Brían F. O'Byrne
Brían F. O'Byrne is an accomplished Irish actor born on May 16, 1967, in Mullagh, County Cavan, Ireland. He began his artistic journey with limited exposure to the arts in his small hometown but later pursued formal training at the Samuel Beckett Centre at Trinity College Dublin. O'Byrne moved to New York City in the late 1980s after winning a green card in the immigration lottery, where he quickly became involved with the Irish Repertory Theatre. His Broadway debut came in 1994, leading to a meteoric rise in his career, particularly through his acclaimed performances in plays by Martin McDonagh, including "The Beauty Queen of Leenane," for which he received a Tony Award nomination.
In addition to his theater work, O'Byrne has had significant roles in film and television, including in "Million Dollar Baby" and the HBO miniseries "Mildred Pierce," where he earned an Emmy nomination. He has been recognized for his versatility across various genres and has a reputation for tackling challenging and unconventional roles. O'Byrne's commitment to his craft has garnered him multiple accolades, including a BAFTA award for his performance in the drama series "Little Boy Blue." He is married to fellow actor Heather Goldenhersh, and together they navigate the complexities of life in the arts. O'Byrne's journey from a small Irish town to the heights of international performance underscores his talent and dedication to acting.
Subject Terms
Brían F. O'Byrne
Actor
- Born: May 16, 1967
- Birthplace: Mullagh, Ireland
Contribution: Brían F. O’Byrne is an Irish actor best known for his Tony Award–winning role in the play Frozen (2004) as well as his Emmy-nominated performance in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce (2011).
Background
Brían F. O’Byrne was born on May 16, 1967, in Mullagh, county Cavan, Ireland, the oldest of three siblings. Growing up, O’Byrne attended schools that had little emphasis on the arts, and as his small town had no movie theater, he saw very few films as a child. Despite this, he developed a fascination with acting and eventually enrolled in Trinity College Dublin to study at the prestigious Samuel Beckett Centre. In the late 1980s, unbeknownst to O’Byrne, an uncle living in the United States entered O’Byrne and his siblings in the annual immigration lottery. All three siblings won green cards, and O’Byrne decided to move to New York and pursue acting full time.
Career
While in New York, O’Byrne began acting as a member of the Irish Repertory Theatre, appearing in the company’s 1990 production of Philadelphia, Here I Come! He took on various roles in both the United States and Ireland during the next several years and developed a particular interest in unconventional, groundbreaking plays. In 1994, he made his Broadway debut in the play The Sisters Rosensweig, written by Wendy Wasserstein.
The following year, O’Byrne won a role in a Dublin production of Great Expectations, based on the nineteenth-century Charles Dickens novel; however, he was fired from the production after missing rehearsal. This proved to be fortuitous, as O’Byrne’s sudden availability allowed him to take on a major role in Martin McDonagh’s play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, which premiered in Galway, Ireland, in 1996. The play moved to Broadway in 1998, and O’Byrne was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. He went on to appear in the other two plays in McDonagh’s Leenane Trilogy, A Skull in Connemara and The Lonesome West, the latter of which earned O’Byrne another Tony nomination.
In addition to performing in critically acclaimed plays, O’Byrne began to appear in television and film roles in the late 1990s. In 1997, he had his first starring role in the Irish drama The Last Bus Home, portraying a young punk-rock musician. That year he also starred as a young aspiring writer in the Irish film The Fifth Province.
By the 2000s, O’Byrne was working steadily in both theater and film. He obtained a major role in the award-winning film Disco Pigs (2001) and another in the thriller Mapmaker (2001). In 2004 he appeared in a lead role in the Broadway production of the play Frozen, playing a pedophilic murderer who is confronted by the mother of his last victim. He won his first Tony Award for this work. O’Byrne also played a small but significant role in the Academy Award–winning film Million Dollar Baby (2004). The following year, O’Byrne costarred in the Broadway production of the Tony Award–winning play Doubt, for which he received another Tony nomination.
After appearing in supporting roles in several films, including Bug (2006) and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007), O’Byrne made several major forays into television, obtaining regular roles in the series Brotherhood (2007–8) and FlashForward (2009–10). He secured a major role in the police drama Prime Suspect (2011–12), based on the British series of the same name, but the show was canceled after only thirteen episodes.
In 2011 O’Byrne appeared in Mildred Pierce, an HBO (Home Box Office) miniseries adapted from James M. Cain’s 1941 novel of the same name, which chronicles a single mother’s struggle to support her family during the Great Depression. O’Byrne plays Bert Pierce, the first husband of Mildred, played by Kate Winslet. The miniseries won numerous awards, and O’Byrne was nominated for an Emmy Award for outstanding supporting actor for his role in the series.
O’Byrne returned to the stage the following year, appearing in the Off-Broadway play If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet alongside actor Jake Gyllenhaal. In 2013, he was cast in a leading role in the first Broadway production of the play Outside Mullingar, written by Doubt playwright John Patrick Shanley. Also featuring Emmy winner Debra Messing, the play was scheduled to premiere in January of 2014.
In 2018, O’Byrne received a BAFTA award for best supporting actor at the British Academy Television Awards for his role in the 2017 drama series Little Boy Blue, about the real-life 2007 murder of an eleven-year-old boy in Liverpool; O’Byrne played the boy's father.
Impact
As a stage actor who thrives in unconventional and challenging roles, O’Byrne has won numerous accolades for his work in plays by such acclaimed writers as Martin McDonagh and John Patrick Shanley. His film and television roles have been similarly diverse, and both audiences and critics have praised O’Byrne for his memorable performances.
Personal Life
O’Byrne is married to Doubt costar Heather Goldenhersh.
Principal Works
Theater
The Beauty Queen of Leenane, 1998–99
The Lonesome West, 1999
Frozen, 2004
Doubt, 2005–6
If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet, 2012
Television
Oz, 2001
Brotherhood, 2007–8
FlashForward, 2009–10
Mildred Pierce, 2011
Prime Suspect, 2011–12
Little Boy Blue, 2017
Film
The Fifth Province, 1997
The Last Bus Home, 1997
Disco Pigs, 2001
Million Dollar Baby, 2004
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, 2007
Brooklyn’s Finest, 2009
Bibliography
Cox, Gordon. “O’Byrne Cast in If There Is.” Variety. Variety Media, 17 June 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Gans, Andrew. “Brían F. O’Byrne and Debra Messing Will Star in Premiere of John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar on Broadway.” Playbill.com. Playbill, 19 July 2013. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Kennedy, Mark. “Jake Gyllenhaal and Brían F. O’Byrne Bond Onstage.” Big Story. Associated Press, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
Miller, Winter. “If Memory Serves.” New York Times. New York Times, 28 Jan. 2007. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.
O’Byrne, Brían F. Interview by Linda McGee. RTÉ Ten. RTÉ Commercial Enterprises, 23 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Aug. 2013.