From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (July 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor who has starred in many high profile American and British films. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Harry Potter films, Kingdom of Heaven, 28 Days Later, Braveheart, and The General.

Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland. He has said that he was an avid reader as a child.^[1] After leaving school, he worked for two years in an office with a health board. He later graduated from University College Dublin. Gleeson then worked for several years as a secondary school teacher in Belcamp College, in North County Dublin.

Gleeson lives in Malahide, Co. Dublin. He and his wife, Mary, have been married since 1982 and have four sons, Domhnall, Fergus, Brían and Rory.

Gleeson is also a very talented fiddle player, with an interest in folklore.^[2]

Gleeson is good friends with fellow Irish actors Liam Neeson, Stephen Rea and Cillian Murphy.

Gleeson started acting 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.

Gleeson has subsequently acted in more than 30 films including Braveheart, I Went Down, Michael Collins, Gangs of New York, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, 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.^[3]

Gleeson frequently appears in the role of mentor or authority figure; he 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.

He starred in the short film Six-Shooter in 2006, which won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

• In Bruges (2008)
• Beowulf (2007) - Wiglaf, Beowulf's sidekick.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Mad-Eye Moody
• Studs (2006)
• Six-Shooter (2006 short)
• The Tiger's Tail (2006)
• Black Irish (2006) - Desmond
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Mad-Eye Moody
• Breakfast on Pluto (2005) - John Joe Kenny
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - Raynald of Chatillon
• The Village (2004) - August Nicholson
• Troy (2004) - Menelaus
• Cold Mountain (2003) - Stobrod Thewes
• Dark Blue (2002) - Jack Van Meter
• Gangs of New York (2002) - Walter 'Monk' McGinn
• 28 Days Later (2002) - Frank
• Cáca Milis (2001) - The blind man
• Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) - Lord Johnson-Johnson
• The Tailor of Panama (2001) - Michelangelo 'Mickie' Abraxas
• Mission Impossible II (2000) - John C. McCloy
• Harrison's Flowers (2000) - Marc Stevenson
• Lake Placid (1999) - Sheriff Hank Keough
• This Is My Father (1998) - Garda Jim
• The General (1998) - Martin Cahill
• I Went Down (1997) - Bunny Kelly
• Michael Collins (1996) - Liam Tobin
• Braveheart (1995) - Hamish Campbell
• Into the West (1992) - Inspector Bolger
• Far and Away (1992) - Social Club Policeman
• The Field (1990) - Quarryman
• The Treaty (1990) - Michael Collins

• Brendan Gleeson at the Internet Movie Database