Ewen Bremner is a Scottish character actor. His roles have included Julien in Julien Donkey-Boy, Daniel "Spud" Murphy in Trainspotting and its 2017 sequel T2 Trainspotting, SPC Shawn Nelson in Black Hawk Down, expert marksman Charlie in Wonder Woman and Lt. Red Winkle in Pearl Harbor.
Bremner was born in Edinburgh, the son of two art teachers. He attended Davidson's Mains Primary School and Portobello High School. He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance in show business by television director Richard D. Brooks. One of his first notable roles was as a Glasgow schoolboy in Charles Gormley's Heavenly Pursuits (1986). He would also play the lead in the BBC Scotland feature-length adaptation of the William McIlvanney short story "Dreaming" (1990).
Bremner caught the eye of the film world with his brief but unforgettable appearance against David Thewlis in Mike Leighs' Naked (1993). He went on to portray Spud in Danny Boyle's film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel Trainspotting, and later Mullet, a street thug in Guy Ritchie's Snatch. In the 1995 stage version of Trainspotting, Bremner played the lead role of Mark Renton, the role played by Ewan McGregor in the 1996 film. He has played supporting roles in blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down, in which he appeared alongside Trainspotting co-star Ewan McGregor (which he has again since, in Perfect Sense and Jack the Giant Slayer). In 2005, he had a small role in the mini-series Elizabeth I as James VI, King of Scots. In December 2006, he played Harold Stritzke in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries The Lost Room. In 2007, he played Robert Louis Stevenson in the BBC Four documentary Ian Rankin Investigates Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, as well as Justin in Death at a Funeral.