Brendan Gleeson
| Brendan Gleeson | |
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 Brendan Gleeson, September 2005 |
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| Born | 29 March 1955 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse | Mary Gleeson (1982-present) |
Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor. His best-known films include the Harry Potter films, Braveheart, Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, and the role of Michael Collins in The Treaty. He won an Emmy award in 2009 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the film Into the Storm.
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Early life
Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland and has described himself as having been an avid reader as a child.[1] After leaving school for a short while, he worked for two years in an office with a health board. He then graduated from University College Dublin and went on to Drama School in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Just after completing the 3 Year Acting Drama Course at RADA, Gleeson built a very respectable CV at the Royal National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. Gleeson became known for his tremedous stage presence, particularly while performing in such works of William Shakespeare as King Lear, Richard III, and Hamlet. Gleeson was also known for performing the works of Anton Chekhov in London's West End. He returned to Ireland and worked for several years as a secondary school teacher at the now defunct Belcamp College in Malahide, County Dublin, which closed in 2004. He taught the Irish language (Gaeilge), English and Physical Education. During that time Gleeson was also active in the Dublin Shakespeare Festival.
Career
Gleeson started his film career at the age of 34. He first came to prominence in Ireland for his role as Michael Collins in The Treaty, a television film broadcast on RTÉ One, and for which he won a Jacob's Award in 1992. He has acted in such films as Braveheart, I Went Down, Michael Collins, Gangs of New York, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Lake Placid, Artificial Intelligence: AI and The Village. He won critical acclaim for his performance as Irish gangster Martin Cahill in John Boorman's 1998 film The General.
While Gleeson portrayed Irish statesman Michael Collins in The Treaty, he later portrayed Collins' close collaborator Liam Tobin in the film Michael Collins with Liam Neeson taking the role of Collins.
| “ | The first day I went to the set Liam came over to me and said "Here's the real Michael Collins now, I'll be picking your brains."[2] | ” |
Gleeson later went on to portray Collins' one-time nemesis Winston Churchill in Into the Storm. Gleeson won an Emmy Award for his performance.
Gleeson played Hogwarts professor Mad-Eye Moody in the fourth and fifth Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Gleeson is set to appear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, reprising his role of Mad-Eye. His son Domhnall will be playing Bill Weasley in the film.
In his review of In Bruges, Roger Ebert described the elder Gleeson as having a "noble shambles of a face and the heft of a boxer gone to seed", in which Gleeson played a mentor-like figure for Colin Farrell's hitman,[3] a role that garnered him his first Golden Globe nomination, among other accolades. Gleeson provided the voice of Abbot Cellach in The Secret of Kells, an animated film co-directed by Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey[4] of Cartoon Saloon which premiered in February 2009 at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
Gleeson starred in the short film Six Shooter in 2006, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short. This film was written by Martin McDonagh who also wrote the screenplay for In Bruges.
Gleeson will be making his directorial debut in a film adaptation of Flann O'Brien's novel At Swim Two Birds. The Irish production company Parallel Pictures will produce the film with a budget of $11 million. Colin Farrell, Gabriel Byrne, and Cillian Murphy have been attached to star in the film, which is set for release in 2010.[5][6] In October 2009, however, Gleeson expressed concern that the Irish Film Board's budget might be reduced given the state of the Irish economy and that At Swim Two Birds might fall through.[7]
Personal life
Gleeson lives in Malahide, County Dublin. He is a talented fiddle player, with an interest in Irish folklore.[1] He played the fiddle during his role in Cold Mountain and in Michael Collins and will also feature on Altan's 2009 live album.[8] He can be found from time to time playing at traditional music seisiúins in Hughes' pub in Chancery Street in Dublin 7. His brother, Barry Gleeson, is a well-known singer in An Góilín traditional singers' club, and his son Domhnall is an actor. Gleeson is known for his love of football and recounts tales of attempting to get a clear radio reception so he could listen to how his team, Aston Villa, were faring on a Saturday.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Dear Sarah | Brendan Dowd | TV |
| 1990 | Hard Shoulder | Lorry Driver | TV |
| The Field | Quarryman | ||
| 1991 | In the Border Country | Farmer | |
| Saint Oscar | TV | ||
| The Treaty | Michael Collins | TV Jacob's Awards |
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| 1992 | The Bargain Shop | Jim Kennedy | |
| M.A.N.: Matrix Adjusted Normal | Dr. Abraham | Short | |
| Far and Away | Social Club Policeman | ||
| Conneely's Choice | Josie Conneely | Short | |
| Into the West | Inspector Bolger | ||
| 1993 | The Snapper | Lester | TV |
| Love Lies Bleeding | Thomas Macken | TV | |
| 1994 | The Lifeboat | Leslie Parry | TV series |
| 1995 | The Life of Reilly | Patient | Short |
| Braveheart | Hamish Campbell | ||
| Kidnapped | Colin Campbell of Glenure, the Red Fox | ||
| 1996 | Angela Mooney | Barney Mooney | |
| Michael Collins | Liam Tobin | ||
| Trojan Eddie | Ginger | ||
| 1997 | Angela Mooney | Barney Mooney | |
| Spaghetti Slow | Frank Ferguson | ||
| Turbulence | Stubbs | ||
| The Butcher Boy | Father Bubbles | ||
| A Further Gesture | Richard | ||
| I Went Down | Bunny Kelly | Won - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Also for his performance in The General Nominated - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Male Role |
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| 1998 | Making the Cut | Flanagan | TV |
| The General | Martin Cahill | Won - Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Also for his performance in I Went Down Won - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Male Role Won - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Actor of the Year Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama |
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| This Is My Father | Garda Jim | TV | |
| The Tale of Sweety Barrett | Sweet Barrett | ||
| 1999 | Lake Placid | Sheriff Hank Keough | |
| My Life So Far | Jim Menries | ||
| 2000 | Mission: Impossible II | John C. McCloy | |
| Harrison's Flowers | Marc Stevenson | ||
| Saltwater | Simple Simon | ||
| Wild About Harry | Harry McKee | Nominated - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Feature Film | |
| 2001 | J.J. Biker | ||
| The Cake | Paul | Short | |
| The Tailor of Panama | Michelangelo 'Mickie' Abraxas | ||
| Artificial Intelligence: AI | Lord Johnson-Johnson | ||
| 2002 | 28 Days Later | Frank | |
| Gangs of New York | Walter 'Monk' McGinn | ||
| Dark Blue | Jack Van Meter | ||
| 2003 | Cold Mountain | Stobrod Thewes | Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year |
| 2004 | In My Country | De Jager | |
| Troy | Menelaus | ||
| The Village | August Nicholson | ||
| Six Shooter | Donnelly | Short | |
| 2005 | Kingdom of Heaven | Raynald of Châtillon | |
| Breakfast on Pluto | John Joe Kenny | ||
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody | Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year | |
| 2006 | Studs | Walter Keegan | Nominated - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Film |
| The Tiger's Tail | Liam O'Leary | ||
| 2007 | Black Irish | Desmond | |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody | ||
| Beowulf | Wiglaf | ||
| 2008 | In Bruges | Ken | Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated - British Independent Film Award for Best Actor Nominated - Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Film Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 2009 | The Secret of Kells | Abbot Cellach | (voice) |
| Into the Storm | Winston Churchill | TV Won - Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Won - Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television Won - Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated - British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film |
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| Perrier's Bounty | Darren Perrier | ||
| 2010 | Green Zone | Martin Brown | |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I | Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody | (post-production) | |
| The Guard | Sergeant Gerry Boyle | (post-production) | |
| At Swim-Two-Birds [9][10] | Director | (pre-production) Making his directorial debut; also starring |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 In Conversations with Eamon Dunphy, 10 November 2007,
- ↑ Brendan Gleeson on Foodandwine.net
- ↑ rogerebert.com review of In Bruges
- ↑ IMDb profile for The Secret of Kells
- ↑ IMDb profile for At Swim Two Birds
- ↑ RTÉ article on At Swim Two Birds
- ↑ Quote from Irish Examiner re Irish Film Board funding
- ↑ Altan EPK
- ↑ http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article1291649.ece
- ↑ http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/film-cinema/brendans-voyage-alist-star-and-outraged-citizen-1665180.html
External links
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