title: James Nesbitt

text: The day after leaving CSSD in 1987, Nesbitt got a bit part in "Virtuoso", a BBC Two "Screen Two" television play about the life of John Ogdon. He worked for two days on the play, earning £250 per day. His first professional stage appearance came in the same year, when he played Keith in "Up on the Roof". The musical ran at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, before transferring to the London West End. Nesbitt reprised the role when the production returned to Plymouth in early 1989. Roger Malone in "The Stage and Television Today" wrote that Nesbitt "steals the show with the best lines and best delivery as he laconically squares up to life with an easy contentment". Nesbitt appeared in two other plays in 1989; in June, he played Dukes Frederick and Senior in Paul Jepson's "As You Like It" at the Rose Theatre Club, and then appeared in Yuri Lyubimov's version of "Hamlet". "Hamlet" had been translated back to English from Boris Pasternak's Russian translation. It ran at the Haymarket Theatre, Leicester for a month before a transfer to the Old Vic and then a nine-month world tour. Nesbitt played Guildenstern, Barnardo and the second gravedigger. He recalled that the play received "shocking" reviews, but was exciting.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In the early 1990s, he lived with fellow actor Jerome Flynn and earned money by signing fan mail for the successful star of "Soldier Soldier". In his debut feature film, "Hear My Song" (Peter Chelsom, 1991), Nesbitt played Fintan O'Donnell, a struggling theatrical agent and friend of Mickey O'Neill (Adrian Dunbar). A "New York Times" critic wrote, "the jaunty, bemused Mr. Nesbitt, manages to combine soulfulness with sly humor". The praise he received made him self-assured and complacent; in 2001, he recalled, "When I did "Hear My Song", I disappeared so far up my own arse afterwards. I thought, 'Oh, that's it, I've cracked it.' And I'm glad that happened, because you then find out how expendable actors are." His attitude left him out of work for six months after the film was released. Until 1994, he mixed his stage roles with supporting roles on television in episodes of "Boon", "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles", "Covington Cross", "Lovejoy", and "Between the Lines". In 1993, he appeared in "Love Lies Bleeding", an instalment of the BBC anthology series "Screenplay" and his first appearance in a production directed by Michael Winterbottom; he later appeared in "Go Now" (1995), "Jude" (1996) and "Welcome to Sarajevo" (1997). A "Guardian" journalist wrote that "he showed himself to be a generous supporting actor" in "Jude" and "Sarajevo".


title: James Nesbitt

text: Back on stage, he appeared as Doalty in "Translations" (Gwenda Hughes, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 1991), Aidan in "Una Pooka" (Mark Lambert and Nicholas Kent, Tricycle Theatre, 1992), Damien in "Paddywack" (Michael Latimer), Cockpit Theatre, 1994), and Jesus in "Darwin's Flood" (Simon Stokes, Bush Theatre, 1994). "Paddywack", in which Nesbitt's character is suspected by others of being an IRA member, transferred to the United States for a run at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut in October 1994. A "Variety" critic called Damien "the play's only fully developed character" and commended Nesbitt for giving "the one strong, telling performance [of the cast]". In 1996, Nesbitt appeared in an episode of the BBC Northern Ireland television drama "Ballykissangel", playing Leo McGarvey, the ex-boyfriend of Assumpta Fitzgerald (Dervla Kirwan) and love rival of Peter Clifford (Stephen Tompkinson). He reprised the role for four episodes in 1998.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 1996, Nesbitt auditioned to play Adam Williams, the male lead in "Cold Feet", an ITV Comedy Premiere about three couples in different stages of their romantic relationships. The audition came about through a mutual friend of Nesbitt's and the director, Declan Lowney. The producer, Christine Langan, had also recalled his performances in "Hear My Song" and "Go Now". Adam had not been written with an Irishman in mind to play him—English writer Mike Bullen had written the character as a thinly veiled portrayal of himself in his youth—but Nesbitt wanted to take the opportunity to appear in a contemporary drama as an ordinary man from Northern Ireland with no connection to the Troubles, especially after the Troubles-based plot of "Love Lies Bleeding". "Cold Feet" was a critical success; it won the 1997 Golden Rose of Montreux and the 1997 British Comedy Award for Best ITV Comedy and was thus commissioned for a full series. "Cold Feet"s first series aired at the end of 1998 and was followed by the second series in 1999. A storyline in that series featured Adam being diagnosed with testicular cancer, which inspired Nesbitt to become a patron of the charity Action Cancer.


title: James Nesbitt

text: By the time of the third series, Nesbitt and the other cast members were able to influence the show's production; an episode featuring Adam's stag weekend was due to be filmed on location in Dublin but Nesbitt suggested it be filmed in Belfast and Portrush instead. Several scenes were filmed at his old workplace Barry's Amusements, although they were cut from the broadcast episode. At the end of the fourth series in 2001, Nesbitt decided to resign and move on to other projects. Executive producer Andy Harries persuaded him to stay for one more series by suggesting that Adam be killed off, so Nesbitt signed on for the fifth series. During pre-production of the fifth series, Mike Bullen decided to kill off Adam's wife Rachel (played by Helen Baxendale) instead.


title: James Nesbitt

text: "Cold Feet" ran for five years from 1998 to 2003, and Nesbitt won the British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy Actor in 2000, the Television and Radio Industries Club Award for Drama TV Performer of the Year in 2002, the National Television Award for Most Popular Comedy Performance in 2003, and the TV Quick Award for Best Actor in 2003. Nesbitt credits the role with raising his profile with the public. Further television roles during these five years included women's football team coach John Dolan in the first two series of Kay Mellor's "Playing the Field" (appearing alongside his "Cold Feet" co-star John Thomson), investigative journalists Ryan and David Laney in "Resurrection Man" (Marc Evans, 1998) and "Touching Evil II" respectively, and womaniser Stanley in "Women Talking Dirty" (Coky Giedroyc, 1999).


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt's performance in "Hear My Song" had also impressed first-time screenwriter and film director Kirk Jones, who cast him in his 1998 feature film "Waking Ned". Playing amiable pig farmer "Pig" Finn brought Nesbitt to international attention, particularly in the United States (where the film was released as "Waking Ned Devine"); the cast was nominated for the 1999 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture. In 1999, he appeared as the paramilitary "Mad Dog" Billy Wilson in "The Most Fertile Man in Ireland" (Dudi Appleton). The following year, he appeared in Declan Lowney's feature debut, "Wild About Harry". Lowney had personally asked him to appear in the supporting role of cross-dressing Unionist politician Walter Adair. In 2001, he made his debut as a lead actor in a feature film in Peter Cattaneo's "Lucky Break". He played Jimmy Hands, an incompetent bank robber who masterminds an escape from a prison by staging a musical as a distraction. On preparing for the role, Nesbitt said, "Short of robbing a bank there wasn't much research I could have done but we did spend a day in Wandsworth Prison and that showed the nightmare monotony of prisoners' lives. I didn't interview any of the inmates because I thought it would be a little patronising as it was research for a comedy and also because we were going home every night in our fancy cars to sleep in our fancy hotels." The film was a total flop, despite receiving positive feedback from test audiences in the United States.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt had been approached at a British Academy Television Awards ceremony by director Paul Greengrass, who wanted him to star in a television drama he was making about the 1972 "Bloody Sunday" shootings in Derry. Nesbitt was only seven years old when the shootings happened and was ignorant of its cause; he believed that there was "no smoke without fire" and that the Catholic marchers must have done something to provoke the British Army. He was filming "Cold Feet" in Manchester when he received the script. He read it and found that had "an extraordinary effect" on him. Nesbitt played Ivan Cooper in "Bloody Sunday", the man who pressed for the march to go ahead. To prepare for the role, Nesbitt met with Cooper and spent many hours talking to him about his motives on that day. He met with relatives of the victims and watched the televised Bloody Sunday Inquiry with them, and also read Don Mullan's "Eyewitness Bloody Sunday" and Peter Pringle and Philip Jacobson's "Those Are Real Bullets, Aren't They?". Greengrass compared Nesbitt's preparation to an athlete preparing for a race, and told "The Observer", "For an Irish actor, doing the Troubles is like doing "Lear"." Nesbitt had questioned whether he was a good enough actor to effectively portray Cooper and was worried what Derry Catholics would think of a Protestant playing the lead, although Ivan Cooper himself is a Protestant.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Shortly before "Bloody Sunday" was broadcast, Nesbitt described it as "difficult but extraordinary" and "emotionally draining". The broadcast on ITV in January 2002 and its promotion did not pass without incident; he was criticised by Unionists for saying that Protestants in Northern Ireland felt "a collective guilt" over the killings. His parents' home was also vandalised and he received death threats. During the awards season, Nesbitt won the British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film and was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor. The film was also screened at film festivals such as the Stockholm International Film Festival, where Nesbitt was presented with the Best Actor award.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In an analysis of the film in the "History & Memory" journal, Aileen Blaney wrote that it is Nesbitt's real-life household name status that made his portrayal of Cooper such a success. She reasoned that Nesbitt's celebrity status mirrors that of Cooper's in the 1970s: "A household name across Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic [sic], Nesbitt's widespread popular appeal is emphatically not contingent upon his Protestant Ulster identity, and consequently the double-voicing of the character he plays does not alienate viewers of an alternative, or no, sectarian persuasion." "Guardian" journalist Susie Steiner suggested that his appearance in "Bloody Sunday" was an attempt to resolve the expression of his "Irishness" on screen: "Where he has taken part in a sectarian theme, his intelligence as an actor has often been masked by an excessive, cartoon-style comedy. Yet in his more successful, high-profile roles, (notably in "Cold Feet", and as Pig Finn in the gently pastoral film "Waking Ned"), Nesbitt's Irishness has been exploited for its romantic charm. It has been sugared and, in the process, de-politicised." A critic identified "Bloody Sunday" as Nesbitt's "coming of age" film, and Nesbitt called it a turning point in his career. He refers to his career since the film was released as "post-"Bloody Sunday"".


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2003, Nesbitt played undercover police detective Tommy Murphy in the first series of "Murphy's Law", after starring in a successful pilot episode in 2001. The series was conceived when Nesbitt was working on "Playing the Field"; he and producer Greg Brenman approached author Colin Bateman about creating a television series for Nesbitt in a similar vein to Bateman's Dan Starkey novels. Bateman and Nesbitt were already well acquainted; Nesbitt had been considered for a main role in "Divorcing Jack" (David Caffrey, 1998), based on Bateman's original novel. A 90-minute pilot of "Murphy's Law" was commissioned by the BBC, initially as a "comedy action adventure". Bateman created a complex backstory for Murphy, which was cut at the request of the producers. After the broadcast of the pilot, "Guardian" critic Gareth McLean wrote, "the likeable James Nesbitt turned in a strong, extremely watchable central performance, though rarely did he look taxed by his efforts, and his chemistry with [Claudia] Harrison was promising and occasionally electric." In 2003, Nesbitt won the Irish Film & Television Award (IFTA) for Best Actor in a TV Drama for the role. The second series was broadcast in 2004.


title: James Nesbitt

text: By 2005, Nesbitt had become tired of the formula and threatened to quit unless the structure of the series was changed. He was made a creative consultant and suggested that Murphy keep one undercover role for a full series, instead of changing into a new guise every episode. This new dramatic element to the series was intended to make it a closer representation of real-life undercover work. Alongside his research with former undercover officer Peter Bleksley, Nesbitt hired a personal trainer and grew a handlebar moustache to change Murphy's physical characteristics and tone down the "cheeky chappie" persona that the audience had become accustomed to from his roles. With his trainer, he worked out three times a week, boxing and doing circuits and weights. After the first new episode was broadcast, Sarah Vine wrote in "The Times", "In the past, when attempting a nasty stare or a hard face, Nesbitt has never managed much more than a faintly quizzical look, hilarity forever threatening to break out behind those twinkly Irish eyes. But here, it's different. He genuinely has the air of a man who means business." The refreshed series marked another milestone in Nesbitt's career; he describes it as "a big moment" in his life. "Murphy's Law" was not recommissioned for a sixth series, which Nesbitt attributed to the damage done to the fifth series ratings when it was scheduled opposite the popular ITV drama "Doc Martin".


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2004, Nesbitt appeared in "Wall of Silence", a fact-based drama about the aftermath of the murder of schoolboy Jamie Robe. Nesbitt played Stuart Robe, the boy's father, who tries to break down the wall of silence in the local community to discover exactly what happened to his son. He had only just completed "Bloody Sunday" when he was offered the part and was unsure whether he wanted to take on such a demanding role so soon after playing Ivan Cooper. He decided to accept the part because he found it interesting. To prepare for the role, Nesbitt met with Robe and spent weeks talking to him in his South London flat, learning about Jamie, and of Robe's fight for his justice. Nesbitt spoke with his natural accent instead of affecting Robe's South London speech, as he did not want the audience to be distracted from the drama. The single-drama was filmed over four weeks and broadcast in January 2004. The role gained Nesbitt an IFTA nomination for Best Actor in a TV Drama later that year.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In March 2004, he appeared in Tony Marchant's "Passer By", playing Joe Keyes, a man who witnesses a woman being accosted by some men on a train and chooses not to help. Keyes later discovers that the woman was raped but cannot bring himself to admit in court that he did nothing to help her. Nesbitt described Keyes as "like a better man than me: a good father and husband. But, once he has made a wrong decision, he can't control everything in his life, as he thinks he is weak. He loses the respect of his wife, his son and at work, and has to reach the lowest possible point before finding redemption." As a result of these serious roles, he was named the sixth most powerful figure in TV drama in a listing compiled by industry experts for the "Radio Times". In September 2004, he starred as Jack Parlabane in the ITV adaptation of Christopher Brookmyre's "Quite Ugly One Morning". The producers originally wanted Scottish actor Douglas Henshall to play Glaswegian Parlabane but ITV executives overruled them and cast Nesbitt. He was given coaching to perfect the accent but it was soon discarded on the advice of both the director and his co-star Daniela Nardini. Also in 2004, he filmed the roles of Ronnie Cunningham in "Millions" (Danny Boyle, 2004), and Detective Banner in "Match Point" (Woody Allen, 2005). He was considering taking time off from acting and did not really want the role in "Match Point". He sent in an audition tape and was accepted for the part. Nesbitt's character appears at the end of the film and he read only that part of the script, so did not know the full circumstances of the crime Banner investigates. Despite his initial reluctance, Nesbitt enjoyed working with Allen, and complimented him on his directing style.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt returned to theatre acting in June 2005 when he appeared in David Nicholls' "After Sun", a ten-minute-play performed as part of the Old Vic's 24-Hour Play season. Nesbitt and Catherine Tate starred as a married couple who meet a pair of newlyweds returning from their honeymoon. Later that year, he appeared in his first full-length play in 11 years, in Owen McCafferty's "Shoot the Crow". He enjoyed the stimulation of learning his lines and rehearsing with the cast and director. The play opened at the Trafalgar Studios in September 2005 and his role as Socrates gained mixed reviews. In "The Independent", Michael Coveney suggested the role did not fit the actor: "Nesbitt is cool. But I never felt that he was inside his role of a chap called Socrates [...] He grinned and shrugged through the evening which steadily became less about grouting on tiles and more about grating on nerves." In "The Daily Telegraph", Charles Spencer described Nesbitt's acting as "outstanding".


title: James Nesbitt

text: At the end of 2005, Nesbitt and his agent met with BBC Controller of Fiction Jane Tranter to discuss a new series of "Murphy's Law". At the meeting's conclusion, Tranter offered Nesbitt the first episode script of "Jekyll", a television series by Steven Moffat that updated "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde". Nesbitt spent three hours reading the script before accepting the role of Tom Jackman—and his alter-ego Mr Hyde. After signing on for the role, he met with Moffat and Hartswood Films executive producer Beryl Vertue to discuss the character, and had several make-up tests. His anticipation for the part was heightened because filming was not scheduled to begin until September 2006. Nesbitt spent an hour each day being made up as Hyde; a wig altered his hairline and prosthetics were added to his chin, nose and ear lobes. He also wore black contact lenses to make Hyde "soulless", though CGI was used to show the transformation from Jackman in close-ups. The series was broadcast on BBC One in June and July 2007. The role secured him a nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, and a nomination for the Rose d'Or for Best Entertainer.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2008, he portrayed Pontius Pilate in "The Passion", a BBC/HBO adaptation of the last week in the life of Jesus. He had originally rejected the script due to other filming commitments, but accepted the role after his agent told him to re-read it before making a final decision. He was pleased to learn that the serial was being produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark, whose "Bleak House" adaptation he had enjoyed, and that he would be appearing with his "Jekyll" co-star Denis Lawson. Contrary to previous portrayals of Pilate, Nesbitt played the biblical figure as "nice", and—as when playing Jack Parlabane—used his own accent. The serial was broadcast in the UK during Easter week 2008. Shortly after filming "The Passion", he filmed the part of journalist Max Raban in the Carnival Films thriller "Midnight Man", which was shown on ITV in May 2008. It won him a joint nomination (along with the 2007 series of "Murphy's Law") for the ITV3 Crime Thriller Award for Best Actor. At the end of the year, he had a starring role in the low-budget independent film "Blessed". The writer and director Mark Aldridge scripted the character of Peter with Nesbitt in mind to play him. The film had a limited release throughout 2008 and 2009 before the BBC screened it on television in 2010. Nesbitt said, "The role of Peter is what I have dreamed about playing, you wait your whole life for an opportunity like this and when it comes you have to grab it."


title: James Nesbitt

text: The following year, Nesbitt co-starred with Liam Neeson in the fact-based television film "Five Minutes of Heaven" (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2009). The first part of the film dramatises the real-life murder of Jim Griffin by Alistair Little in 1970s Lurgan; the second part features a fictional meeting between Little (Neeson) and Jim's brother Joe (Nesbitt) 33 years later. Nesbitt met with Griffin before filming began to learn about how his brother's murder affected him. The film was broadcast on BBC Two in April 2009. He also starred as Colour Sgt. Mike Swift in Peter Bowker's three-part BBC/Kudos television serial "Occupation". In "Occupation", set over six years, Nesbitt's character is one of three British soldiers who return to Basra, Iraq after their tours have concluded. He researched the role by speaking to Territorial Army soldiers in Belfast, and RAF officers in Morocco, where the serial was filmed. Both performances were commended by "Independent" journalist Hugh Montgomery; in a review of 2009's television, Montgomery named Nesbitt "Face of the Year", writing, "Just as you had James Nesbitt written off as the gurning embodiment of everything mediocre about British TV drama, he produced two stonking performances, as the transfixingly harrowed sergeant in "Occupation", and a nervily vengeful victim's relative in Irish-troubles piece "Five Minutes of Heaven". Give the man a Bafta." Nesbitt was not nominated for a BAFTA award, though did receive a nomination for Best Actor from the Broadcasting Press Guild for both performances.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In March 2009, Nesbitt signed a contract with the American talent agency United Talent Agency, as the global financial crisis was restricting roles in British television. He continued to be represented in the United Kingdom by Artists Rights Group. The next year Nesbitt played the hunter Cathal in the low-budget British horror film "Outcast", which was a departure from his previous character types. After screening at major international film festivals in early 2010, the film had a general release in the latter part of the year. Nesbitt had previously worked with the film's director and co-writer Colm McCarthy on "Murphy's Law", which was one reason he took the role. He researched the mythical aspects of the character by reading about Irish folklore and beliefs. He also starred alongside Minnie Driver and his "Welcome to Sarajevo" co-star Goran Višnjić in the Tiger Aspect television serial "The Deep". In the five-part drama, Nesbitt played submarine engineer Clem Donnelly. The serial was filmed over 12 weeks at BBC Scotland's studios in Dumbarton. August 2010 saw the release of Nadia Tass's film "Matching Jack", in which Nesbitt plays the leading role of Connor. He became involved in the film after reading an early script draft in 2006. In 2008, the global financial crisis severely reduced the budget of the film, and Nesbitt volunteered a reduction in his salary so the film could still be made. The film was shot over eight weeks in Melbourne in 2009 and released in 2010.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Next, Nesbitt reunited with "Occupation" screenwriter Peter Bowker to star in the ITV medical drama series "Monroe", playing Gabriel Monroe. Nesbitt was Bowker's first choice for the part. Nesbitt researched the role of the neurosurgeon character by watching brain surgery being performed by Henry Marsh, and by consulting Philip Van Hille at Leeds General Infirmary. The series was filmed over 12 weeks in Leeds at the end of 2010 and broadcast on ITV during March and April 2011. Nesbitt will reprise the role in a second series, which is due to begin production in 2012. In film, Nesbitt co-stars as Irish writer Jack in Emilio Estevez's drama "The Way", alongside Martin Sheen, Deborah Kara Unger, and Yorick van Wageningen, and has a role as Sicinius in Ralph Fiennes' contemporary Shakespeare adaptation "Coriolanus".


title: James Nesbitt

text: Alongside many other British and Irish actors, Nesbitt was cast in Peter Jackson's three-part film "The Hobbit", as the dwarf Bofur. Filming commenced in March 2011. The first part, "", was released in December 2012, the second part, "", in December 2013, and the third and final part, "", in December 2014.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2002, Nesbitt made his documentary debut as the presenter of "James Nesbitt's Blazing Saddles", a production for BBC Choice that saw him spend two weeks in Las Vegas at the National Finals Rodeo and the Miss Rodeo America pageant. In 2007, he was the guest host of an episode of the late-night Channel 4 comedy "The Friday Night Project". As a film awards presenter, he hosted the IFTA Awards ceremony for three consecutive years between 2005 and 2007, the British Independent Film Awards from 2005 to 2010, and the National Movie Awards in 2008 and 2010. In 2009, he hosted the Laurence Olivier Awards.


title: James Nesbitt

text: An amateur golfer since his teenage years, Nesbitt joined the European team for Sky One's "All*Star Cup" in 2005 and 2006. He signed up to a series of high-profile television advertisements for the Yell Group in 2003, playing a hapless character called James for the company's Yellow Pages campaign until 2006. "Times" writer Andrew Billen noted that the adverts "cost him some credibility" but Nesbitt was pleased with the money he made from them. In 2004, he joined the supergroup Twisted X to produce "Born in England", an unofficial anthem for the England national football team's entry in the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament. His vocals have also appeared in "Lucky Break" and an episode of "Cold Feet". The song he performed in the latter—"(Love Is) The Tender Trap"—was released on one of the series' soundtrack albums. He also contributed vocals to the "Waking Ned" soundtrack. A fan of Northern Irish band Ash, he made a cameo in their unreleased film "Slashed". In 2009, he starred in the music video for "The Day I Died", a single by English dance-pop artist Just Jack. Nesbitt was recommended to Just Jack by Elton John. Nesbitt hosted the 2013 British Independent Film Awards in London on 8 December 2013.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2014, Nesbitt had the lead role as the father character Tony Hughes in harrowing BBC drama series "The Missing", alongside Frances O'Connor (as his wife/ex-wife, Emily Hughes/Walsh) and Tchéky Karyo (as Julien Baptiste, leading French police investigator). The drama focused on a British married couple, whose son goes missing while they are on holiday in France, and the subsequent years of enquiry trying to find answers as to what happened to their son and why. Incidentally, Nesbitt and Karyo had appeared previously together in the Martin Sheen film "The Way" (2010).


title: James Nesbitt

text: In 2021, photographs of Nesbitt were used in Series 6 of "Line of Duty" to represent the unseen character of DI Marcus Thurwell, Nesbitt himself did not appear in the series.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt starred in the 2021 Netflix series, "Stay Close", adapted from the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt was married to Sonia Forbes-Adam, the daughter of the Reverend Sir Timothy Forbes Adam. The two met when Nesbitt went to the final call-back for "Hamlet" at Loughborough Hall in 1989, and they soon began dating. They split up for a year after the release of "Hear My Song" but reunited and married in 1994. They had two daughters, Peggy and Mary, both of whom appeared in the final two "Hobbit" movies as the daughters of Bard the Bowman. In October 2013, Nesbitt announced that he and his wife would separate after 19 years. They were divorced in 2016.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt is a patron of Wave, a charity set up to support those traumatised by the Troubles. Since 2005, he has been a UNICEF UK ambassador, working with HIV and AIDS sufferers, and former child soldiers in Africa. He describes the role as "a privilege." Writing in "The Independent" about his visit to Zambia in 2006, Nesbitt concluded that the children he met were owed a social and moral responsibility. The article was described in the "Evening Standard" as "moving and notably well-crafted." Since 1999, he has been a patron of Action Cancer, a result of both his father's affliction with prostate cancer and a storyline in the second series of "Cold Feet", where his character suffered testicular cancer. He has been an honorary patron of Youth Lyric, one of Ireland's largest theatre schools, since 2007.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt is a fan of football teams Coleraine F.C., Rangers F.C and, most passionately, Manchester United F.C. He also supports the Northern Irish national football team. In 2003, he made a donation of "thousands of pounds" to Coleraine after the team came close to bankruptcy. He has called the team "a heartbeat" of Coleraine and encouraged more people to watch Irish League football. Nesbitt was a vocal opponent of Malcolm Glazer's 2005 takeover of Manchester United; however, after the completion of the deal, he acted in television advertisements promoting executive boxes at Old Trafford and was criticised by fans. To counter the criticism, he pledged half of his £10,000 fee to the Manchester United Supporters' Trust and the other half to UNICEF.


title: James Nesbitt

text: In March 2010, Nesbitt accepted the ceremonial position of Chancellor of Ulster University, succeeding former Lord Mayor of London Sir Richard Nichols. Gerry Mallon, then-chair of the university ruling council, expected Nesbitt to "bring considerable energy, dynamism and commitment" to the post. Following his official installation on 8 June 2010, Nesbitt said, "Rather than being just an informal role officiating at ceremonies, I think I can act as an ambassador. I have access to an awful lot of people and places because of my work. I hope to be a voice that can be heard, not just at the university, but also outside promoting the importance of the funding of education. If that involves me being at Stormont, then I'd be very happy to do that. Clearly these public spending cuts are going to have an impact and it's important to fight for funding because it's about investing in students and investing in the future of Northern Ireland. I believe I can bring something to that, otherwise I wouldn't have taken this on."


title: James Nesbitt

text: He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to drama and to the community in Northern Ireland.


title: James Nesbitt

text: Nesbitt was born into a Unionist family but now identifies as "an Irishman, from the north of Ireland"; he holds both British and Irish passports.Nesbitt was the keynote speaker at a 2022 rally organised by Ireland's Future.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Now You See Me 2 (also known as Now You See Me: The Second Act) is a 2016 American heist thriller film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Ed Solomon and a story by Solomon and Peter Chiarelli. It serves as a sequel to 2013's "Now You See Me" and the second installment in the "Now You See Me" series. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Daniel Radcliffe, Lizzy Caplan, Jay Chou, Sanaa Lathan, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. The plot has the Four Horsemen and their leader Dylan Rhodes recruited by Walter Mabry, a criminal mastermind, to steal a data chip.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: On July 3, 2013, the film was officially announced to be in development. Filming began in November 2014 and lasted until May 2015. The film was released on June 10, 2016, by Lionsgate. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $334 million worldwide.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: 18 months after escaping the FBI, the fugitive Four Horsemen – J. Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Jack Wilder, and new member Lula May – await orders from the Eye, the secret society of magicians. Their handler, FBI Special Agent Dylan Rhodes, delivers instructions: to expose corrupt tech CEO Owen Case, whose latest cell phone will secretly collect users' personal data to sell on the black market.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In New York City, the Horsemen hijack the phone's launch but are interrupted by a mysterious figure who reveals to the public that Jack faked his death and that Dylan is working with the Horsemen. Dylan eludes the FBI as the Horsemen escape down a construction chute only to find themselves in Macau.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: They are captured by Chase, Merritt's twin brother, and brought to Walter Mabry, Owen's former business partner. Having exposed the Horsemen in New York, Walter reveals how they were lulled unconscious and flown to Macau. Owen took his company from him, as well as a chip designed by Walter to access any computer system in the world. Despite the protests of the other Horsemen, Daniel agrees to steal the chip for Walter before Owen can sell it. They acquire supplies from a magic store owned by Li and Bu Bu and arrange to deliver the chip to the Eye, knowing they cannot trust Walter. Posing as potential buyers, they infiltrate the Macau Science Center, using cardistry and sleight of hand to sneak the chip past its supervisor, Allen Scott-Frank.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Dylan is contacted by Thaddeus Bradley, the magic debunker he framed for the Horsemen's crimes. He offers to help find the Horsemen, so he extricates him from prison. They go to Macau, and Dylan finds Daniel waiting to give the chip to the Eye. Walter arrives, having fooled Daniel into believing he was in contact with the Eye, and Dylan fights Walter's men as Daniel escapes with the chip. Captured, Dylan discovers Walter is the son of Arthur Tressler, whose fortune Dylan and the Horsemen stole. Walter and Arthur lock Dylan in a safe and drop him underwater, mirroring the death of Dylan's father.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Arthur pays Thaddeus for bringing him Dylan, and Thaddeus promises to deliver the Horsemen as well. Dylan escapes from the safe and is rescued by the Horsemen. Realizing the chip they have is a fake, they resolve to stop Walter from acquiring the real chip, and are joined by Li and Bu Bu.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: The Horsemen announce new performance in London, with an implicit threat to expose Walter, who flies to London with Arthur and Chase in a private jet. On New Year's Eve, the Horsemen perform across the city, but they and Dylan are captured by Walter's men and brought to the jet. Once in the air, they are forced to hand over the fake chip, which Walter confirms is real, and his henchmen throw Dylan and the Horsemen out of the plane, supposedly to their deaths. However, Walter, Arthur, and Chase soon realize too late that they have never taken off, and that their jet is actually on a set floating on the Thames.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: The Horsemen and Dylan explain how they had misled the three into thinking they had won and reveal Jack had hypnotized Chase into throwing them out of the plane as planned. Walter, Arthur, and Chase's misdeeds are broadcast to the crowd and around the world, and they are taken into FBI custody as Dylan and the Horsemen escape before the FBI can apprehend them. They arrive at the Greenwich Observatory, where they meet other members of the Eye, including Li, Bu Bu, and Allen. Their leader is revealed to be Thaddeus, who explains to Dylan that he was his father's partner in magic and was pretending to be his rival this whole time. He appoints Dylan the new leader, and the Horsemen are shown a secret entrance to see more of the Eye.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: On July 3, 2013, after the box office success of the first film, Lions Gate Entertainment CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed that there would be a sequel to the film, with production beginning in 2014 for an unspecified release date. In September 2014, it was confirmed that Jon M. Chu would replace Louis Leterrier (who eventually serves as executive producer) as the sequel's director. On October 2, 2014, Michael Caine confirmed in an interview that Daniel Radcliffe would be playing his son in the film and that shooting is expected to begin in December in London. The film was produced by Summit Entertainment and K/O Paper Products. In October 2014, it was announced that Isla Fisher would be unable to reprise her role as Henley Reeves due to her pregnancy and Lizzy Caplan was cast as new character Lula to replace her as the Fourth Horseman. The sequel was thought to be titled "Now You See Me: Now You Don't", with the director pushing for that name, but the studio call announced in November 2014 was that the film had changed its title to "Now You See Me: The Second Act". On January 28, 2015, Henry Lloyd-Hughes was confirmed to play the role of a tech whiz kid named Allen Scott-Frank. On December 22, 2014, it was reported that Morgan Freeman was not going to reprise his role as Thaddeus Bradley, but on January 19, 2015, film director Chu posted a selfie with Freeman on his Instagram, verifying that he would return.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: On November 25, 2014, Mark Ruffalo posted to his Facebook that filming had begun on the sequel, as the film was shooting in London, England. On March 12, 2015, shooting began in China, where filming took place in Macau and the Macau Science Center, lasting for six days to March 18.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: The Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, who made a guest appearance, produced the international theme song "Now you see me" in Chinese for the film (the film is in Chinese, and the album version has English lyrics). The director even added Jay Chou's songs "Father-in-law Migraine" (the song Lee listened to at the counter when he debuted) and "Extra Large Shoes" as episodes. In addition, Taiwanese rap group "urchin MJ116" and rapper MC HotDog's song "Fresh Gang" also played in the film's Macau segment.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: The film's music was written and composed by Brian Tyler. The soundtrack was released on June 10, 2016 by Varèse Sarabande.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In November 2014, the film was officially titled "Now You See Me 2", and was set to be released on June 10, 2016. In March 2016, the film's international release date was announced as July 4, 2016.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: "Now You See Me 2" was released on Digital HD on August 19, with a subsequent Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD released on September 6.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: "Now You See Me 2" grossed $65.1 million in the United States and Canada and $269.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $334.9 million, against a budget of $120 million.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In the United States and Canada, "Now You See Me 2" opened on June 10, 2016, alongside "Warcraft" and "The Conjuring 2", and was projected to gross $23–26 million from 3,232 theaters in its opening weekend. The film grossed $1.8 million from its Thursday night previews, besting the $1.5 million made by its predecessor, and $8.4 million on its first day. It went on to gross $22.3 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind "The Conjuring 2" ($40.4 million) and "Warcraft" ($24.1 million).


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In China, the film was released on June 24, 2016 and had an opening day of $14.8 million, a record for Lionsgate and up 67.9% from the original's first day. In its opening weekend the film grossed $44.4 million, also a record for Lionsgate. China was the largest territory for the film, with a total gross of $97.1 million.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 34% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 4.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, ""Now You See Me 2" packs in even more twists and turns than its predecessor, but in the end, it has even less hiding up its sleeve." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessor.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Although critics and fans were disappointed that Isla Fisher was not returning as Henley Reeves, many praised Lizzy Caplan's addition to the cast. Caplan was described as "one of the sequel's biggest improvements" by "Entertainment Weekly", while Dave White of TheWrap wrote that she "provides a fresh infusion of smart-ass energy into the boy's club." Australian film magazine "Filmink" also noted that Caplan "over-shadows her skilled co-stars with her sassy and commanding screen presence." Owen Gleiberman of "Variety" wrote that "all bearded creepy grins, [Daniel Radcliffe] makes Walter a megalomaniac imp, like the world's youngest Bond villain." Randy Cordova of "The Arizona Republic", who preferred the film to the original, said of the villain character that "In [Radcliffe's] hands, he is a spoiled and petulant baddie, alternately creepy and hilarious."


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of "The A.V. Club" wrote that the sequel "up[s] the ludicrous quotient" from the original, "double-timing the convoluted plotting and embracing implausibility as an aesthetic ... If [director Jon M.] Chu doesn't seem comfortable with the swooping, lens-flare-speckled flashiness that director Louis Leterrier brought to the first film, he seems even less interested than his predecessor in creating the impression of a recognizably real world — which is a good thing, at least for a movie about a superstar heist crew called the Horsemen that involves twins, multiple secret identities, and a global corporate surveillance plot that can only be foiled through the use of stage magic."


title: Now You See Me 2

text: Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film a mixed review but considered it "more fun" than its predecessor.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In May 2015, Lions Gate Entertainment CEO Jon Feltheimer announced that they had "already begun early planning" for a sequel called "Now You See Me 3". It was later confirmed that Lizzy Caplan would reprise the role of Lula May, and Benedict Cumberbatch would join as a new cast member. Lionsgate revealed in April 2020 that Eric Warren Singer would be the screenwriter for the film. In September 2022, it was announced that Ruben Fleischer would direct the film while Seth Grahame-Smith replaced Singer as the screenwriter.


title: Now You See Me 2

text: In July 2016, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that Lionsgate plans on making a "Now You See Me" spin-off with a primarily Chinese cast, starring Jay Chou as Li, his character from "Now You See Me 2".


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten () is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean. With a population of 41,486 as of January 2019 on an area of , it encompasses the southern 44% of the divided island of Saint Martin, while the northern 56% of the island constitutes the French overseas collectivity of Saint Martin. Sint Maarten's capital is Philipsburg. Collectively, Sint Maarten and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Before 10 October 2010, Sint Maarten was known as the Island Territory of Sint Maarten (), and was one of six island territories () that constituted the Netherlands Antilles. Sint Maarten has the status of an overseas country and territory (OCT) and is not part of the European Union.


title: Sint Maarten

text: On 6 and 7 September 2017, the island was hit by Category 5 Hurricane Irma, which caused widespread and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The island was named by Christopher Columbus in honour of St Martin of Tours, as he first sighted it on the saint's feast day on 11 November 1493.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten had been inhabited by Amerindian peoples for many centuries, with archaeological finds pointing to a human presence on the island as early as 2000 BC. These people most likely migrated from South America. The earliest identified group were the Arawak people who are thought to have settled around the period 800 BC – 300 BC. Circa 1300-1400 AD they began to be displaced with the arrival of Carib people.


title: Sint Maarten

text: It is commonly believed that Christopher Columbus named the island in honor of Saint Martin of Tours when he encountered it on his second voyage of discovery. However, he actually applied the name to the island now called Nevis when he anchored offshore on November 11, 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin. The confusion of numerous poorly charted small islands in the Leeward Islands meant that this name was accidentally transferred to the island now known as Saint-Martin/Sint Maarten.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Nominally Spanish territory, the island became the focus of the competing interest of the European powers, notably France, Britain and the Netherlands. While the French wanted to colonize the islands between Trinidad and Bermuda, the Dutch found "San Martín" a convenient halfway point between their colonies in New Amsterdam (present day New York) and New Holland. Meanwhile, the Amerindian population began to decline precipitously, dying from introduced diseases to which they had no immunity.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Dutch built a fort (Fort Amsterdam) on the island in 1631; Jan Claeszen van Campen became its first governor and the Dutch West India Company began mining salt on the island. Tensions between the Netherlands and Spain were already high due to the ongoing Eighty Years' War, and in 1633 the Spanish captured St Martin and drove off the Dutch colonists. At Point Blanche, they built what is now Old Spanish Fort to secure the territory. The Dutch under Peter Stuyvesant attempted to wrest back control in 1644, but were repulsed. However, in 1648 the Eighty Years' War ended and the Spanish, no longer seeing any strategic or economic value in the island, simply abandoned it.


title: Sint Maarten

text: With Saint Martin free again, both the Dutch and the French jumped at the chance to re-establish their settlements. Dutch colonists came from St. Eustatius, while the French came from St. Kitts. After some initial conflict, both sides realized that neither would yield easily. Preferring to avoid an all-out war, they signed the Treaty of Concordia in 1648, which divided the island in two. During the treaty's negotiation, the French had a fleet of naval ships off shore, which they used as a threat to bargain more land for themselves. In spite of the treaty, relations between the two sides were not always cordial. Between 1648 and 1816, conflicts changed the border sixteen times. The entire island came under effective French control from 1795 when Netherlands became a puppet state under the French Empire until 1815. In the end, the French came out ahead with ; 61%) against ; 39%) on the Dutch side.


title: Sint Maarten

text: To work the new cotton, tobacco and sugar plantations the French and Dutch began importing large numbers of African slaves, who soon came to outnumber the Europeans. The slave population quickly grew larger than that of the land owners. Subjected to cruel treatment, slaves staged rebellions, and their overwhelming numbers made it impossible to ignore their concerns. In 1848, the French abolished slavery in their colonies including the French side of St. Martin. Slaves on the Dutch side of the island protested and threatened to flee to the French side to seek asylum. The local Dutch authorities then freed the colonies' slaves. While this decree was respected locally, it was not until 1863 when the Dutch abolished slavery in all of their island colonies that the slaves became legally free.


title: Sint Maarten

text: After the abolition of slavery, plantation culture declined and the island's economy suffered. In 1939 Sint Maarten received a major boost when it was declared a duty-free port. In 1941 the island was shelled by a German U-boat as part of the Battle of the Atlantic.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Tourism began growing from the 1950s onward, and Princess Juliana International Airport became one of the busiest in the Eastern Caribbean. For much of this period, Sint Maarten was governed by business tycoon Claude Wathey of the Democratic Party. The island's demographics changed dramatically during this period as well, with the population increasing from a mere 5,000 people to around 60,000 people by the mid-1990s. Immigration from the neighbouring Lesser Antilles, Curaçao, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Europe, and Asia turned the native population into a minority.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten became an "island territory" ("eilandgebied" in Dutch) of the Netherlands Antilles in 1983. Before that date, Sint Maarten was part of the island territory of the Windward Islands, together with Saba and Sint Eustatius. The status of an island territory entails considerable autonomy summed up in the Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles. During this period Sint Maarten was ruled by an island council, an executive council, and a lieutenant governor () appointed by the Dutch Crown.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Hurricane Luis in late August and early September 1995 hit the island, causing immense destruction and resulting in 12 deaths.


title: Sint Maarten

text: In 1994, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and France had signed the Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls, which allows for joint Franco-Dutch border controls on so-called "risk flights". After some delay, the treaty was ratified in November 2006 in the Netherlands and subsequently entered into force on 1 August 2007. Though the treaty is now in force, its provisions are not yet implemented as the working group specified in the treaty is not yet installed.


title: Sint Maarten

text: On 10 October 2010 Sint Maarten became a constituent country () within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, making it a constitutional equal partner with Aruba, Curaçao, and the Netherlands proper. Constitution Day (10 October) is celebrated annually as a public holiday.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten has been assigned the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes of SXM and SX, and the .sx Internet ccTLD became available to register on 15 November 2012.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Hurricane Irma made landfall on 6 September 2017, causing extensive damage. 4 deaths were ultimately reported; there were 11 serious injuries out of a total of 34. Princess Juliana Airport was extensively damaged but reopened on a partial basis in two days to allow incoming relief flights and for flights that would take evacuees to other islands. By 8 September, "many inhabitants [were] devoid of basic necessities" and looting had become a serious problem. Reports on 9 September indicated that 70% of the infrastructure on the Dutch part had been destroyed. A survey by the Dutch Red Cross estimated that nearly a third of the buildings in Sint Maarten had been destroyed and that over 90 per cent of structures on the island had been damaged.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The prime minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, told the news media on 8 September that the airport in Sint Maarten was ready to receive emergency flights and that aid, as well as police officers and military personnel, were on their way. The prime minister of Sint Maarten, William Marlin, had already asked the Dutch government for extended relief assistance which began to arrive on 8 September. The government issued a tropical storm warning on 8 September since the Category 4 Hurricane Jose was approaching.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The government of the Netherlands was sending aid, as well as additional police and military, since looting was a serious problem. A statement by Marlin summarized the situation on 8 September. "We've lost many, many homes. Schools have been destroyed. We foresee a loss of the tourist season because of the damage that was done to hotel properties, the negative publicity that one would have that it's better to go somewhere else because it's destroyed. So that will have a serious impact on our economy." At the time, preparations were being made as Hurricane Jose approached the island. Government estimates on 9 September indicated that 70 percent of houses were badly damaged or destroyed; much of the population was living in shelters pending the arrival of Jose. Thankfully, this second hurricane did not have a significant impact on the island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Widespread looting had started and a state of emergency was announced; some 230 soldiers from the Netherlands were patrolling. Additional Dutch troops were expected. By 10 September, some 1,200 Americans had been evacuated to Puerto Rico from Sint Maarten by military aircraft during a time of looting and violence. On that date, Royal Caribbean International said that the company was sending its Adventure of the Seas to Saint-Martin and to St. Thomas to provide supplies and to offer evacuation services. The ship arrived on the island on 10 September with water, ice, garbage bags, clothing and canned food, and evacuated 320 people. By 11 September, King Willem-Alexander had already arrived in Curaçao and was scheduled to visit St. Maarten, St. Eustatius and Saba. When King Willem-Alexander visited Sint Maarten for the first time post-hurricane, he was shocked by the destruction. He immediately called for support from the European Union so the island could recover swiftly. Later in the month, it was revealed that the EU would allocate €2 billion in emergency funds for immediate disaster relief to restore basic essentials on Sint Maarten, such as drinking water and sanitation. In addition to the EU's contribution, Red Cross, the government of the Netherlands, and Dutch citizens of the mainland pitched in (via donations and crowdfunding) to raise money for the devastated island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: On 10 October 2017, Princess Juliana International Airport re-commenced commercial flights using temporary structures, pending repairs.


title: Sint Maarten

text: A report in late March 2018 indicated that the airport was able to handle some flights and some service had resumed from the US, Canada, and Europe. A new departure lounge was being used during rebuilding of the original facility. The General Aviation building was being used for passengers arriving on the island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: A little over a year after Hurricane Irma, St Maarten's cruise industry had recovered to the extent that in 2018, more than 1 million cruise passengers visited the island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Telecommunications, including Wi-Fi, had been restored on the island, 95% of customers were receiving electricity and drinking water was readily available on the island. Some tourist accommodations were open, with 27 operating and 36 said to be ready sometime later this year. Cruise ships were arriving; a full 14 were accommodated the week of February 18, 2018.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten occupies the southern part of the island of Saint Martin in the Leeward Islands; the northern half forms the French territory of Saint Martin. To the north across the Anguilla Channel lies the British Overseas Territory of Anguilla, to the south-east of the island lies the French island of Saint Barthélemy, and further south are the Dutch islands of Saba and Saint Eustatius.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten is . The terrain is generally hilly, with the highest peak being Mount Flagstaff at 383m. The area to the west around the airport is flatter, and contains the Dutch section of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. The Great Salt Pond lies to north of Philipsburg. Several small islands lie off the coast. Little Key lies in the Simpson Bay Lagoon.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen "Aw"), and is drier than most parts of the northeastern Caribbean because of a rain shadow from the island's mountains, drying the trade winds. The driest months are from January to July, and the wettest from September to November, when hurricanes can strike the island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and as such the monarch of the Netherlands is head of state, represented locally by a governor. Following the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, the Constitution of Sint Maarten was unanimously adopted by the island council of Sint Maarten on 21 July 2010. Elections for a new island council were held on 17 September 2010, since the number of seats was increased from 11 to 15. The newly elected island council became the Estates of Sint Maarten on 10 October. Sint Maarten is largely autonomous in internal affairs, with the Netherlands responsible for foreign diplomacy and defence. The first woman to be the president of Sint Maarten was Gracita Arrindell, who was first elected in 2010.


title: Sint Maarten

text: There currently is a movement in Sint Maarten aiming for the unification of island of Saint Martin, which has its own flag.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Kingdom of the Netherlands has overarching responsibility for foreign relations, defence and Dutch nationality law in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. A detachment of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps is present on Sint Maarten and the Royal Netherlands Navy deploys a guardship, normally a Holland-class offshore patrol vessel, in the Caribbean on a rotational basis together with the support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan which operates out of Curacao. Additionally, the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard, directed by the commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean, is operational and funded by the four constituent countries of the Kingdom.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The beach policy (as of 1994) views the beach from the perspective of being an ecosystem service for recreational activities. This is because the economy on Sint Maarten is tourism-driven and many tourists come to the island to enjoy the 37 beaches on the island. The policy has three main points: the beach must be usable for everyone, developments negatively affecting recreational use will be prevented, and beaches should be protected against human influences that could impair their recreational function. The policy's main purpose is to protect the recreational value of the beach. The laws do not consider the protection and ecological value of this habitat in regard to protecting nesting sea turtles, preserving the beach line, or preserving the plants that live in and along the beach line.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The hillside policy, as of 1998, is mainly concerned with residential development. On the hillside, only residential development is permitted, certain hillsides with important “visual impact” are protected and conserved for their general landscape. A natural park is projected for the following hills: Cole Bay Hill, Sentry Hill, St. Peters Hill, Concordia Hill, Marigot Hill, Waymouth Hill, and Williams Hill. The policy stated the main objective was to conserve and maintain the green hillside and restore any natural habitats if needed. However, as of 2020, these natural parks have not yet been established.


title: Sint Maarten

text: In 1978, the government of the Netherlands Antilles installed a Research Committee on the Windward Islands () to investigate claims of corruption in the island government. Even though the report issued by this commission was damaging for the island's government, measures were not put into place to curb corruption, arguably because the government of the Netherlands Antilles depended on the support of Wathey's Democratic Party in the Estates of the Netherlands Antilles. In August 1990, the public prosecutor of the Netherlands Antilles started an investigation into the alleged ties between the island government of Sint Maarten and the Sicilian Mafia, and in 1991 the Court of Audit of the Netherlands Antilles issued a report which concluded that the island government of Sint Maarten was ailing.


title: Sint Maarten

text: In the government and parliament of the Netherlands, the call for measures became louder. With Dutch pressure, the government of the Netherlands Antilles installed the Pourier Commission tasked with investigating the state of affairs of the island government of Sint Maarten in December 1991. Its report concluded that the island was in a severe financial crisis, that rules of democratic decision-making were continuously broken, and that the island government constituted an oligarchy. In short, the island government failed completely according to the report. After long negotiations, the Kingdom government enacted a General Measure of Kingdom Administration () in early 1993, placing Sint Maarten under direct supervision of the Kingdom. Although originally meant for one year, the Order-in-Council for the Kingdom was eventually extended until 1 March 1996.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Though much has changed since, allegations of criminal activities continue to plague Sint Maarten. In 2004, the Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles asked the Scientific Research and Documentation Centre ( (WODC)) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice to conduct research into organized crime in Sint Maarten. The report concluded that money laundering and cocaine trade are widespread on Sint Maarten. It also alleged that money from the island was used to finance Hamas, its associate Holy Land Foundation, and the Taliban.


title: Sint Maarten

text: In April 2009, former Commissioner Louie Laveist was convicted, and sentenced to an 18-month prison sentence, by the Sint Maarten Court-of-First-Instance, on account of forgery, fraud, and bribery. He was later acquitted of forgery and of fraud by the Common Court of Justice of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, but not of bribery.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten is home to many distinctive plants such as hibiscus, yellow sage (seen on the flag), flamboyant trees, mahogany, and cacti. An estimated 522 wild plants are present, mainly being seed plants and a few ferns. The "Calyptranthes boldinghgii" and "Galactia nummelaria" are “island-endemic” and it is suspected that they have already gone extinct. Much of the hilltops are semi-evergreen seasonal forests which are rare in region.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The categorization of native, introduced, and invasive plant species is not as well documented for the island. Some of the introduced plant species include: manila grass ("Zoysia matrella"), Spanish bayonet ( Y"ucca aloifolia"), Singapore almond ("Terminalia catappa"), true aloe ("Aloe vera"). Some of the native species are west Indian holly ("Tunera ulmifolia"), spiny amaranth ("Amaranthus spinosus"), bell pepper (C"apsium pulcherrima"), salt heliotrope ("Heliotropium curassavicum"), bay rum tree ("pimento racemose"), and sourbush ("pluchea carolinesis"). One of the invasive species on the island is crowfoot grass ("Dactyloctenium aegyptium").


title: Sint Maarten

text: Mullet Pond, a section of the inland lagoon Simpson Bay Lagoon, is home to 70% of Sint Maarten's mangrove population on the Dutch side of the island. Mangroves are a nursery for many young fish and during hurricane season they provide coastal protection. The area, however, is at risk due to dredging, tourism activities, and the yacht industry on the island.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Mullet Pond is the 55th Ramsar site since 2016 and therefore protected according to the Ramsar Treaty, a global commitment to protect ecologically significant wetland areas.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The effects of climate change are felt on Sint Maarten. According to the Netherlands Antilles Coral Reef Initiative the coral reefs were fragmented due to a temperature rise to 30 °C in 2005. Twenty years ago, the sea grass beds were much larger. Natural disasters (hurricanes), development, and a tourism-based industry caused a significant decrease over the years. The seagrass beds are important for anchoring the sand in place as well as hurricane protection. Without the seagrass bed sand can easily be moved by a hurricane resulting in the loss of beaches or sand accumulates in one area, impacting marine life.


title: Sint Maarten

text: In the 2011 Netherlands Antilles census, the population of the island territory was 33,609. In the 2017 census the total population of the country was 40,535.


title: Sint Maarten

text: English is the everyday language of communication in Sint Maarten, and also the first language of native Sint Maarteners. A local variety of Virgin Islands Creole is spoken in informal situations by Sint Maarteners between themselves. Most Sint Maarteners learn Dutch as a second language, and only use it when communicating with other Dutch speakers.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The government uses the Dutch language when communicating with the Dutch government and also formerly did so with the Netherlands Antilles government.


title: Sint Maarten

text: There were English-medium and Dutch-medium schools on Sint Maarten, and the Dutch government policy towards St. Maarten and other SSS islands promoted English medium education.


title: Sint Maarten

text: As per the 2001 census there were far more Spanish speakers than Dutch speakers, amounting to 14.8% and 4.2% of the population, respectively. Sint Maarten is a polyglot society, most are simultaneously bilingual in Dutch and English, and among them are also speakers of Spanish and French. Linguist Linda-Andrea Richardson stated in 1983 that Dutch was a "dead language" in Sint Maarten.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten, along with Curaçao, uses the Netherlands Antillean guilder as its currency. The economy is heavily dependent on tourism, either from long-stays or day-trippers from the many cruise lines that dock in the Philipsburg Harbour; around 80% of the workforce is employed in this sector. Some limited agriculture occurs, however most food is imported.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Hurricane Irma severely affected the economy in 2017. In a 2019 report, it was revealed that the island's GDP had dropped by 4.7%, with an increase in inflation. This drastic hit to the economy was due to lessened tourism, real estate, trade, and business activities.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten's culture is a mix of African, European and North American influences. Ank Klomp wrote in "Saint Martin: Communal Identities on a Divided Caribbean Island" that Sint Maarten lacked a Dutch cultural identity.


title: Sint Maarten

text: An annual regatta is held over three days culminating in the first weekend in March. Among the leading cultural artists of the island are Isidore "Mighty Dow" York (kaisonian, panman), Roland Richardson (Impressionist painter), Nicole de Weever (dancer, broadway star), Ruby Bute (painter, storyteller, poet), Clara Reyes (choreographer), Susha Hien (choreographer), Lasana M. Sekou (poet, author, independence advocate), Drisana Deborah Jack (visual artist, poet), and Tanny and The Boys (string band music group). The annual St. Maarten Carnival starts in April and ends in May. The Grand Carnival parade that takes place on the Dutch side is the largest parade of the island's two carnivals. The annual St. Martin Book Fair takes place during the first weekend of June, featuring emerging and famous authors from the island, the Caribbean region, and from around the world.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Popular team sports in Sint Maarten include baseball, basketball, volleyball, cricket, and soccer. Recreational fishing, golf, and water sports (including diving, kayaking, snorkelling, and yachting) are popular amongst tourists.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Sint Maarten Soccer Association was founded in 1986. The organisation is not a member of FIFA, but became an associate member of CONCACAF in 2002, and a full member in 2013. The national football team debuted in 1989, and plays its home games at the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex, which has a 3,000-spectator capacity. After an initial period of popularity during the 1990s, including an appearance at the 1993 Caribbean Cup, interest in football declined, with the national team playing its last official match in 2000 (against Dominica). However, Sint Maarten returned to international competition in March 2016, for the 2017 Caribbean Cup qualification tournament.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Sint Maarten Cricket Association is a member of the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA), which is, in turn, a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). With rare exceptions (for instance, the Stanford 20/20), the national cricket team plays only against other LICA members, though Sint Maarteners may go on to play for the Leeward Islands team at regional level and are eligible for both the West Indies and the Netherlands internationally. The primary venue for cricket is the Charles Vlaun Cricket Field. Colin Hamer was the first Sint Maartener to play first-class cricket, while Daniel Doram was the first islander to play at international level, debuting for the Netherlands against Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup in July 2013 at the age of 15, also becoming the first St. Maartener to take a first-class five-wicket haul. In 2016 Keacy Carty became the first St Maartener to play representative cricket for the West Indies (for the West Indies under-19s). Carty was the man of the final at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, and was later described by the prime minister, William Marlin, as having "brought the name of St Maarten to international acclaim".


title: Sint Maarten

text: Prior to cricket becoming popular, baseball was preferred. No national team existed, although Sint Maarteners were eligible to play for the Netherlands Antilles baseball team before its dissolution. Several Sint Maarteners have passed through the American baseball system, playing at college level or in the minor leagues. Allen Halley played college baseball for the South Alabama Jaguars and was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 30th round of the 1995 draft, reaching Class A-Advanced in the minor leagues. Three others, Rene Leveret, Marc Ramirez, and Rafael Skeete, were signed as free agents by major league teams during their careers, but played only in the minor leagues.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Sint Maarten Volleyball Association is part of the Eastern Caribbean Volleyball Association, which hosts championship qualifiers with countries within its zone. Countries that are part of the ECVA are: Anguilla, Antigua, Bermuda, Virgin Islands, Dominica, Dutch St.Martin, French St.Martin, Grenada, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, St.Kitts, St.Lucia, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Over the past 8 years, volleyball in St.Maarten on a National level has been developing and showing results. In 2016, the Sint Maarten Men's National Team went on to win the championship in their pool for the round 1 World Championship Qualifiers winning the gold along with many individual awards. The local awardees were; Nicholas Henrietta (Best Setter); Leonardo J Jeffers (Best Outside Hitter); Stephan Ellis (Best Middle); Allinton Augustine (Best Defence); Riegmar Valies Courtar (Best Opposite), and Riegmar Valies Courtar (Best Scorer) and MVP Most Valuable Player.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The island is famous for its runway at Princess Juliana International Airport, in which landing aircraft pass within of Maho Beach below, due to the close proximity of the runway to the ocean. The planes appear to land dangerously close to beach goers so the beach and airport have become a popular place for people to view aeroplane landings. In July 2017, a New Zealander died from head injuries after being propelled backwards from a jet engine blast.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten is also known for its festive nightlife, expansive beaches, precious jewelry, traditional cuisines, and plentiful casinos.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Previously residents had to complete secondary studies in Aruba and/or Curaçao. Prior to 1976 Sint Maarten had two secondary schools: the government secondary school John Phillips School and the Catholic secondary school Pastoor Nieuwen Huis School. Philips was both a MAVO/ETAO school while Huis was a MAVO school. The foundation Stichting Voortgezet Onderwijs van de Bovenwindse Eilanden (SVOBE), established on February 20, 1974, was created as the neutral governing body for a new school created by the merger of Phillips and Huis schools. MPC, the merged school, opened on August 17, 1976.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The Caribbean International Academy, founded in 2003 is a preparatory private boarding and day school on the island of St. Maarten. Catering to children from Kindergarten to Grade 12, CIA is also the only school offering Canadian/Ontario High School Diploma (OSSD) and 90% of their graduates go on to attend universities in Europe, Canada and the United States. Learning Unlimited Preparatory School (LUPS) is an American accredited institution, that established a Caribbean location in St.Maarten in 1991. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).


title: Sint Maarten

text: The American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), founded in 1978, was previously located on Montserrat. Because of the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano in 1995, AUC moved its campus to St. Maarten later that year. A permanent campus was completed in 1998 in Cupecoy.


title: Sint Maarten

text: The University of St. Martin (USM) is located in Philipsburg. The University of Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, founded in 1999, was previously located on Sint Eustatius. In September 2013, the University of Sint Eustatius moved its campus to Cole Bay, St. Maarten.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Philipsburg Jubilee Library in Philipsburg was the most prominent library in Sint Maarten. However, after Hurricane Irma hit the island in 2017, the library was forced to shut down. As of February 2019, Philipsburg Jubilee Library still lacks the funding necessary for it to be rebuilt, but has recently reopened in a temporary location until further notice.


title: Sint Maarten

text: Sint Maarten is served by Princess Juliana International Airport, serving destinations across the Caribbean, North America and France and the Netherlands. It is well known for its very low final approach landings close to a popular beach at the end of the runway. The Supreme Court of the Netherlands ruled in a well-known case on the jet blast on this beach. Winair (Windward Islands Airways) has its headquarters on the grounds of the airport.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Kieran John Trippier (; born 19 September 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right-back for club Newcastle United and the England national team.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier started his career in the youth system at Manchester City but failed to make the breakthrough to the first team, having two loans at Championship club Barnsley. In 2011, he signed for Championship club Burnley on a season-long loan which was made permanent in January 2012 for an undisclosed fee. He was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for two consecutive seasons in 2012–13 and 2013–14. In 2014, he secured promotion with Burnley to the Premier League as the team finished runners-up in the Championship. A year later, he signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a £3.5 million fee. After four years in North London, during which he became part of the squad that finished as runners-up in the 2019 Champions League final, Trippier joined Spanish side Atlético Madrid, where he helped the team win the 2020–21 La Liga title.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier also represented England at all levels from under-18 to under-21, featuring in the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his senior international debut in June 2017 and was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier was born in Bury, Greater Manchester, to Chris Trippier and Eleanor Lomax. He has three brothers, Chris, Curtis and Kelvin. He grew up in Summerseat in Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, and attended Holcombe Brook Primary School until 2002, followed by Woodhey High School where he studied for five years and finished in 2007. He played in the school football team and helped them win the Bury Cup twice and Greater Manchester Trophy once. His family are Manchester United fans, and although he was scouted by United when he was eight, he chose to join Manchester City's academy as he knew a few friends there and it was local for him.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier joined Manchester City's academy at the age of nine, where he progressed through the ranks at the club, signing his first professional contract in 2007. In the 2007–08 season he became a regular in the reserve team and was part of the team that won the FA Youth Cup. In August 2009, he featured in the prestige friendly against FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou. He joined the first team for the pre-season tour of the United States in the summer of 2010.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: In February 2010, he joined Championship club Barnsley on a one-month loan. He went on to make three appearances during the loan spell, making his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Middlesbrough. His loan was cut short after he suffered an injury at Scunthorpe United which kept him out for ten days. In August 2010, he re-joined Barnsley for his second spell with the club on a six-month loan deal. He made his second debut for the club in the 1–0 home defeat to Rochdale in the League Cup. In January 2011, Trippier agreed a deal to stay at Barnsley for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. He scored his first senior goal for Barnsley in a 3–3 draw with Leeds United, with a curling free-kick from 25 yards out at Elland Road in February 2011. His second goal came against local rivals Doncaster Rovers with another spectacular free-kick, equalising late on for the hosts at Oakwell. He went on to make forty-one appearances in all competitions, winning the Young Player of the Year award.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: In July 2011, Trippier joined Championship club Burnley on a season-long loan as a replacement for the departing Tyrone Mears. He made his debut for the Clarets in August 2011, a 2–2 home draw with Watford. His first goal for the club came in September 2011, with a superb long-range free-kick against Milton Keynes Dons in a 2–1 win in the League Cup. His first league goal came in December 2011, a 1–0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion at the Falmer Stadium, with a powerful shot from the edge of the box. In December 2011, after impressing during his loan, Trippier was nominated for the Championship Player of the Month award. On 2 January 2012, he received his first professional red card for picking up two bookings in a 2–1 defeat to Leeds United. A day later, Burnley signed Trippier on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. In January 2012 he scored his second goal for the club, scoring from range in a 2–0 win away to Middlesbrough. In March 2012, he scored the first in a 5–1 rout against Portsmouth at Fratton Park. He played in all 46 league games in his first season as the club finished in mid-table, going on to win the Burnley Player of the Year award.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier again went on to impress in his second season with the club being a virtual ever-present as he was named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for 2012–13. In August 2013, he scored a free-kick in a 2–0 win over Preston North End in the League Cup. In January 2014, he sealed a 3–2 win over Huddersfield Town with a late goal. He was again named in the Championship PFA Team of the Year for consecutive seasons as Burnley finished runners-up and gained promotion to the Premier League. In May 2014, he signed a new improved three-year contract until 2017 after reported interest from Arsenal.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: On 19 June 2015, Trippier signed for Premier League club Tottenham for a reported £3.5 million, after successfully passing a medical, becoming the club's second signing of the summer. Trippier was expected to compete with Kyle Walker at right-back under manager Mauricio Pochettino, and he did not make a start for Tottenham before Christmas as he was eased into the team. On 6 February 2016, he scored his first goal for Tottenham, netting a cross from Dele Alli, which turned out to be the winning goal in a 1–0 win over Watford. Trippier appeared in six games for Tottenham during the Premier League season, making five starts as Walker displayed his best form in recent years. However, Trippier played in every minute of Tottenham's Europa League campaign that reached the last 16.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Despite rumours of a move to Southampton, Trippier confirmed he was "really happy at the club" and that he was "not thinking of leaving". Trippier made his Champions League debut in a Group stage match at CSKA Moscow on 27 September 2016. He performed well in the right-back position as replacement for Kyle Walker who was injured during the 2016–17 season, and earned his first call-up for the England national squad.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: On 30 June 2017, Trippier agreed a new five-year contract, committing to the club until 2022. As Walker had moved to Manchester City in the summer, Trippier became a regular in the starting line-up of the Spurs team early in the 2017–18 season, although he missed the opening game of the season due to an injury sustained in a pre-season friendly against Juventus that Spurs won 2–1. However, a new signing for Tottenham this season, Serge Aurier, in September meant that he and Aurier regularly rotated in the right-back position. He impressed with his performances in the season, in particular during the UEFA Champions League home match against Real Madrid on 1 November 2017, which Spurs won 3–1.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier made his first start in the 2018–19 season in the game against Fulham, and scored his first goal of the season from a free kick. However, it was generally considered that he had a disappointing season, after suffering from a series of minor injuries, as well as having committed a number of defensive errors. In a match against rivals Chelsea, he scored an own goal, in an attempt to pass the ball to goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. His goal made the scoreline 2–0 to Chelsea, which was also the final result of the game. He left Tottenham at the end of the season, having made 114 appearances for the club in all competitions.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier signed for La Liga club Atlético Madrid on 17 July 2019 on a three-year contract, for a fee of £20 million plus add-ons. He became Atlético's first English player in 95 years. In his debut on 18 August in their opening La Liga match against Getafe, he helped the team to a 1–0 home win by providing an assist for Álvaro Morata's goal. In December 2020, Trippier was given a 10-week worldwide football ban and fined £70,000 for four breaches of Football Association betting rules after he allegedly passed on information on his transfer to his friends who then placed bets on his transfer. The ban was suspended by FIFA, which dismissed its appeal, until the case is decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). CAS rejected the appeal, and Trippier sat out his ban until his return to the team for the Madrid Derby against Real Madrid on 7 March 2021, which ended in a 1–1 draw.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: At the end of the 2020–21 season, Trippier won his first major trophy as Atlético secured the La Liga title on the final day of the season.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier signed for Premier League club Newcastle United on 7 January 2022 on a two-and-a-half-year contract for a fee of £12 million plus add-ons. He made his debut on 8 January, in the 1–0 defeat to Cambridge United in the FA Cup. On 8 February, Trippier scored his first goal for Newcastle United, a free kick in a 3–1 win at home to Everton.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: On 13 February 2022, after scoring a second goal for the club, also a free kick, in a 1–0 home win against Aston Villa, Trippier broke his foot. The news was described as "disastrous" for the club by pundit and former player Jermaine Jenas, and the club said they were unsure if Trippier would feature again that season.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier was a key member of the Newcastle team that reached third place in the Premier League at the November break, receiving regular praise from pundits for both his defensive and creative skills. The team conceded fewer goals than any other club, but Trippier was also in the top 3 of all players for chances created and crosses delivered.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier was first called up by England at under-18 level in November 2007 for a friendly against Ghana at the Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham. He made his debut in the 2–0 victory, coming on as a late substitute for Seth Nana Twumasi.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: He then progressed to the under-19 squad in November 2008 for the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification match against Albania, making his debut in the 3–0 win in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. He was a mainstay in the team as the squad qualified for the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals in Ukraine, and was named in the squad for the finals of the tournament. He featured heavily in the tournament as England reached the final but were beaten 2–0 by the hosts Ukraine.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: After reaching the final, England qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt a month later and Trippier was named in the 21-man squad. He featured in all three games as England were eliminated finishing bottom of the group with defeats to Uruguay and Ghana, and the 1–1 draw with Uzbekistan. In October 2010, he received his first call-up to the under-21 squad for the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off against Romania, however he failed to feature. He made his debut a month later in the friendly with Germany, a 2–0 defeat. His final appearance for the under-21s came in a friendly against Italy in February 2011 at the Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli. He came on as a second-half substitute for Josh McEachran in a 1–0 defeat.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier was called up to the senior team for the first time in May 2017 for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Scotland and the friendly match against France, making his debut against the latter on 13 June in a 3–2 defeat.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: He was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. On 11 July 2018, Trippier scored his first England goal, opening the scoring with a free-kick in a 2–1 extra-time loss to Croatia in Moscow in the semi-final. He was injured in extra time with all substitutions played, so England played the final ten minutes with ten men. He was widely praised as one of the best performers for the England team at the World Cup, particularly for his crosses and dead-ball delivery on set pieces, prompting comparison with David Beckham. He was ranked the most creative player of the tournament, having created 24 chances in all games played.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: On 1 June 2021 Trippier was named in the 26-man squad for the rescheduled UEFA Euro 2020, playing in the final against Italy at Wembley, Trippier provided an assist for Luke Shaw to score in the second minute of the match. It would prove to be England's only goal as the match went on to end 1-1 after extra time and Italy would triumph on penalties.


title: Kieran Trippier

text: Trippier has a brother, Kelvin Lomax, who also played professional football but used his mother's surname in his professional career. In June 2016, Trippier married his partner Charlotte in Cyprus. Their son Jacob was born in December 2016, and their daughter Esme Rose in February 2019.


The Avril Lavigne replacement conspiracy theory is a conspiracy theory stating that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne died in 2003, shortly after the release of her successful debut studio album, "Let Go", and was replaced by a body double named Melissa Vandella. Evidence used to support the theory include changes in Lavigne's appearance between 2003 and the present, supposed subliminal messaging in her follow-up effort, "Under My Skin", and a photoshoot in which Lavigne has the name "Melissa" written on her hand.


title: Avril Lavigne replacement conspiracy theory

text: The origins of the theory can be traced back to the 2011 Brazilian blog Avril Está Morta ("Avril Is Dead"), which led to conversations on internet forums sharing supposed evidence of Lavigne's replacement. The theory gained more traction in May 2017, when a Twitter user posted a thread recounting the theory. Lavigne herself has denied the theory on multiple occasions.


text: The origins of the replacement theory can be dated back to 2011, with a Brazilian blog named Avril Está Morta, or Avril Is Dead, although some sources say that the rumor dates back as far as 2005. The theory alleges that the pressures of fame, combined with the death of Lavigne's grandfather, sent her into a deep depression after the release of her 2002 debut album, "Let Go", and that the singer died by suicide shortly after.


text: According to the conspiracy theory, a look-alike named "Melissa" was originally hired to distract paparazzi, protecting a reclusive Lavigne. It alleges that Lavigne befriended "Melissa", that shortly before the singer's supposed death her body double was taught how to sing and perform like the musician, that after Lavigne's death her record company buried the news and replaced her with "Melissa Vandella" for a continued profit, and that "Melissa" recorded all of Lavigne's future work. Much of the evidence cited in support of the conspiracy theory is the purported appearance and disappearance of various moles and other skin blemishes in pictures of Lavigne over time, as well as a promotional photoshoot in which she has the name "Melissa" written on her hand.


text: The conspiracy theory soon gained traction on internet forums such as ATRL and Godlike Productions, where self-proclaimed "Avril Rangers" shared evidence. One ATRL post in 2012 suggested that the original Avril may actually be alive, using a picture of what appeared to be the singer buying cheese at a time when "new Avril" was supposedly battling Lyme disease. In addition to the changes in her appearance, the theory alleges that the title and artwork for "Avril"'s second album, "Under My Skin", as well as the lyrics of songs like "My Happy Ending", "Together", and "The Best Years of Our Lives" by Evan Taubenfeld, are subliminal messaging. The original blog further suggests that Melissa feels guilt over "participating in this farce", leading to the subliminal messaging.


text: The theory began to gain traction in the United States in October 2015, when BuzzFeed reporter Ryan Broderick tweeted about Avril Está Morta. In a BuzzFeed post, Broderick cleared up his tweet on the matter, mentioning that the opening line of the original blog post admits that the theory is a hoax, and that "This blog was created to show how conspiracy theories can look true."


text: The death hoax saw increased prevalence in May 2017, when a high school student posted a Twitter thread alleging that Lavigne had died and been replaced in late 2003. The thread, which was retweeted a quarter of a million times, cited discrepancies in the singer's face, fashion style, and handwriting as evidence of her death and replacement. The Twitter thread largely corresponds with the earlier "Avril Está Morta" conspiracy, with one major difference: this time, "Under My Skin" was created using pre-existing recordings of the real Lavigne.


text: The Twitter thread inspired an internet meme in which users would say that a celebrity or fictional character died and was replaced, showing two pictures of the figure in question and titling it "a conspiracy theory thread".


text: The first time Lavigne was asked about the rumors was in 2014 during an interview for the Brazilian TV show Pânico na Band, during The Avril Lavigne Tour. Lavigne was asked if she had heard about online rumors claiming she "had died and was replaced by a clone", to which she replied by saying that the first time she was hearing about it was in this interview, and later added, "Well, I'm here, and I'm here in Brazil". In a video of the interview uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the TV Show, it's possible to see images of the blog page " Avril Está Morta" responsible for starting the rumors. After the theory resurfaced globally in 2017, Lavigne addressed the rumors in a November 2017 Facebook live stream Q&A, when a fan asked whether she was dead, to which Lavigne responded, "No, I'm not dead. I'm here." She went on to say that the theory was spawned because "people are just bored and need something to talk about". The question was broached again in a November 2018 interview with Australia's KIIS 106.5. When asked about the theory, the singer responded, "Some people think that I'm not the real me, which is so weird! Like, why would they even think that?" Radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O said that Lavigne "never actually flat out denied" that she had been replaced, and suggested that technological difficulties during the interview were a suspicious coincidence. In a 2019 interview with "Entertainment Weekly", Lavigne addressed the theory directly, calling it a "dumb internet rumor" and saying that she was "flabbergasted that people bought into it". Lavigne addressed the rumor once again in a 2022 interview for Galore Magazine, stating "So it's funny because everyone says I look the same, but then there's that. That doesn't make any sense. Also, how random? When people bring it up, and it's been brought up to me for like, years, that there's this conspiracy theory that I'm not me or something? I'm a clone? How did something like that get so—I don't know, it's just the weirdest rumor."


text: In 2013, a separate death hoax alleged that Lavigne died in a snowboarding accident at Whistler Blackcomb ski resort.


text: The creator of the same Brazilian blog that originated the "Avril Está Morta" conspiracy had apologized and changed the whole blog post to state that Avril has never died, and that the blog was a way of showing how conspiracy theories may seem true.


title: Smosh

text: Smosh is an American YouTube sketch comedy-improv collective founded by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. In 2002, Padilla created a website named "smosh.com" for making Flash animations, and he was later joined by Hecox. They began to post videos on Smosh's YouTube channel in the autumn of 2005 and quickly became one of the most popular channels on the site. , the Smosh channel has over 10 billion views and over 25 million subscribers.


title: Smosh

text: Since 2012, the Smosh brand has expanded to consist of multiple channels, including a Spanish-language channel (ElSmosh), a channel focused on gaming content (Smosh Games), and a variety channel (Smosh Pit). The sketches have also included more actors. Padilla left Smosh in June 2017 to pursue independent ventures. The Smosh channel has experienced three different spans as the most subscribed YouTube channel. The first period spanned from May to June 2006, the second from April 2007 to September 2008, and the third span from January to August 2013.


title: Smosh

text: On November 6, 2018, Smosh's parent company Defy Media abruptly closed without warning. Six days later, the Smosh cast released a video announcing that production of Smosh, Smosh Pit, and Smosh Games content was still ongoing, and that existing videos would be finished and other content would be released independently by Smosh on their YouTube channels. They subsequently joined Mythical Entertainment after their company was purchased by Rhett & Link on February 22, 2019. As of 2019, the channel's regular cast consists of Hecox, Courtney Miller, Damien Haas, Olivia Sui, Keith Leak Jr., Noah Grossman and Shayne Topp, who run the majority of its content.


title: Smosh

text: The franchise began when Anthony Padilla built a website in 2002, smosh.com, and made several different Flash animations. He has stated that the name "Smosh" came from an incident where he mistook a friend explaining a mosh pit as a "smosh pit". Other content creators in the pre-YouTube era would also upload videos to smosh.com, including future YouTuber TomSka. Later, his friend, Ian Hecox, joined the venture. Padilla and Hecox first met in their sixth grade science class. They became friends, and quickly discovered their knack for comedy. In 2005, they joined YouTube and made several videos together, lip syncing the theme songs to "Mortal Kombat, Power Rangers," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". At first, these videos were not intended to be posted online, but after they sent them to their friends, they started a YouTube channel.


title: Smosh

text: One of Smosh's earliest videos, "Pokémon Theme Music Video," was released on November 28, 2005. It followed the same style as their other earlier videos, featuring the duo lip-synching the original English theme song for the "Pokémon" anime. However, the video instantly became much more popular than any of their other videos; over the course of its lifetime, it gained over 24 million views, becoming the most-viewed video on all of YouTube at that time. It held that title until it was dethroned by Judson Laipply's "Evolution of Dance". It was later removed for copyright.


title: Smosh

text: The success of their "Pokémon" video and other videos led Smosh to be featured in the "Person of the Year: You" issue of "Time", published December 13, 2006. Due to the channel's continued success, and Smosh's partnership with YouTube, the two recreated the video in November 2010, this time changing the words to be critical of The Pokémon Company taking down the Pokémon theme video.