Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor , born March 31 , 1971 in , Scotland , is a well - known film actor who has had significant success in mainstream , independent , and art - house films . Early life . Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31 , 1971 , in Crieff , Scotland . His mother , Carol Diane , is a teacher and school administrator , and his father , James Charles Stuart McGregor , is a physical - education teacher . At 16 , McGregor left Crieff and Morrison Academy to join the Perth Repertory Theatre . His parents encouraged him to leave school and pursue his acting goals rather than be unhappy . McGregor studied drama for a year at Kirkcaldly in Fife , then enrolled at London ' s Guildhall School of Music and Drama for a three - year course . He studied alongside Daniel Craig and Alistair McGowan , among others , and left just before graduating after snagging the role of Private Mick Hopper in Dennis Potter ' s 1993 six - part Channel 4 series " Lipstick on Your Collar " ( 1993 ) . Career . His first notable role was that of Alex Law in " Shallow Grave " ( 1995 ) , directed by Danny Boyle , written by John Hodge and produced by Andrew MacDonald . This was followed by " The Pillow Book " ( 1996 ) and " Trainspotting " ( 1996 ) , the latter of which brought him to the public ' s attention . McGregor has been featured as the male romantic lead in Hollywood films such as " Moulin Rouge " and " Down With Love " , and in the British film " Little Voice " . He received excellent reviews for his performance as an amoral drifter mixed up in murder in the British film " Young Adam " ( 2003 ) , which co - starred the acclaimed British actress Tilda Swinton . He also appeared in the war flick " Black Hawk Down " , and as Ian Rider , Alex Rider ' s uncle , in " Alex Rider : Operation Stormbreaker " . He is also known for his role as Edward Bloom in the 2003 film " Big Fish " , and Patrick McKenna in the 2009 film " Angels and Demons " . " Star Wars " . Within the realm of the " Star Wars " saga , McGregor is best known for his portrayal of a young Obi - Wan Kenobi in " " , and an older one in " and " . Coincidentally , McGregor is the nephew of Denis Lawson , the Scottish actor who portrayed hotshot pilot Wedge Antilles in all three episodes of the original trilogy . In 1995 , McGregor appeared in an episode of the crime drama " " alongside " Star Wars " co - star Oliver Ford Davies . McGregor also starred in 1996 ' s " " with Kenneth Colley . There are several references to Jedi and Jedi powers in his more recent film " " . Since the news about the sequel trilogy was announced , he expressed interest in coming back to the series if asked to . He made a brief audio appearance in as Kenobi ' s voice calling out to Rey in her Force - induced visions . As a producer . McGregor has formed a production company with friends Jonny Lee Miller , Sean Pertwee , Jude Law and Sadie Frost . Called Natural Nylon , they hope it will make innovative films that do not conform to Hollywood standards . Personal life . McGregor is married to French production designer Eve Mavrakis , whom he met while working on the TV show " Kavanagh QC " ( 1995 ) . They married in France on July 22 , 1995 , and have two daughters , Clara Mathilde ( born in February 1996 ) and Esther Rose ( born on November 7 , 2001 ) . In April 2006 , McGregor and his wife adopted Jamiyan , a four - year - old girl from Mongolia ( born June 2001 ) . Also in 2006 , McGregor contributed a rendition of " The Sweetest Gift " by to " " , a celebrity compilation album . In a November 2007 episode of " " , Ewan claimed that he has given up alcohol after a period where he was arguably a functioning alcoholic , and that he has not had a drink in seven years . He has since been relatively open about his battles with clinical depression . In 2008 , he had a cancerous mole removed from underneath his right eye .