Glasgow to go
Robert Carlyle grew up in Maryhill in Glasgow. He was raised by his father, Joseph, after his mother walked out when he was just four. Bitten by the bug after reading Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible', he enrolled in acting classes at the Glasgow Arts Centre when he turned 21. By 1995 Robert had become a household name thanks to his performance as the erratic and aggressive Francis Begbie in Danny Boyle's breakthrough junkie film: Trainspotting.

Trainspotters strike back?
There has been much talk of a sequel, but Robert isn't convinced. He says: "It depends on the development of the character, on where Begbie has gone. Jail probably. Normally, the salaries would exceed the budget but I'd do it for very little if we could get that same feeling back again. It would have to be Danny Boyle directing, nobody else. If a script of the quality of Trainspotting comes out of this, that would be great."

You can keep your hat on
Robert's international break came in the unlikely form of 'The Full Monty'. As Gaz, an unemployed steel worker, the actor seduced the world in the story of an ordinary guy who sets up his very own version of the Chippendales. The movie became one of the biggest British hits of the nineties and propelled Carlyle to Hollywood.

From chipper stripper to Bond
1999 was a good year for Robert Carlyle. After a stint as a flesh-eating weirdo and a brief escape into the 18th Century where he and Jonny Lee Miller teamed up as robin-hood style highwaymen, Carlyle hit the big time. The Glaswegian bagged a plum role as an evil Bond villain. As 007's nemesis: Renard, he starred alongside Sophie Marceau and Pierce Brosnan. And he really enjoyed living out every little boy's dream. He says: The gun I had in The World Is Not Enough was brilliant. It shot off about 80 bullets in 10 seconds. I was there to do a job, but my childish side really enjoyed it."

Keeping it real
Although he made it to the big time, Carlyle likes to keep it real: "I still leave my pants on the floor when I go to bed. I'm not a celebrity and I hate that life. Good luck to anyone who wants it, but that's not me. You have to do something outside what you do in this business or you end up in the Met Bar p***ing your talent into the sink." But fame does have its advantages. He remembers getting his OBE from the Queen in 1999: "When I got the OBE and could take my Dad to the Palace it was pretty good being famous. My Dad was so proud that it made me treat it seriously. Plus I got to meet David Essex."

Celebrity fanclub
Samuel L. Jackson couldn't wait to make The 51st State with our Robert. Having seen him in action in Trainspotting, the American star is a devoted fan of the Scottish actor. "I'm a great admirer of his work. After seeing Trainspotting, you go, 'Who's this little, intense person?', and man, he's got a great sense of humor. This is perfect: our statures give you an immediate picture. You have these two very different guys: there's this very smart, tough guy and this big black guy who's also streetwise and tough." The pair got on so well on the set of The 51st State filming in Liverpool, they even hit clubbing hotspot Cream together!


Did you know?

He married Anastasia Shirley in 1997 at Skibo Castle.

He has three year-old daughter called Ava.

He founded the Raindog theatre company in 1991 named after Tom Waits' album specialising in innovative, improvisational-based work, as well as modern takes on classics

He is a partner in the film production company '4 Ways' with Antonia Bird, Irvine Welsh and Mark Cousins.