James "Jamie" Dornan (born 1 May 1982 in Holywood, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish model, actor, and singer, known primarily for starring in the film adaptation of EL James' erotica novel Fifty Shades of Grey as Christian Grey.
He's also known for his roles in television, namely Sheriff Graham Humbert / The Huntsman on ABC's fantasy series Once Upon a Time, and Paul Spector (opposite Gillian Anderson) on BBC's crime drama The Fall (2013).
Selected filmography:
- Marie Antoinette (2006) as Axel von Fersen
- Once Upon a Time (2011 — 2013) as Sheriff Graham Humbert / The Huntsman
- The Fall (2013 — 2017) as Paul Spector
- Fifty Shades of Grey (2015 — 2018) as Christian Grey:
- Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
- Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
- Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
- Anthropoid (2016) as Jan Kubis
- The Siege of Jadotville (2016) as Pat Quinlan
- Untogether (2018) as Nick
- Robin Hood (2018) as Will Scarlet
- Synchronic (2019) as Dennis
- Trolls World Tour (2020) as Chaz (voice)
- Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021) as Edgar Paget
- Belfast (2021) as Pa
- The Tourist (2022 — 2024) as "The Man" / Elliot Stanley
- Heart of Stone (2023) as Parker
- A Haunting in Venice (2023) as Dr. Leslie Ferrier, Leopold Ferrier's father
He provides examples of:
- Actor Allusion: In Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana makes a joke about Christian being a serial killer, as a nod to his role in The Fall (2013).
- Deleted Role: He filmed a two-minute cameo in Burnt, adding backstory for Sienna Miller's character. Test audiences disapproved of it and it was cut.
- Dyeing for Your Art: He prefers to have a beard but shaves it to play Christian Grey - something he had to do every morning. He also had to drink five protein shakes a day and do rigorous ab and core workouts to give himself abs. He even had to learn how to walk differently, since he prefers to walk on his toes rather than heels.
- Enforced Method Acting: For The Siege of Jadotville, he and the other actors were put through a boot camp to be given military training. Jamie was also put in charge of the other actors to get him into the mindset of playing the leader.
- Fake American: He portrays one as Christian Grey. His accent slips quite a bit in the first movie but has improved slightly by the time of Fifty Shades Darker.
- Fake Nationality: He plays a Czech in Anthropoid and a Swede in Marie Antoinette.
- Mr. Fanservice: Epitomized by his role in the Fifty Shades trilogy of erotic films, which features him in many sex scenes and various states of dress. He had a few fanservice-y moments in Marie Antoinette too.
- The Other Marty: Charlie Hunnam was originally cast as Christian in Fifty Shades of Grey, but dropped out shortly before filming was set to begin and Jamie replaced him.
- Playing Against Type: He tends to be a Villain Protagonist or at least a morally questionable character; Graham from Once Upon a Time as an unwilling and rebellious servant of the Evil Queen is probably the most heroic role he's ever played.
- Star-Making Role: He gained recognition and acclaim for his role as Paul Spector in The Fall, though it was his role as Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey that made him a household name.
- Those Two Actors: He's appeared with Sam Keeley in Anthropoid, The Siege of Jadotville and Burnt (though his scene was cut from the latter).
- What Could Have Been:
- There was talk of Graham returning for the Once Upon a Time Season 3 finale, where Emma would glimpse him from afar in the past but be unable to reach out to him. Due to scheduling conflicts with Fifty Shades of Grey, it was cut.
- He originally auditioned for a police officer in The Fall (2013), and ended up cast as Paul instead.
