Get To Know the Real 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Christian Grey: Jamie Dornan! 45 fun facts
Jamie Dornan is an up and coming actor from Northern Ireland. He starred in a popular BBC TV show called "The Fall," but he is most probably well known for his role as the sexy Christian Grey in the hit blockbuster "Fifty Shades of Grey." Here are 45 interesting facts about Jamie Dornan.
- His full name is James 'Jamie' Dornan.
- He was born on May 1, 1982 in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.
- His dad is a well-respected obstetrician and gynecologist in Belfast. Jamie Dornan's father, Dr. Jim Dornan, has delivered more than 6,000 babies in addition to being a university professor and a women's rights advocate.
- Sadly, Jamie's mom Lorna, a nurse, died in 1998 after a battle with pancreatic cancer when he was just 16. "There's no easy time to lose a parent," Jamie told The Telegraph. "It was a horrific period in my life."
- At 17-years old, 4 of his friends died in a car accident.
- When he was younger he wanted to be ranger because he loves animals.
- Actress Greer Garson was his grandmother's first cousin, making Greer and Jamie first cousins, twice removed.
(Photo : Ian Gavan/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: Jamie Dornan attends the '9 Countries, 9 men, 1 Winner' Calvin Klein Photocall at House of Fraser, Oxford Street on September 5, 2009 in London, England.
He played rugby all throughout his time in high school and he was also in the drama department.
He attended University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, England but he later dropped out in 2002 to move to London to pursue an acting career. '
He used to pose for Armani and Dior, making him a true high fashion model.
However, he undoubtedly made the greatest impact with his frequent and frequently nearly naked campaigns for Calvin Klein underwear, famously oiled up and pouting for the camera in iconic shots with Kate Moss and Eva Mendes.
(Photo : Tumblr) Calvin Klein
He was very good at modeling that even the New York Times dubbed him "The Golden Torso."
In an interview with the Telegraph, he said that what he remembers most about those shoots was "a lot of people rubbing me down with dark, oily tanning stuff -- I mean, I'm a white Irish guy, it was a problem."
Dornan was the face of the 2007 campaign for men's cologne Dior Homme.
Eddie Redmayne and Andrew Garfield used to be his roommates. "We all met at auditions," Jamie Dornan told Variety. Back in those early days when all three were struggling actors, "We used to go to the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood and split a sandwich between us because that meant we could get cheaper parking," he added. They remained close as their careers exploded. "Redmayne," Jamie explained, "is the social glue that binds us all together.
Jamie has always had great success with the ladies and over the years has been linked with the likes of Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and, less impressively, Lindsay Lohan.
Jamie Dornan began dating Keira Knightley in 2003, after shooting an ad campaign for the English jeweler Asprey.
(Photo : Evan Agostini/Getty Images) NEW YORK - JUNE 28: (U.S. TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actress Keira Knightley and boyfriend Jamie Dornan attend the 'King Arthur' world premiere after-party at The Cathedral Church of St. John The Divine, June 28, 2004 in New York City.
The couple dated for two years before they split. "There is a big pressure when you go out with someone such as Keira," Jamie told the Daily Mirror in 2006, after the split. "The man is meant to be the alpha in the relationship on the money and power front, and clearly I was not. You feel like you have to be dominant in other areas and that causes problems ... "
He got his big break in a period piece. In 2006, Jamie appeared in the Sofia Copolla film Marie Antoinette alongside Kirsten Dunst. Dornan played the role of Count Axel von Fersen , the French man Antoinette has a steamy affair with.
(Photo : Evan Agostini/Getty Images) NEW YORK - OCTOBER 13: Model/actor Jamie Dornan arrives at The New York Film Festival screening of ''Marie Antoinette'' at the Alice Tully Hall on October 13, 2006 in New York City.
Dornan was once part of a folk group called Sons of Jim. While the group may have split back in 2008, they enjoyed some pretty awesome successes in the past. In fact, they opened for singer KT Tunstall.
In 2008, he played the lead role of Ed in the Hammer Horror production Beyond the Rave.
Dornan appeared in the drama film Shadows in the Sun in 2009, which starred three-time Academy Award nominee Jean Simmons.
In 2011, he played Sheriff Graham on the ABC hit series, Once Upon A Time. After his character was killed off, he triumphantly returned as the Huntsman to remain a series regular.
In a Northern Irish drama titled "The Fall," Jamie plays a serial killer on the loose in Belfast. Gillian Anderson of X-Files fame stars alongside him in the creepy series. "I wasn't who people were thinking of for the part. Right from the start the writer had this underlying belief that I was the guy, and I'm massively thankful to him for that," he said. "I feel like I f***ing earned it. I worked my d*** off for that role."
He is 6'0 (183 cm) tall.
He feels "uncomfortable" without a beard. Jamie Dornan is rarely without facial hair these days, much to our dismay. He says it's because he still sees himself as a skinny, baby-faced boy. "I feel uncomfortable without it," he told the Guardian. "I find myself moving differently. I don't like myself without a beard."
When Keira Knightley asked what she thought about her ex being cast as Christian Grey, she giggled and gave him her support. "Well, he's a very good-looking boy," she said. "I'm sure the girls will love him."
Jamie Dornan married actress and singer Amelia Warner in April 2013 and they welcomed a daughter, Dulcie, in late 2013 -- three days before "Fifty Shades of Grey" started filming. "She's dream stuff. It's amazing," Jamie told British Vogue of his wife.
(Photo : Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Jamie Dornan (L) and Amelia Warner attend the Arqiva British Academy Television Awards at Theatre Royal on May 18, 2014 in London, England.
Amelia once had a high-profile romance with another Irish star, Colin Farrell. Though they had a wedding ceremony in Tahiti in 2001, she later revealed it wasn't legal.
He wasn't first in line to get the role of Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey." Charlie Hunnam from "Sons of Anarchy" dropped out and Dornan replaced him.
(Photo : Ian Gavan/Getty Images) LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 12: Jamie Dornan attends the UK Premiere of 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' at Odeon Leicester Square on February 12, 2015 in London, England.
He only had four weeks to prepare his body for those "Fifty Shades of Grey" sex scenes. "I think I am like anyone -- I have massive hang-ups about my physical appearance,"Jamie Dornan admitted to Ireland's Independent. "I have the same insecurities when I was a kid and when I see an image of myself, all I see is this skinny kid and I don't like it. I only had four weeks to work out for this role. I would have liked more time. But like I said, I don't think I am ever going to be happy with how I look."
He's a gentleman. Jamie Dornan felt protective of co-star Dakota Johnson while shooting their intimate "Fifty Shades of Grey" sex scenes. "Some of the Red Room stuff was uncomfortable," he told Glamour, making it clear the BDSM lifestyle his character embraces is not his own personal cup of tea. "There were times when Dakota was not wearing much, and I had to do stuff to her that I'd never choose to do to a woman." Added Dakota: "It's stressful enough to be tied to a bed, naked, in a scene. But then they call 'cut' and you're still tied to the bed, naked. Jamie would be the first one to throw a blanket over me."
He feels comfortable getting nude in front of the camera. Jamie said that he was "****ing excited" when he heard that he landed the lead role in Fifty Shades. He also insists that the graphic and heavily sexual themes of the story didn't faze him. "I'm a fairly liberal guy, I grew up in a very liberal place. I'm not saying we had a playroom but I'm not shocked by the sex in the book. It's essential to tell the story. I can't believe films that don't invoke the sexual side of it. So it works for me."
He is very funny and he shows that side of him on Twitter.
Hey guy who doesn't use deodorant and just had his armpit in my nose on the tube. Thanks, made my day!
- Jamie Dornan (@JamieDornan) March 8, 2013
He's obsessed with comedian Don Rickles. Jamie Dornan admits he had one of his best birthdays ever when his wife surprised him with tickets to see the comedy legend perform in Atlantic City a few years ago. He even has an autographed photo of Rickles which he hangs just above his bathtub. Yup, his bathtub.
His favorite TV show of all time is "Lost."
He has asthma.
He never goes out without his iPod and his inhaler.
His favorite city in the world is New York City.
His favorite color is green.
He's insecure about something most of us take for granted. "I've always had a complex with the way I walk," Jamie Dornan admitted of his "quite bouncy" gait during a 2014 appearance on Graham Norton's U.K. talk show. "I have quite pronounced calf muscles [and] I always thought it was a hereditary thing," Jamie explained -- until a friend set him straight. "He said, 'You know why you have big calves? It's because you walk on your tip toes.'" At his wife's suggestion, Jamie tried leaning back when he walked; it didn't help. Then he took dancing lessons for his role in "Fifty Shades of Grey" and his instructor told him to focus on a heel-to-toe movement. "No one ever told me that!" Jamie said with a laugh. "I was always toe-to-more-toe! Now I just apply that every day."
