Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31, 1971, in the small town of Crieff, Scotland. The son of teachers, James and Carol McGregor, Ewan also has a brother, Colin, who is a pilot in the Royal Air Force. McGregor had an idyllic childhood, playing in the forests around Crieff and showing off his already apparent mimetic skills by doing Elvis impressions for his parents and their friends.
Young Ewan's first inspiration to become an actor was his uncle, Dennis Lawson, who would go on to play ace pilot Wedge Antilles throughout the original Star Wars trilogy. "He had long hair, beads and a furry waistcoat," McGregor has said of his uncle. "I aspired to be as different as he seemed to me." With Lawson's example not far from his mind, McGregor left Crieff to work at the Perth Repertory Theatre when he was 16. Next, he studied drama for a year in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and then went to London, where he took a three-year drama course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1993, right before he was to have graduated, McGregor left to pursue roles in television and film .
spotting a good gig McGregor's first big break came in 1994, playing Alex Law in the British thriller Shallow Grave . The film, directed by Danny Boyle, written by John Hodge, and produced by Andrew Macdonald, brought McGregor to an international audience, and his stardom was assured two years later when the Shallow Grave production team reunited to bring Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting to the screen. In Trainspotting , McGregor starred as Mark "Rent-boy" Renton, a heroin addict who famously dives into the filthiest toilet in Scotland.
McGregor's breakthrough performance in Trainspotting established him as an actor on the rise. Praise from critics and audiences alike continued throughout 1996 as he landed roles in many film projects ranging from the movie version of Jane Austen's Emma -- starring Gwyneth Paltrow -- and the working-class comedy Brassed Off , to Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book . In 1997, McGregor starred in A Life Less Ordinary , co-starring Cameron Diaz , and the next year he appeared in Velvet Goldmine .
a force to be reckoned with McGregor, who had always preferred to work in offbeat films , attracted the attention of Hollywood nevertheless. In 1999, he starred as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas ' highly-anticipated prequel to the Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace . McGregor attacked the role with his usual dedication, screening all the films of Sir Alec Guinness, who had played Kenobi in the original series, to match his performance with the elder actor's.
Since then, McGregor has gone on to appear in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge and Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (both 2001), and, in 2002, reprised his Star Wars role in Episode II -- Attack of the Clones . In 2003, he starred in the retro sex comedy Down with Love , and, as Joe Taylor, McGregor tackles "possibly the most introverted and complicated part that I have ever played" in the British crime thriller, Young Adam .
a star family man Currently filming Star Wars -- Episode III in Australia, McGregor, when not filming, lives in London with his wife of eight years, French production designer Eve Mavrakis, and their two children, 7-year-old Clara Mathilde and 2-year-old Esther Rose.
Sometimes regarded as the "poster boy" for the resurgence of British cinema in the 1990s, Ewan McGregor's first claims to fame as an actor came from his performances in Shallow Grave and Trainspotting . After a string of notable turns in low-budget films, McGregor was cast as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. In between battles with the dark side, he has also starred in Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down , and will next appear in the upcoming Young Adam .
Perceived as a bit of a maverick, McGregor certainly has an irreverent side, as his interests include racing motorcycles and playing rock music. Yet McGregor is serious and passionate when it comes to his chosen profession.
Indeed, McGregor makes no secret that he disdains method acting and mainstream Hollywood. He would never want to take a role in "a crappy event movie for a lot of money"... well, with maybe one exception. How did he explain himself? "I know what I said, but, hey! This is Star Wars !"
McGregor is outgoing and sometimes opinionated, but despite his energy and devilishness, he remains the consummate professional about his work, as many of those who have directed him attest. According to Baz Luhrmann ( Moulin Rouge ), he's "always at his best in difficult times." Part of McGregor's appeal, adds Shallow Grave and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle, is that like Sean Connery , McGregor "has that twinkle in his eye."
Certainly, McGregor's talent is unquestioned. Throughout his career so far, he's shown extraordinary range, a welcome dividend of his need to stay challenged as an actor. In fact, his talent and skill will only increase as time goes on. "Ewan is a brilliant actor with depths that I don't think have been tapped yet in his varied performances," maintains George Lucas . "He will survive Star Wars ."
McGregor, standing a respectable 5'10" ½ tall, has the blue eyes and boyish good looks that have allowed him to play the Hollywood heartthrob as often as he takes on darker or more complex roles. He has a bit of the prankster in him, and "he's very seductive and he's romantic" too -- at least so says his wife Eve.
Of course, since McGregor has had a wife and family for years, he's most definitely off the market. McGregor's been a little bewildered about reactions to his married status; too many people are shocked, as if marriage and fatherhood is "the end of the world." On the contrary, counters McGregor, "it's the start of a brilliant world." All together now: "Awww!"
At 32, McGregor has an impressive resume that goes back a decade. Now, he's considered one of the top ten British actors and movie stars (he ranked eighth in the 2001 Orange Film Survey), and in 2002 he won the Film Actor Award for Moulin Rouge at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards (he won the same honor in 1999). He has also founded a production company, Natural Nylon, with friends -- including former roommate Jude Law .
Although well-known to the art-house crowd by the mid-1990s, McGregor's fame went into the stratosphere once he became the new Obi-Wan Kenobi, and his face was all over toys, posters, comic books, and other merchandise and promotional materials. Judging by his steady and high-quality output since then, in movies from Moulin Rouge to Black Hawk Down , there's no reason that he will continue to be famous well after the Star Wars series ends in 2005.
Reinventing one of the key characters in the Star Wars saga, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, is about as cool as it comes. But even without the lightsaber duels and action figures in his likeness, McGregor has the energy and talent to make him a real presence no matter where he turns up.
McGregor certainly has some cool hobbies. Though dedicated to acting, he is an accomplished singer and aspires to be a rock star. In addition, one of his passions is motorcycle riding, which appeals to his rebel personality. In fact, his insistence on riding to the Star Wars: Episode III set has the film's insurance people all aflutter: they wish he'd be like all the other stars and take the chauffeured limo.
McGregor's sense of mischief and danger has an impact on his style. Usually, McGregor can be seen in casual attire; anything from a simple T-shirt or zip-up sweater to a leather jacket and full-blown biker gear. Even for more formal occasions, he'd be hard pressed to wear a tie, preferring a more laid-back jacket and T-shirt combo.
Even when he absolutely has to look his best, McGregor likes to do things differently. At the Phantom Menace premiere, he wore a tux with a kilt. And while his hair has the reddish-brown tint of a genuine Scot, McGregor often changes his hair color and style, and is occasionally spotted with a beard or even eyeliner
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