Ewan McGregor

"What Episode I star has been called 'the biggest thing out of Scotland since argyle socks'?"

―An Episode I preview question from Star Wars Trivial Pursuit indicating Ewan McGregor^[src]

Ewan Gordon McGregor, born March 31, 1971 in Crieff, Scotland, is a well-known Scottish film actor who has had significant success in mainstream, independent, and art-house films.

Early lifeEdit

Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31, 1971, in Crieff, Scotland. His mother, Carol Diane, is a teacher and school administrator, and his father, James Charles Stuart McGregor, is a physical-education teacher. At 16, McGregor left Crieff and Morrison Academy to join the Perth Repertory Theatre. His parents encouraged him to leave school and pursue his acting goals rather than be unhappy. McGregor studied drama for a year at Kirkcaldly in Fife, then enrolled at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a three-year course. He studied alongside Daniel Craig and Alistair McGowan, among others, and left just before graduating after snagging the role of Private Mick Hopper in Dennis Potter's 1993 six-part Channel 4 series Lipstick on Your Collar (1993).

CareerEdit

His first notable role was that of Alex Law in Shallow Grave (1995), directed by Danny Boyle, written by John Hodge and produced by Andrew MacDonald. This was followed by The Pillow Book (1996) and Trainspotting (1996), the latter of which brought him to the public's attention. McGregor has been featured as the male romantic lead in Hollywood films such as Moulin Rouge and Down With Love, and in the British film Little Voice. He received excellent reviews for his performance as an amoral drifter mixed up in murder in the British film Young Adam (2003), which co-starred the acclaimed British actress Tilda Swinton. He also appeared in the war flick Black Hawk Down, and as Ian Rider, Alex Rider's uncle, in Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker. He is also known for his role as Edward Bloom in the 2003 film Big Fish, and Patrick McKenna in the 2009 film Angels and Demons.

Star WarsEdit

"George Lucas wanted to do something very different with the prequels. That’s why people felt cheated. It was upsetting when people would laugh and joke about it. Now, many years later, the prequels meant a lot to the generation that were kids then. So from smirking, cynical opinions, now I’m getting feedback from the kids they were made for. I’m really happy about that."

―Ewan McGregor on the prequel trilogy^[src]

Within the realm of the Star Wars saga, McGregor is best known for his portrayal of a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace, and an older one in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.^[1]

Coincidentally, McGregor is the nephew of Denis Lawson, the Scottish actor who portrayed hotshot pilot Wedge Antilles in all three episodes of the original trilogy.

In 1995, McGregor appeared in an episode of the crime drama Kavanagh QC alongside Star Wars co-star Oliver Ford Davies. McGregor also starred in 1996's Brassed Off with Kenneth Colley.

There are several references to Jedi and Jedi powers in his more recent film The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Since the news about the sequel trilogy was announced, he expressed interest in coming back to the series if asked to. He made a brief audio appearance in Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens as Kenobi's voice calling out to Rey in her Force-induced visions.^[2]

As a producerEdit

McGregor has formed a production company with friends Jonny Lee Miller, Sean Pertwee, Jude Law and Sadie Frost. Called Natural Nylon, they hope it will make innovative films that do not conform to Hollywood standards.

Personal lifeEdit

McGregor is married to French production designer Eve Mavrakis, whom he met while working on the TV show Kavanagh QC (1995). They married in France on July 22, 1995, and have two daughters, Clara Mathilde (born in February 1996) and Esther Rose (born on November 7, 2001). In April 2006, McGregor and his wife adopted Jamiyan, a four-year-old girl from Mongolia (born June 2001). Also in 2006, McGregor contributed a rendition of "The Sweetest Gift" by Sade to Unexpected Dreams—Songs from the Stars, a celebrity compilation album.^[3]

In a November 2007 episode of Parkinson, Ewan claimed that he has given up alcohol after a period where he was arguably a functioning alcoholic, and that he has not had a drink in seven years. He has since been relatively open about his battles with clinical depression. In 2008, he had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his right eye.