Life story of actor Jamie Dornan
The role of the sadomasochistic billionaire opened the door to Hollywood for him, but Jamie Dornan has long proved that he is much more than an actor with a 'golden torso'.
Until recently, for many, the first thought at the first mention of the '50 Shades' trilogy was the sexy Irishman, Jamie Dornan. But in the meantime, he outgrew that role, and Hollywood finally began to take him seriously, offering him the ones he deserved.
When he decided to become an actor, he was ready for anything, even modeling to pay his rent. However, because of that decision, he was marked for a very long time, and many directors considered him just a handsome actor, a former model who has nothing to offer. He was aware of that himself:‘I spent several years in the fashion world, leaning against a wall, pretending to be depressed while being photographed, but when I wanted to show that I know and act, no one took me seriously. I had to break those prejudices. 'The days he spent working as a model today are a thing of the past, but Dornan still knows how to joke well at his own expense, especially when he remembers the time when he was the face of Calvin Klein.
'I remember a lot of people touching me then and lubricating me with self-tanning oils. And look at me, I'm white, Irish, and that was a big problem. ' But he also remembers some beautiful things from that time, such as posing with Eva Mendes or Kate Moss, as well as Keira Knightley, with whom he was in a relationship from 2003 to 2005.
He was born on May 1, 1982, as James Peter Maxwell Dornan, but eventually became only Jamie Dornan. It seems that his place of birth foretold where he would pursue his career. He was born in the small town of Hollywood in Northern Ireland and grew up in the suburbs of Belfast. His father Jim Dornan was a gynecologist and obstetrician, responsible for the birth of 6,000 children, and his mother Lorna was a nurse. He grew up as the youngest in the family, with two older sisters, Lies and Jessica, and although his sports career smiled on him because he was very successful in rugby, he took a different path. The Dornan family was struck by tragedy when Jamie was 16 years old. Then his mother Lorna passed away after battling pancreatic cancer, and just a year later four of his good friends were killed in a horrific car accident. For Jamie, it was a terrible time and it marked him greatly.
For a short time he was involved in music and sang in the band Sons of Jim, and his love for acting was born while he was attending Methodist school in Belfast. Although he enrolled at Teesside College, he dropped out of it in 2002 and moved to London to pursue acting. Despite expectations, he never applied to any acting school, and for the first six months, he paid his bills by working at a pub in Knightsbridge, after which he began modeling. Even today, when he talks about that period, he claims that it was a very difficult time for him, financially exhausting, and he started as a waiter because he could barely make ends meet.
He got his first engagement for Calvin Klein's underwear in 2004 and then posed with Russian Natalia Vodianova, after which he posed with Kate Moss in 2006, and four years later with Eva Mendes. The New York Times called him the ‘golden torso’, and in 2015, Vogue named him one of the 25 best male models of all time.
When it comes to his private life, after spending two years with Keira Knightley, he found happiness in 2010 with British actress and singer Amelia Warner. The couple got engaged in 2012, and a year later they were married. Over the years, they have had three daughters, Dulcie, Elva and Alberta.
'I consider it a wonderful duty to take care of the children and it suits me. Making my children happy is the most beautiful thing that moves me, as well as my wife. ' Jamie said.
