Kevin McKidd Movies
A Scottish actor whose heritage is betrayed as much by his pale skin and red hair as it is by his accent, Kevin McKidd first earned recognition in 1996 with parts in Trainspotting and Small Faces, two films that helped to put the Scottish film industry on the world cinema map.Born and raised in Elgin, a town in the northeast of Scotland, McKidd developed an interest in acting early on and was active with the Moray Youth Theatre throughout his childhood and adolescence. His time as an engineering student at the University of Edinburgh produced little in the way of engineering but did allow McKidd to rack up experience as part of the university's Bedlam Theatre. Finally deciding to chuck his course of study in order to pursue acting full-time, he enrolled in the Queen Margaret Drama School, where he trained until he graduated in 1994.
Immediately after his graduation, McKidd auditioned for and won the lead role in The Silver Darlings, which was staged by Robert Carlyle's Rain Dog Theatre Company. This was followed by his casting as a vicious Glasgow gang leader in Gillies MacKinnon's Small Faces (1995) and his role as Tommy, an Iggy Pop-worshipping, AIDS-stricken heroin addict in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996). The huge success of the latter film got McKidd noticed, although his performance was largely overshadowed by those of co-stars Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. However, the actor soon found more work headed in his direction and spent the rest of the decade appearing in a steady stream of small art house pictures. Among the films he appeared in were Gilles MacKinnon's Hideous Kinky (1998), in which he had a cameo as a massively stoned traveler in Morocco and Rose Troche's Bedrooms and Hallways (1998), in which he starred as a gay man grappling with bisexual urges.
In addition to his work on the screen, McKidd remained active on the stage, portraying the title character in the Almeida Theatre production of Jean Racine's Britannicus and starring alongside Jude Law in director Jonathan Kent's Albery Theatre production of John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a young man with few prospects and fewer ambitions, lives in economically depressed Edinburgh. Like most of his friends, Renton is a heroin addict who loves the drug's blissful nothingness; financing his habit also provides excitement and challenges that his life otherwise lacks. Renton's two best friends are also junkies: Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a snappy dresser obsessed with James Bond, and Spud (Ewan Bremner), a guileless nerd who suggests Pee Wee Herman's debauched cousin. Renton and his pals also hang out with Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a borderline psychotic who loathes junkies even though he drinks like a fish. After one too many brushes with the law, Renton kicks heroin and moves to London, where he finds a job, a flat, and something close to peace of mind. However, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud all arrive at his doorstep on the trail of a big score, leading Renton back into drugs and crime. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, (more)
This light romantic comedy follows the amorous backstage shenanigans of the cast and crew as they prepare to stage "The Hit Man," noted playwright Felix Webb's latest play. The trouble begins when director Humphrey Beal hires Felix's extramarital lover Hilary Rule as his leading lady. Working in such close proximity does nothing to help an already tense relationship made more shaky by Hilary's insistence that Felix leave his insecure wife Elena. When Humphrey hires hot, young movie star Robin Grange to play opposite Hilary, matters really heat up, especially after the handsome and perceptive young stud offers to seduce Elena so that Felix can have grounds to dump her. Unfortunately for Felix, this dreamy solution soon turns to a nightmare when Robin proves too irresistible. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
Scottish filmmaker Gillies MacKinnon directed and co-wrote (with brother Billy MacKinnon) this semi-autobiographical drama set in the working class Glasgow of 1968. Thirteen-year-old Lex Maclean (Iain Robertson) is torn between his brothers, his only male role models. Alan (Joseph McFadden) is an aspiring artist who's on his way to develop his talent at school. Bobby (J.S. Duffy) is mentally disturbed and somewhat simple-minded and has become involved with a local gang, the Glens. While walking down the street with Bobby one day, Lex takes an air gun and casually shoots it at some boys, hitting Malky Johnson (Kevin McKidd) in the eye. The leader of a rival gang, the Tongs, Johnson is aware that his girlfriend Joanne Macgowan (Laura Fraser) has a crush on Alan. Johnson's blinding injury turns him into a deadly enemy of Lex and his brothers. Offered protection by Bobby's gang, Lex must choose between two different paths. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clare Higgins, Iain Robertson, (more)
