th.
