ACTOR · BORN 1971
Ewan McGregor
- Born
- 31 March 1971, Perth, Scotland, UK
- Known for
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
96 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
16 Facts About Ewan McGregor's Life and Family
- #005
Ewan McGregor is very particular about photographs of his children being taken or of them appearing on television. He believes that being famous should not give anyone the right to intrude on his private life.
- #006
In 2011, Ewan McGregor adopted another daughter, a baby named Anouk (her nationality was not made public).
- #009
UNICEF ambassador Ewan McGregor adopted a four-year-old girl named Jamyan from Mongolia, whom he met while travelling the world in 2004.
- #010
Ewan McGregor says he was inspired to enter show business by his uncle, the actor Denis Lawson. Lawson played Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.
- #011
The Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi uses the call sign "Red Leader" in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Wedge Antilles, played by McGregor's uncle Denis Lawson, has the same call sign in Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983).
- #017
Before setting off on his round-the-world trip with Charley Boorman, Ewan McGregor had laser eye surgery to improve his eyesight so that he would not need to wear glasses or contact lenses.
- #019
Ewan McGregor first attempted to quit smoking in November 2000, but started again three months later. With the help of a hypnotherapist, he finally gave up the habit completely between 2008 and 2009. He also gave up alcohol in November 2000.
- #025
After leaving school in 1987 at the age of 16, McGregor worked as a stagehand at Perth Repertory Theatre and took small roles in its productions.
- #030
On 5 July 2001, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Ulster at a graduation ceremony in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- #035
He and his uncle Denis Lawson have worked with two of the same directors. Both appeared in Star Wars films directed by George Lucas. McGregor's first film, Being Human (1994), was directed by Bill Forsyth, who also directed Lawson's Local Hero (1983).
- #036
He lived in North London, England, with his family until they moved to Los Angeles in 2008.
- #062
He studied for three years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and graduated in 1992.
- #066
He is a distant cousin of Heather Menzies, an actress in The Sound of Music (1965).
- #072
During the South American motorcycle trip Long Way Up (2020), Ewan revealed that one of his father's great-grandfathers, John "Juan" Charles McIndoe, was born in Chile to a Scottish family while his father worked there as a labourer on railway construction. John later went to Glasgow to work as a diplomat and wine importer. The rest of his Scottish ancestry is from Clan Gregor.
- #085
Ewan McGregor's father was a physical education teacher and his mother was a special needs teacher.
- #094
Ewan McGregor is a cousin of Lou Gish and Kay Curram.
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