University honour for Outlander main man ‘Jamie’

He was born in 1980 in the Dumfries and Galloway village of Balmaclellan, but moved to Edinburgh at the age of 12 and went on to graduate from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) in 2003.

He is best known for his role as Jamie Fraser in the Starz hit series Outlander, for which he received two nominations for the Saturn Awards.

He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer in 2003 for his performance in the play Outlying Islands, which was performed at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs.

Since then he has performed widely in film, TV and theatre. He has also been active in charitable work.

His honorary degree at the Dumfries campus of the University of Glaasgow reflects the core interests of the University’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Dumfries - the Outlander series was filmed in a number of locations in Scotland, boosting tourism.

Heughan became a patron for Youth Theatre Arts Scotland in 2014, and in 2015 established his charitable foundation My Peak Challenge.

It is a training, nutrition and support programme which provides participants with a sense of community as they work towards personal goals while also raising money for charity.

The foundation has partnered with Leukemia Lymphoma Research, Bear Strength Clothing and Fight Camp Glasgow to raise funds for cancer research.

Last year he ran both the Stirling and EMF Edinburgh Marathons to raise money for Cahonas Scotland’s Testicular Cancer Education and Awareness Programme.