James "Jamie" Fraser is a fictional character in the ''Outlander'' series of multi-genre novels by American author

Diana Gabaldon Diana J. Gabaldon (; born January 11, 1952) is an American author, known for the ''Outlander'' series of novels. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventure and science fiction/fantas ...

, and its

television adaptation An adaptation is a transfer of a work of art from one style, culture or medium to another. Some common examples are: * Film adaptation, a story from another work, adapted into a film (it may be a novel, non-fiction like journalism, autobiography, ...

. In the series, married

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

nurse

Claire Randall Claire Beauchamp (who adopts the surnames Randall, Fraser, and Grey at various times) is a fictional character in the ''Outlander'' series of multi-genre novels by American author Diana Gabaldon, and its television adaptation. In the series, Cl ...

is visiting Scotland when she is transported through time from 1945 back to 1743. There she finds adventure, war and romance with the dashing

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

warrior Jamie Fraser, a member of Gabaldon's fictionalized

Clan Fraser of Lovat Clan Fraser of Lovat ( gd, Friseal french: link=yes, Fraiser) is a Highland Scottish clan and the principal branch of Clan Fraser. The Frasers of Lovat are strongly associated with Inverness and the surrounding area since the Clan's founder gaine ...

. Jamie also appears in two novels in the ''Lord John'' series of historical mysteries, and in the 2013 novella ''

Virgins Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

''. Jamie is portrayed by

Sam Heughan Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fictiona ...

in the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consis ...

television series '' Outlander''.

Concept and creation

Gabaldon took the name "Jamie" from the '' Doctor Who'' character

Jamie McCrimmon James Robert McCrimmon, usually simply called Jamie, is a fictional character played by Frazer Hines in the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. A piper of the Clan MacLeod who lived in 18th-century Scotland ...

, portrayed in the television series by

Frazer Hines Frazer Simpson Frederick Hines (born 22 September 1944) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and appeared in '' A King in New York'' (1957) with Charlie Chaplin. He later played Jamie McCrimmon in '' Doctor Who'', appeari ...

. Gabaldon had seen the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''

The War Games ''The War Games'' is the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'', which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. In the serial, an unnamed alien ...

'', which inspired her to set her novel in Scotland. Gabaldon developed Jamie from an account in the

Eric Linklater Eric Robert Russell Linklater CBE (8 March 1899 – 7 November 1974) was a Welsh-born Scottish poet, fiction writer, military historian, and travel writer. For '' The Wind on the Moon'', a children's fantasy novel, he won the 1944 Carnegie Med ...

book ''Prince in the Heather'', in which a single Jacobite named Fraser survives the mass execution of his fellows. Jamie's looks and character are based on Gabaldon's husband, Doug Watkins, as the author has herself confirmed on her Twitter account. Hines guest starred in the May 2015 episode "

Wentworth Prison ''Wentworth'' is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013 and it concluded on Fox Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of ''Prisoner'', w ...

" of '' Outlander'', the television series adaptation of Gabaldon's novels.

Character

When married

nurse

is transported through time from 1945 back to 1743, she meets dashing

warrior Jamie Fraser. Jeff Jensen of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cult ...

'' wrote, "The stories the show told during the second half of the first season deepened laire and Jamie'sbond and their need for each other. Jamie in particular was made to confront his personal and cultural attitudes about

gender role A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cen ...

s, understand how they impact Claire, and recognize the value to him of having a wife that was his equal in every way." Gabaldon describes Jamie as handsome and unusually tall, with distinctive red hair, deep blue eyes, and fair skin. The character uses many aliases throughout the series, including Jamie MacTavish, The Dunbonnet, Red Jamie/Seumas Ruadh, Mac Dubh, Alex MacKenzie, and Alexander Malcolm.

Appearances

Jamie is a main character of Gabaldon's ''Outlander'' series. He also appears in two novels in the ''Lord John'' series of historical mysteries, and in the 2013 novella ''

''.

''Outlander'' novels

* '' Outlander'' (1991) * ''

Dragonfly in Amber ''Dragonfly in Amber'' is the second book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century nurse Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books c ...

'' (1992) * '' Voyager'' (1994) * ''

Drums of Autumn ''Drums of Autumn'' is the fourth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books con ...

'' (1997) * '' The Fiery Cross'' (2001) * ''

A Breath of Snow and Ashes ''A Breath of Snow and Ashes'' is the sixth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the ...

'' (2005) * ''

An Echo in the Bone ''An Echo in the Bone'' is the seventh book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Fraser, the books ...

'' (2009) * ''

Written in My Own Heart's Blood ''Written in My Own Heart's Blood'' is the eighth book in the ''Outlander'' series of novels by Diana Gabaldon. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Randall and her 18th century Scottish Highlander warrior husband Jamie Frase ...

'' (2014) * ''

'',

prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term ...

novella in the anthology '' Dangerous Women'' (2013) * ''Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone'' (2021)

''Lord John'' novels

* ''

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade The ''Lord John'' series is a sequence of historical mystery novels and shorter works written by Diana Gabaldon that center on Lord John Grey, a recurring secondary character in the author's ''Outlander'' series. Secretly homosexual "in a tim ...

'' (2007) * ''

The Scottish Prisoner The ''Lord John'' series is a sequence of historical mystery novels and shorter works written by Diana Gabaldon that center on Lord John Grey, a recurring secondary character in the author's ''Outlander'' series. Secretly homosexual "in a time ...

'' (2011)

Television series

Jamie is portrayed by

in the

television series '' Outlander''.

Awards and nominations

Heughan was nominated for a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...

for Best Supporting Actor on Television in 2015, and Best Actor on Television in 2016. Heughan was also nominated for a

People's Choice Award The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls unt ...

for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor in 2016 and 2017, a 2016

BAFTA Scotland Award The British Academy Scotland Awards are presented annually at an awards ceremony organised by BAFTA Scotland. History The annual British Academy Scotland Awards were launched in 2004 to recognise outstanding achievement by individuals working in t ...

for Best Actor in Television, and a 2016

Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourth ...

for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Jamie Outlander (franchise) Characters in American novels of the 20th century Characters in American novels of the 21st century Fictional Christians Fictional Jacobites Fictional lairds Fictional people from the 18th-century Fictional Scottish people Literary characters introduced in 1991 Television characters introduced in 2014 Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Christianity in television