Kevin McKidd

Some Lesser Known Facts About Kevin McKidd

• Kevin McKidd is of half-Scottish and half-German ancestry as his mother is German and his father is Scottish.

• Kevin McKidd comes from a family of farmers and he was one of the first in his family to attend university.

• Kevin fell into acting as a result of athletic inadequacy as he was a fat kid. During his school days, Kevin McKidd used to participate in school plays at the tender age of six or seven and that’s how his interest in acting grew. Remembering his first experience, Kevin was quoted saying in an interview that
  

  The first time I went on stage was during a school play and everyone laughed, either because I was fat, or because I was being funny. I wasn’t sure. Anyway, it was a good buzz and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

• As a child, Kevin wanted to become Elliot from the 1982 American science fiction film titled ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ and he also loved watching Miami Dolphins football when he was a kid.

• As a teenager, Kevin McKidd was part of a rock band called ‘Plan 9’ and the band was well known back then and also used to perform all across Scotland.

• At the age of 17, Kevin McKidd worked at the single malt Scotch whisky distillery named Macallan distillery in the Speyside region of Scotland.

• After working at the distillery, Kevin went to work with the Lumsden family of coppersmiths.

• Kevin was a patron of an Elgin-based drama group named ‘Out of the Darkness Theatre Company’ and he also helped his mother in getting an administration job in the same theatre company.

• Kevin McKidd became interested in acting at a very young age and decided to pursue it as his full-time profession.

• His first role was in the Elgin Town Hall production of the theatrical play of ‘Anne of Green Gables’ which was based on the late 19th-century novel of the same name.

• He became a member of the local amateur dramatic group named Moray Youth Theatre to pursue his interest in acting.

• Initially, Kevin McKidd wanted to study engineering and he initially attended the University of Edinburgh but then dropped out of it and decided to audition at Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University where he was accepted to study Drama.

• While studying at the university, he joined Edinburgh University’s student theatre company named ‘Bedlam Theatre’ where he became a member of the improvisational comedy troupe named ‘The Improverts.’

• In 1998, Kevin was cast in the BBC Scotland television drama titled ‘Looking After Jo Jo’ in which he played the character of Basil.

  

• In 1999, Kevin McKidd was cast in the English fantasy television miniseries titled ‘The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns’ which was telecast on the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

  

• In 2002, Kevin McKidd did voice work and voiced the character of Jezz Torrent as the flame-haired lead singer of the fictional Scottish hard rock band named ‘Love Fist’ in the video game titled ‘Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.’

• Kevin McKidd broke a rib and a bone in his hand while doing all of his own stunts in the British action horror film titled ‘Dog Soldiers’ (2002).

  

• In 2003, Kevin McKidd was cast in the English drama film titled ’16 Years of Alcohol’ which was based on the Scottish filmmaker Richard Jobson’s semi-autobiographical 1987 novel. He played the character of Frankie.

  

• In 2005, Kevin McKidd was cast in the American-British historical drama television series titled ‘Rome’ in which he played the character of Lucius Vorenus.

  

• In 2008, Kevin McKidd was cast in season 4 of the American medical drama television series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ in which he played the character of Dr. Owen Hunt.

  

• In 2009, he was credited with playing a voice-over for the character John ‘Soap’ MacTavish in the games ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ and ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ (2011).

• In 2010, he was cast in the English fantasy film titled ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ which was based on the 2005 novel titled ‘The Lightning Thief’ which was written by Rick Riordan.

  

• In the same year, Kevin McKidd directed the episode titled ‘Seattle Grace: Message of Hope’ from season 6 of the TV series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’

• In 2012, Kevin McKidd voiced the characters of Lord MacGuffin and his son Young MacGuffin in the Disney/Pixar film titled ‘Brave.’

• Having grown up in Elgin, Scotland, Kevin McKidd used a variation of the Doric dialect for Young MacGuffin and one of the famous feedback of his voice-over was that not even Lord MacGuffin is entirely sure what Young MacGuffin is saying in the film ‘Brave.’

• In 2012, Kevin initiated ‘The Speyside Sessions’ which was a Scottish folk music album that was recorded on the occasion of New Year’s Eve and was released on 15 June 2012 in support of the UK-based non-governmental organization named ‘Save the Children.’

• In 2013, Kevin McKidd was selected as the Grand Marshal of the 15th annual Tartan Day (celebration of Scottish heritage) Parade in New York City.

  

• Kevin has been called one of Scotland’s hardest-working actors.

• He considers the American actor John Cusack as his biggest inspiration.

• In August 2015, Kevin McKidd and his family became US citizens.

• Kevin McKidd is an advocate for mental health awareness and has spoken out about mental health issues and has been actively involved in raising awareness and promoting mental health well-being on different public platforms.

• He is an active supporter of causes such as cancer research and children’s hospitals.

• He has directed many episodes of the American medical drama television series titled ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and some of those episodes are ‘Don’t Deceive Me (Please Don’t Go)’ (2011), ‘Do You Believe in Magic’ (2013), ‘Who Is He (And What Is He To You?)’ (2017), ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ (2021), and ‘I Carry Your Heart’ (2024).

• Kevin has lent his voice for various films and TV series and some of them are the film titled ‘Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox’ (2013) (for the character of Thomas Wayne/Batman) and the TV series titled ‘Toy Story That Time Forgot’ (2014) (as Reptillus Maximus) and TV series titled ‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2016) (as Fenn Rau).

• He loves animals and often shares photos and videos with his pet dog on social media.

  

• In 2023, he was cast in the British crime thriller television series titled ‘Six Four’ in which he played the character of Detective Constable Chris O’Neill. The TV series was an adaptation of the 2012 novel of the same name written by the Japanese novelist Hideo Yokoyama.

  

• In 2024, Kevin McKidd was cast in the American romantic drama film titled ‘It Ends with Us’ in which he played the character of Andrew Bloom. The film was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.

  

• Kevin McKidd has been part of many English films and some of them include ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005), ‘Made of Honor’ (2008), ‘The Great Ghost Rescue’ (2011), ‘Home Sweet Hell’ (2015), and ‘Tulip Fever’ (2017).

  

• Kevin McKidd has been part of many television series and some of them are ‘Gunpowder, Treason & Plot’ (2004), ‘The Virgin Queen’ (2006), ‘Toy Story That Time Forgot’ (2014), ‘Star Wars Rebels’ (2016), and ‘Room 104’ (2020).