Anne-Marie Duff Wiki: Actress, Net Worth, 'Shameless' & Facts About James McAvoy's Ex Wife

Anne-Marie Duff was born in London, England, in 1970. Her parents are both Irish, and she has one elder sibling. She began acting at a young age to overcome her natural shyness, and loved it right away. At 19, she attended the Drama Centre in London alongside her good friend and famous actor, Paul Bettany. She began acting in earnest in 1997, when she started getting small television roles. In 2002, she played a major role in the film ‘The Magdalene Sisters.’ It was the first film or television show she was in to receive lots of attention. ‘The Magdalene Sisters’ is about three young women struggling to keep their spirits while they are inmates of the Magdalene Sisters Asylum. The film was nominated for two BAFTA Awards and was the winner of the Discovery Award at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival.

Anne-Marie Duff started to become well known outside of the festival circuit in 2004 when she was chosen to play Fiona Gallagher on the television series ‘Shameless.’ Although there is an American remake currently on air, the original ‘Shameless’ is a darkly comedic British drama, chronicling the lives of the many children of the Gallagher family. Fiona is the oldest sibling and primary caregiver for the family. ‘Shameless’ became extremely popular, and was on the air for eleven seasons, ending in 2013. Duff was a main character for the first two seasons from 2004 to 2006, and then appeared in the series finale in 2013. During her time on ‘Shameless,’ Duff was nominated for several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a TV Series in 2005 and 2006. She was also nominated for two consecutive Irish Film and Television Awards in 2004 and 2005.

‘Shameless’ was not only a turning point in her career, but in her personal life. James McAvoy played her love interest on the show, and the two became a couple in real life. Duff is nine years McAvoy’s senior, but their chemistry on the show was evident and they eventually married in 2006. Duff gave birth to their son, Brendan, in 2010. They announced in 2016 that they would be divorcing after ten years of marriage. The two seem to be on good terms as they are both working on the upcoming series ‘Watership Down.’

After ‘Shameless,’ Duff moved on to star in television series and independent films. She is most well known for her parts in ‘The Virgin Queen,’ ‘Nowhere Boy,’ and ‘Suffragette.’ ‘The Virgin Queen’ is a four episode miniseries about Queen Elizabeth I. Duff stars as Elizabeth, and was highly praised for her work. She was nominated for another BAFTA Award for Best Actress, and another Irish Film and Television Award. ‘The Virgin Queen’ was also nominated for Best Drama Series at the 2007 BAFTA Awards. Duff continued to have a string of small parts in high profile television series and films in between her starring roles. She played a small part in Oscar nominated ‘Notes On A Scandal’ in 2006, and in Oscar nominated ‘The Last Station’ in 2009. James McAvoy is also in ‘The Last Station,’ which stars Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer. ‘Nowhere Boy,’ an indie drama about the young John Lennon, was released in 2009. Duff plays Lennon’s erratic mother, Julia, and their relationship is largely the focus of the film. Duff and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who plays Lennon, were praised for their work. ‘Nowhere Boy’ was nominated for four BAFTA Awards, including one for Duff for Best Supporting Actress. Duff also won a London Critics Circle Film Award and an Evening Standard British Film Award for her work in ‘Nowhere Boy.’ After taking about a year off for the birth of her son, Duff returned to acting with a few small roles in 2012 and 2013. Her next more significant role came in 2015, when she played Violet Miller in the film ‘Suffragette.’ The film is about a group of suffragettes in 1912 London, who are willing to go to any lengths to meet their goal. She stars alongside Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and Meryl Streep. For ‘Suffragette,’ Duff was nominated for another British Independent Film Award, and won a Women Film Critics Circle Award along with the rest of the cast for Best Ensemble.

Anne-Marie Duff’s upcoming projects include drama film ‘On Chesil Beach,’ and television series ‘Watership Down.’ ‘On Chesil Beach’ is set to be released in May 2018, and stars Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle as a young English couple in the 1960’s, with themes surrounding sexual freedom and marriage. ‘Watership Down’ is an animated series about a group of rabbits, with a stellar voice acting cast that includes John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult and Ben Kingsley. ‘Watership Down’ is currently in production and does not have a set release date yet.

Anne Marie-Duff’s net worth is currently unknown, but James McAvoy’s net worth is currently estimated at $17 million.