Brendan Gleeson

Actor

• Born: March 29, 1955
• Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland

Contribution: Brendan Gleeson is an award-winning actor, best known for his roles in the films Braveheart (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), In Bruges (2008), and the Harry Potter film series (2001–11).

Background

Brendan Gleeson was born on March 29, 1955, in Dublin, Ireland, to Pat and Frank Gleeson. He was an avid reader and he was particularly interested in the literature of Irish playwrights. While in secondary school at St. Joseph’s Christian Brothers School in Fairview, Dublin, Gleeson frequently participated in productions as part of the school’s drama group. One standout performance of his high school days was that of Irish writer Samuel Beckett’s absurdist play Waiting for Godot (1953).

After graduating high school, Gleeson found work as health board office worker. He also performed the fiddle as street musician for a short time. These jobs allowed him to perform with the Dublin Shakespeare Festival on the side. One director at the festival urged Gleeson to audition for the esteemed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London, England. He was accepted to the school and graduated with honors.

Upon graduation, Gleeson returned to Dublin where he continued to perform in local theater while supporting himself as a teacher at St. Joseph’s in Fairview. He taught a variety of subjects, including English, mathematics, and Gaelic. Later in his acting career, Gleeson has stated that he enjoyed teaching, especially the aspects where he could assert himself creatively in different ways.

After ten years of teaching, Gleeson auditioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He acted with the prestigious troupe for a few seasons.

Career

Gleeson received critical praise for his work with the troupe before transitioning to film and television roles. He landed a few small parts in television movies and got his feature film debut when he took on a small role in director Jim Sheridan’s The Field in 1990. In 1992 Gleeson garnered positive reviews in the television movie The Treaty, in which he played Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collins. Four years later, in 1996, Gleeson played a supporting role in Neil Jordan’s film Michael Collins.

He made his American feature debut in 1992 in the romantic drama Far and Away, but it would be the historical drama Braveheart that gave Gleeson his largest exposure to that point. In the film, he played Hamish, a Scottish warrior.

Gleeson continued to play tough characters throughout the 1990s in films like I Went Down (1997) and The Butcher Boy (1998). In 1998, Gleeson played Irish criminal and folk hero Martin Cahill in The General. The role allowed him to show more of his acting range and earned him several international awards, including best actor from the London and Irish Film Critics associations.

His role in The General allowed for more high-profile roles. He was cast in the blockbuster Mission Impossible II in 2000, as the villainous head of a biochemical company developing a fatal virus. He worked with several celebrated directors in the early 2000s, including Steven Spielberg in A. I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001) and Martin Scorsese in Gangs of New York (2002). After big-budget productions like Cold Mountain (2003) and The Village (2004), Gleeson returned to independent projects such as Breakfast on Pluto (2005) and The Tiger’s Tail (2006).

In 2005, Gleeson got cast as professor Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, based on the successful Harry Potter book series by J. K. Rowling. Moody played the defense against the dark arts professor, notable for his false eye and paranoia; for his performance the London Film Critics Circle nominated Gleeson for best supporting actor. He reprised his role in two other films in the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010).

In 2008, Gleeson was nominated for the best supporting actor at the Golden Globes for his role in the black comedy In Bruges. In the film, Gleeson played a hit man alongside actor Colin Farrell. The character allowed Gleeson to display his comedic talent and, although the film did not have a large distribution, it did receive numerous awards. Gleeson himself was honored with nominations from the British Independent Film Awards, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, and the Satellite Awards.

In 2009 Gleeson received the Emmy Award for outstanding lead actor in a miniseries or movie and Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for his portrayal of British politician Winston Churchill in the historical drama Into the Storm. Gleeson started off the new decade with another Golden Globe nomination for his role as an unconventional cop in the acclaimed Irish black comedy The Guard (2011).

Over the next decade, Gleeson interspersed more serious dramatic roles with voice-acting gigs for animated films, such as The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012), The Smurfs 2 (2013), Song of the Sea (2014), and Paddington 2 (2017). The 2012 action thrillers he appeared in, Safe House and The Raven, both flopped, as did Assassin's Creed in 2018. However, Gleeson also landed roles in many critically acclaimed films across genres, including a general in the science-fiction action movie Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow (2014), the lead part of Father James in the black comedy Calvary (2014), and Screed in the biopic Suffragette (2015). Gleeson went on to narrate a well-received environmental documentary, Atlantic, in 2016. In 2018, he played a supporting role in the Ira Sachs's end-of-life drama Frankie, which was a contender at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

During that period, Gleeson also returned to television, appearing in a couple of Irish historical documentaries as well as in the American television movie The Money (2014). But his most prominent television role to date came in Mr. Mercedes (2017–), in which he starred as Bill Hodges, an ex-detective pursuing a murderous psychopath.

Impact

Although Gleeson started out in television movies and independent films, he eventually transitioned his career into major studio productions. Despite various awards and accolades, Gleeson was drawn to smaller films. Throughout his career he has maintained strong ties to his native Ireland and the Irish culture.

Personal Life

Gleeson married Mary Gleeson in 1982. Together they have four sons: Brian, Domhnall, Fergus, and Rory. Brian and Domhnall are also actors.

Principal Works

Film

The Treaty, 1992

Braveheart, 1995

Michael Collins, 1996

A.I. Artificial Intelligence, 2001

Gangs of New York, 2002

The Village, 2004

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, 2005

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 2007

In Bruges, 2008

Into the Storm, 2009

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, 2010

The Guard, 2011

Calvary, 2014

Suffragette, 2015

Atlantic, 2016

Frankie, 2018

Television

The Lifeboat, 1994

Mr. Mercedes, 2017–

Bibliography

“Brendan’s Voyage: A-List Star and Outraged Citizen.” Independent. Independent News & Media, 8 Mar. 2009. Web. 21 June 2013.

Gleeson, Brendan. “The Power and the Story: The Irish Actor Brendan Gleeson Thought Winston Churchill Was an Imperialist Bully. Now That He’s Played the Wartime Leader, Has He Changed His Mind?” Interview by Ed Caesar. Sunday Times [London] 1 Nov. 2009: Features 1+. Print.

Karger, Dave. “School Is Out for Brendan Gleeson.” Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 1999. Web. 21 June 2013.

Langan, Sheila. “Brendan Gleeson Talks about the Guard, the McDonagh Brothers, and At Swim-Two-Birds.” Irish Central. Irish Central, 12 July 2011. Web. 21 June 2013.

Ryan, Tim. “Brendan Gleeson: The RT Interview.” Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster, 29 July 2011. Web. 21 June 2013.