‘Fifty Shades’ Star Jamie Dornan: 7 Things You Need to Know

Bam! Literally overnight, Jamie Dornan has become a household name.

That's because, as reported late Wednesday, the hunky Irish actor is thisclose to finalizing a deal to play Christian Grey in "Fifty Shades of Grey," stepping into a role vacated earlier this month by "Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam.

[Related: Droolfest! Fans Psyched About Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey]

But enough about Charlie — it's now all about Jamie, who, along with Dakota Johnson's Anastasia Steele, will be acting out those erotic fantasies in the big screen adaption of the bondage-themed romance novels, which have been described as "mommy porn."

So who is Jamie — other than a very handsome face? We strip it down to the basics for you...

1. The Hollywood Star Hails From Holywood. While he's now all the rage in Tinseltown, the 31-year-old was "born, bred, and buttered in Holywood, County Down," in Northern Ireland, as the model-turned-actor notes in his Twitter bio. But he's no longer living in the Emerald Isle; his home base is London and in his downtime there he plays a lot of golf, makes use of the city's famed Hyde Park, and reads. "I'm very boring," he said in an interview with Bespoke Banter in 2009. We doubt that.

2. His First Film Was "Marie Antoinette." The actor, who stands at 6-feet tall and has blue/gray eyes, made his movie debut in the 2006 Sofia Coppola drama. He played Axel von Fersen and co-starred with Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, and Rose Byrne.

3. He modeled for Calvin Klein Underwear. See one of his modeling shots above. And you're welcome.

4. His Exes Include Keira Knightley. For two years, from about 2003 to 2005, the British actress was his better half and they made many red-carpet appearances together — at movie premieres, London Fashion Week, and the Sundance Film Festival. Jamie, who met Knightley at a photo shoot, later told Britain's Mail on Sunday, "The man is meant to be the alpha in the relationship on the money and power front, and clearly I was not."

5. Sorry Ladies, He's Taken. Jamie is off the market, having said "I do" to British actress/singer Amelia Warner earlier this year. They are said to be expecting their first child together.

Funny enough — fellow Irishman Colin Farrell was married to Warner as well. Well, sort of. In 2001, the "Total Recall" star was said to have tied the knot with Warner, then just 19, in Tahiti, but just four months later they called it off. "Too fast, too young," Farrell said to People while talking about the end of his marriage. However, a decade later, Warner gave her own interview and said she was never really Mrs. Farrell.

"We didn't actually get married — it's not actually true," she said. I think we've been too polite to deny it. We had a ceremony on a beach in Tahiti that was by no means legal and we knew it wasn't. It was just a thing we did on holiday. We went shark feeding and then we did that. We booked them both on the activities desk at the hotel."

6. He Developed a Fierce Fan Following on "Once Upon a Time." While Charlie Hunnam was reportedly worried about the attention he'd receive for the "Fifty Shades" role, Jamie already has some experience with overzealous fans. On TV's "Once Upon a Time," he played Sheriff Graham/The Huntsman and had a memorable dalliance with Jennifer Morrison's Emma Swan. But when his character was killed off, fans protested — vigorously — sending hate mail (and death threats!) — to show exec. Jamie was later brought back for guest appearances.

"I guess I essentially see that as a compliment, but I think people can be pretty hairy, like from what those boys tell me," Jamie told Access Hollywood in March, referring to producers. "I don't want to induce any sort of like hatred or anything and I don't want those guys to be massively under fire from, you know, crazy fans because of what they did. ... But I guess I should essentially take it as a compliment that people care that much. A bit of hate mail's OK, but the death threats — that's too much."

7. Jamie Really Loves … Burgers. The heartthrob is a carnivore and couldn't stop talking about his love of hamburgers in a 2009 interview with Nylon. Of note, he said he's a messy eater — with ketchup and mayonnaise covering his face. "I'm obsessed with burgers. Obsessed," he said. "As soon as I check in [to my hotel when traveling], it's 'bacon cheeseburger and fries.' Until I'm satisfied and finished with my burger, [I don't do anything]. Then I phone people and say, 'Let's meet up."

As far as his diet to keep that model physique? "I don't watch what I eat. I don't understand how guys do that," he said. "Food is so good. And if you feel badly [about overeating], go for a run. Do something. Don't say: I've eaten so badly this week I'm going to have to not eat next week. That makes no sense to me."

"Fifty Shades of Grey" is scheduled to begin production next month and will hit theaters in August 2014.