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 and television writer. She is best known for the book series ''Outlander''. Her books merge multiple genres, featuring elements of historical fiction, romance, mystery, adventu ...

, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

warrior Jamie Fraser, a grandson of

Lord Lovat Lord Lovat () is a title of the rank Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser by summoning him to the Scottish Parliament as Lord Fraser of Lovat, although the holder is referred to simply as Lo ...

and senior member of Gabaldon's fictionalized

Clan Fraser Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Publis ...

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

Virgins Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

''. Jamie is portrayed by

Sam Heughan Sam Roland Heughan (; born 30 April 1980) is a Scottish actor, producer, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his starring role as Jamie Fraser in the Starz drama series '' Outlander'' (2014–present) for which he has won the People ...

in the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

television series '' Outlander''.

Concept and creation

Gabaldon took the name "Jamie" from the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' 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 on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. A Bagpipes, piper of the Clan Mac ...

, 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'', appearing i ...

. 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 r ...

'', 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'', ...

" 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 online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' 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, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

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 boo ...

'' (1992) * ''

Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...

'' (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 c ...

'' (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, published on September 27, 2005. Centered on time travelling 20th century doctor Claire Fraser and her 18th century Scottish Highlander ...

'' (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 boo ...

'' (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 Fras ...

'' (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'' (2007) * '' The Scottish Prisoner'' (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 Fan (person), fans and Public, general public. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined us ...

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 were accolades that were 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 fou ...

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 Catholics Fictional Jacobites Fictional lairds Fictional characters from the 18th century Scottish male characters in television Literary characters introduced in 1991 Television characters introduced in 2014 Fictional characters with post-traumatic stress disorder Christianity in television Fictional victims of sexual assault