Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson started his film career at the age of 34, coming to prominence for his performance as Michael Collins in The Treaty for Irish television. He has featured in films such as Braveheart, Gangs of New York, 28 Days Later, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Mission: Impossible II and many others. He won a Primetime Emmy and an IFTA Award for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Into the Storm (directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan); in 2014 he won an IFTA Award for his lead role in John Michael McDonagh's Calvary.

Brendan has also worked with John Michael McDonagh in The Guard, and with Martin McDonagh in Six Shooter and In Bruges. Brendan has also made three films with John Boorman - The Tailor Panama, The General, and The Tiger's Tale.

Brendan has worked with Tomm Moore and Cartoon Saloon on the Oscar nominated animated feature Secret of Kells and the follow-up Song of the Sea which goes on theatrical release in 2015. Younger audiences will also know him as Hogwarts' professor Mad-Eye Moody from the Harry Potter films

In 2016, he appeared in the video game adaptation Assassin's Creed and Ben Affleck's crime drama Live by Night. In 2017 he finished Psychic, a short he directed and starred in. In 2017, he also appeared in Paddington 2 and began the lead role in American crime drama television series Mr. Mercedes which he starred in until 2019, for which he won the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama.

In 2023, he received his first Oscar nomination for his supporting role in Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he also won an IFTA. Brendan then went on to star in the Joker sequel Joker: Folie a Deux in 2024 where he starred alongside Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga