Jamie Dornan

2006 British Fashion Awards

Dornan in 2006, photo by PrPhotos.com

Place of Birth: Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland

Date of Birth: 1 May, 1982

Ethnicity: Northern Irish/Irish

Jamie Dornan is a Northern Irish actor, model, and musician. His roles include the films Marie Antoinette (2006), Beyond the Rave, Shadows in the Sun, Flying Home (2014), Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, Anthropoid, The Siege of Jadotville, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, Untogether, A Private War, Robin Hood (2018), Endings, Beginnings; Synchronic, Trolls World Tour, in voice performance; Wild Mountain Thyme, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Belfast, Heart of Stone, and A Haunting in Venice, and television’s Once Upon a Time, The Fall, New Worlds, My Dinner with HervĂ©, Death and Nightingales, and The Tourist. He has appeared in campaigns for Hugo Boss, Dior Homme, and Calvin Klein, and as a model was nicknamed the “Golden Torso.” He was also a member of folk band Sons of Jim.

He is the son of Lorna and Jim Dornan (James Connor Dornan), who was an obstetrician, gynaecologist, and professor. He is from a Protestant family. His grandparents on both sides were Presbyterian ministers. Jamie is married to English actress and musician Amelia Warner, with whom he has three children.

Jamie has said:

I just feel Irish… A lot of that’s down to so many different reasons, mostly geography, that we are an island separate from the UK, so how could you, why would you feel more connected to that other piece of land than you do to the piece of land that you are living on?

One of Jamie’s grandmothers was a first cousin of actress Greer Garson.

Jamie’s paternal grandfather was named James Dornan. James was born in Down.

Jamie’s paternal grandmother was named Clara/Clare Dunn. Clara was born in Belfast, Antrim.

Jamie’s maternal grandfather was John/Jack Bradley Jordan (the son of John Jordan and Charlotte Bradley). Jamie’s grandfather John was born in Edenderry, Ballylesson, Lisburn, Down. Jamie’s great-grandfather John was born in Ballynahatty, the son of John Jordan and Margaret Carruthers. Charlotte was born in Ballymacilrany, Antrim, the daughter of John Bradley and Eliza Rea.

Jamie’s maternal grandmother was named Jean Crawford.

Sources: Genealogy of Jamie Dornan (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com

Marriage records of Jamie’s maternal great-great-grandparents, John Bradley and Eliza Rea – https://www.familysearch.org
https://www.familysearch.org

ethnic

Curious about ethnicity

21 Responses

  1. Oaken05 says:

    Does he pushback against the Ulster Scot designation? Just curious if that would be a more appropriate ethnicity listing than “Northern Irish.”

    • andrew says:

      Crawford and Carruthers are Scottish surnames.

      • Oaken05 says:

        Of course. My question wasn’t whether he has Ulster-Scot background, rather is there a good reason why it’s not listed as such? I suspect this is just and older profile and no one ever got around to doing it, but that’s why I’m bringing this up.

    • follers says:

      Has he referred to himself as Ulster Scots, or anything other than Irish or Northern Irish? I see his cousin Greer Garson isn’t listed as Ulster-Scots, while his son Kenneth Branagh is, although the first-listed comment there is pushing back against that designation. (Garson is listed as Irish and Scottish, as we know for a fact her grandparents were from there).

    • Alice says:

      He has said himself he just feels Irish.

      “I just feel Irish,” he said. “A lot of that’s down to so many different reasons, mostly geography, that we are an island separate from the UK, so how could you, why would you feel more connected to that other piece of land than you do to the piece of land that you are living on?”

  2. gel says:

    He’s got an olive skin hasn’t he? In that respect he reminds me of another person from Northern Ireland, George Best:

    http://www.manutd.com/~/media/Best%2050%20Years/BestWallpaper.ashx?w=2560&h=1600

    I remember an Irish reporter interviewing Best – he said he looked more like an Italian than Irish! Didn’t understand it then, but now I guess its the Scottish influence (https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/aug/15/scotland-dna-study-project).

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