Sam Heughan's name will always be first and foremost associated with Outlander. (Unless he nabs that iconic martini-drinking MI6 agent.) But the actor's repertoire includes more movies and TV shows beyond Jamie Fraser.
The 40-year-old Scottish actor is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. As Heughan briefly mentioned on the Instagram series Career Chronicles with Noel Clark, he was classmates with fellow Outlander actor Steven Cree. He has appeared in everything from serious stage productions like Romeo and Juliet and The Seagull to playing Bruce Wayne in a tour of Batman Live. The range!
Heughan's first screen role was in the 2001 short film Small Moments. Some of his smaller roles include an episode of The Wild West, a British miniseries where he portrayed John Tunstall in the "Billy the Kid" episode, and four episodes of the Scottish soap River City where he rocked some truly excellent 2000s-era hair.
He also appeared in the Matt Smith-led series Party Animals, an episode of the detective series Rebus, and the miniseries Any Human Heart with Matthew Macfadyen. Heughan had a starring role in 2010 in the straight-to-video Young Alexander the Great with Lauren Cohan of The Walking Dead.
But let's get to the good stuff. And fair warning: A lot of these roles have Heughan with a British accent (gasp!) and his natural blonde hair (double gasp!).
Island at War
This 2005 British miniseries followed the Nazi occupation at the English Channel islands in WWII. Heughan starred as the English soldier Philip Dorr, who was on a spy mission. Could Heughan's first major screen role have predicted his potential turn as James Bond?
Where to watch: Amazon Prime
Midsomer Murders
This British detective series has been on since the '90s and is still going strong. (Think of it like a British Law & Order: SVU, but far less dark.) Since it's a procedural show, Heughan only popped up in one episode — 2005's "King's Crystal" — where he plays Cambridge student Ian King, who's reeling from the death of his businessman father.
Where to watch: Acorn TV, Amazon Prime, and Tubi
A Very British Sex Scandal
Not to be confused with Hugh Grant's A Very English Scandal, this 2007 television movie told the story of journalist and gay rights activist Peter Wildeblood. Heughan played Wildeblood's lover Edward McNally.
Where to watch: Currently unavailable to stream in the US
Breaking the Mould
That's mold, to us Americans. But this 2009 TV movie is the perfect companion to Claire's adventures in penicillin-making in Outlander Season 5 since it follows Sir Alexander Fleming and Sir Howard Florey (Dominic West of The Wire and The Affair) in their pursuit to develop penicillin. Heughan plays real-life epidemiologist Charles Fletcher, so it seems Claire's not the only doctor in the Fraser family.
Where to watch: Currently unavailable to stream in the US
Doctors
Heughan was the recurring character Scott Neilson for 21 episodes in this long-running British medical daytime soap. He earned a nomination at the British Soap Awards in 2010 in the category of (dun, dun, dunnn) Villain of the Year... clearly, Scott was a far cry from Jamie.
Where to watch: Currently unavailable to stream in the US
First Light
Ah, finally, we've got Heughan in a starring role. He played "The Boy" in this 2010 TV movie based on the memoir of WWII Royal Air Force fighter pilot Geoffrey Wellum. Gary Lewis also starred, a.k.a., Jamie's uncle Colum MacKenzie.
Where to watch: Currently unavailable to stream in the US
A Princess for Christmas
Heughan went royal for his first American role in this Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. He told Career Chronicles he's "not ashamed" of any of his credits when this film was mentioned, adding, "People seem to love it." Plus, he got to work with Bond actor Roger Moore.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Netflix
Heart of Lightness
Back before they played siblings, Laura Donnelly and Heughan starred in this 2014 film about the making of a movie based on Henrik Ibsen's play The Lady from the Sea. It's truly an Outlander party since the actor who portrayed Mary Hawkins, Rosie Day, stars too.
Where to watch: Vimeo (rent or buy), YouTube (rent or buy)
Emulsion
Things aren't what they appear to be in this psychological indie thriller that sees Heughan consumed by trying to find his missing wife. Seems he had some experience with wives disappearing pre-Outlander.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime (rent or buy)
When the Starlight Ends
See Heughan as a scruffy and eccentric writer in this 2016 movie that also stars David Arquette and Sean Patrick Flanery. (Yes, there's an American accent.)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube (rent or buy)
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Heughan isn't the titular spy in this Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon 2018 action-buddy comedy (that'd be Justin Theroux), but his smooth and sweet MI6 character Sebastian is more proof that he could play Bond.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, EPIX, Hulu
Bloodshot
Say it ain't so! Heughan took on another villain role for 2020's Bloodshot where he battled Vin Diesel's comic book character.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Starz, YouTube
Heughan's career will only continue to grow from here on, but no matter where his acting chops take him, he will forever be Outlander fans' beloved Jamie Fraser.
Images: Lionsgate (2), Showtime, ITV, A+E Networks, Channel 4, BBC (3), Hallmark Channel, Beacon Isle Films, California Pictures, Cinedigm Entertainment Group, Sony Pictures