James "Jamie" Fraser is a character in the Outlander series of books written by American author Diana Gabaldon and the TV version of the story. In the series, Claire Randall, a nurse who lived during World War II, travels to Scotland in 1945 and is sent back in time to the year 1743. There, she meets Jamie Fraser, a brave Highland warrior who is the grandson of Lord Lovat and an important member of Gabaldon’s made-up version of Clan Fraser. Jamie also appears in two books from the Lord John series, which are historical mysteries, and in the 2013 short story Virgins.
In the Starz TV show Outlander, Jamie Fraser is played by actor Sam Heughan.
Concept and creation
Gabaldon chose the name "Jamie" from the Doctor Who character Jamie McCrimmon, played by Frazer Hines in the TV show. Gabaldon watched the Doctor Who story The War Games, which inspired her to set her novel in Scotland. She created Jamie based on a character in Eric Linklater's book Prince in the Heather, where a lone Jacobite named Fraser survives after his friends are executed. Gabaldon said Jamie's appearance and personality are inspired by her husband, Doug Watkins. Frazer Hines appeared in the May 2015 episode "Wentworth Prison" of Outlander, the TV series based on Gabaldon's books.
Character
When World War II nurse Claire Randall, who is married, is sent back in time from 1945 to 1743, she meets Jamie Fraser, a handsome Highland warrior.
Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "The stories shown in the second half of the first season made Claire and Jamie's relationship stronger and showed how much they needed each other. Jamie was made to think about his beliefs about how men and women should act, understand how these beliefs affected Claire, and realize the importance of having a wife who was his equal in all ways."
Gabaldon describes Jamie as tall, with bright red hair, deep blue eyes, and light skin. Throughout the series, Jamie uses many different names, including Jamie MacTavish, James, The Dunbonnet, Red Jamie/Seumas Ruadh, Mac Dubh, Alex MacKenzie, and Alexander Malcolm.
Appearances
Jamie is the main character in Gabaldon's Outlander series. He also appears in two books from the Lord John series, which are historical mystery stories, and in the 2013 novella Virgins.
- Outlander (1991)
- Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
- Voyager (1994)
- Drums of Autumn (1997)
- The Fiery Cross (2001)
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
- An Echo in the Bone (2009)
- Written in My Own Heart's Blood (2014)
- Virgins, a short story that comes before other stories in the collection Dangerous Women (2013)
- Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (2021)
- Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade (2007)
- The Scottish Prisoner (2011)
Television series
In the Starz television series Outlander, the character Jamie is played by Sam Heughan. Heughan was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series in 2015, and for Best Actor in a TV Series in 2016. He also received nominations for a People's Choice Award for Favourite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor in 2016 and 2017, a 2016 BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor in Television, and a 2016 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.