Born in Wythenshawe, Manchester, England. Jamie is the youngest of three brothers. Early in life Jamie wanted to be a footballer, but turned his attentions to acting at age 16. He failed all his GCSE School Examinations, but retook them and then progressed to A-Levels. He could not get to grips with A-Levels so moved to London to become an actor. He had no theatrical training and no CV. At age 19, he won the lead role in Butterfly Collectors opposite Pete Postlethwaite. He went on to play Tony Elliot (Billy's older brother) in Billy Elliot and starred in several TV series including Ultimate Force, Messiah and more recently The Mill for Channel 4. Recent film roles include Badlands and S. A. Halewood's Division 19 shot in Detroit.