Brendan Gleeson: Biography, Filmography, Net Worth, And More!

While many actors have made their mark in Hollywood, none of them are as revered as veteran Brendan Gleeson. After acting for decades, his acting has inspired many other Irish actors to enter the world of acting.

To learn more about Mr. Gleeson, like his childhood, filmography, personal life, and net worth, read this post till the end.

Brendan Gleeson Biography

Full Name	Brendan Gleeson
Date of Birth	March 29, 1955
Age (2023)	68
Zodiac Sign	Aries
Hometown	Dublin, Ireland
Ethnicity	Irish, Scottish
Education	St. Joseph’s CBS High School, University of Dublin,
Height	6 feet 2 inches
Weight	196 lbs (89 kg)
Parents	Frank Gleeson (Father), Pat Gleeson (Mother)
Siblings	Barry Gleeson
Relationships	Mary Weldon (1982 – present)
Children	Domhall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Rory Gleeson, Fergus Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson was born in Ireland, in its capital city of Dublin. He was born on 29th March 1955, making his star sign Aries. He is the son of Frank Gleeson and Pat Gleeson. Brendan has only one sibling – Irish folk singer Barry Gleeson.

In several interviews, he has stated that he is a bookworm, an avid reader since childhood. This is where people first got to see his acting skills since he was a member of his school drama club.

However, in an interview with NPR, he revealed that he faced a traumatizing incident in primary school where a Christian brother molested him. Later interviews reveal that he is no longer traumatized by this incident.

After high school, he graduated from the University of Dublin with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Here, he majored in English and Irish languages.

After university, he trained as an actor and appeared in many local plays. He also did various semi-professional productions as well. In order to pay his bills, he became an English and Irish language teacher at Catholic Belcamp College in Dublin.

However, since his dream was to be an actor, he left his job in 1991 to commit to acting full-time. 

Brendan Gleeson Career

While he dabbled in acting in high school, it was in college that Brendan Gleeson figured out his life’s purpose. However, his acting career officially started when he was 34 years old.

During the late 1980s, he was a part of the Passion Machine Theater – a Dublin-based theater group. With this group, he made a name for himself by acting in plays like Brownbread (1987), Wasters (1985), Home (1988), The Birdtale (1987), and Breaking Up (1988). Brendan showed his talent here as a director, directing the latter two plays.

One of the first Brendan Gleeson movies and TV shows was The Treaty (1991), where he portrayed Micheal Collins. For this role, he was awarded the Jacob’s Award in 1992. 

Many actors, like Kurt Russell and Charlie Hunnam, have praised his acting skills. 

Since this breakthrough with this role, he has acted in many prominent movies over time. While Brendan Gleeson Braveheart is one of his popular movies, some of his best performances include:

• Braveheart (1995) – Played the role of Hamish Campbell, a friend of protagonist William Wallace (Mel Gibson). Directed by Mel Gibson himself, this is one of his critically and commercially successful movies.
• Michael Collins (1996) – Played the role of Liam Tobin, a police officer.
• I Went Down (1997) – Played the role of Bunny Kelly, a heavy-handed mobster.
• The General (1998) – Played the role of Irish gangster Martin Cahill. He was critically acclaimed for this role.
• Lake Placid (1999) – Played the role of Sheriff Hank Keough.
• Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) – Played the role of John C. McCloy, the CEO of Biocyte in Australia.
• AI Artificial Intelligence (2001) – Played the role of Flesh Fair impresario Lord Johnson-Johnson.
• Gangs of New York (2002) – Played the role of gangster Walter “Monk” McGinn. 
• Cold Mountain (2003) – Played the role of Stobrod Thewes, an Irish soldier.
• 28 Days Later (2002) – Played the role of Frank, a taxi driver. 
• Troy (2004) – Played the role of Melenaus, King of Sparta.
• Kingdom of Heaven (2005) – Played the role of Raynald of Chatillon, a French knight.
• The Village (2004) – Played the role of August Nicholson.
• Six Shooter (2004)- Brendan Gleeson played the role of protagonist Donnelly. This short film won the Oscar for Best Live-Action Short Film.
• Into the Storm (2009) – He played the role of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Brendan Gleeson won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.
• Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (Part 1 – 2010, Part 2 – 2011) – Played the role of Professor Mad-Eye Moody, an antagonist in The Goblet of Fire, later turned ally in the subsequent films.
• Calvary (2014) – Gleeson plays the role of protagonist Father James. His performance was critically acclaimed here. 
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014) – He played the role of General Brigham.
• Assassin’s Creed (2016) – Brendan plays the role of Joseph Lynch.

Brendan Gleeson And Martin McDonagh (And Colin Farrell)

Brendan Gleeson is a good friend of actor Colin Farrell and director Martin McDonagh. The three of them collaborated together in two critically and commercially successful movies, which are:

• In Bruges (2008) – Gleeson played the role of Ken, a professional Hitman and the mentor of Ray (Colin Farrell). Brendan was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, which co-star Colin Farrell won. The film was also Oscar-nominated for Best Screenplay. 
• Banshees of Inisherin (2022) – Played the role of Colm Doherty. The film received nine Oscar Academy Award nominations (winning three), eight Golden Globe Nominations (winning three), and five Screen Actors Guild nominations, ten British Academy Award nominations. This movie is highly regarded as one of the best Brendan Gleeson movies.

Brendan Gleeson Upcoming Movies

Brendan Gleeson will appear in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Joker (2019) – Joker: Folie a Deux (2024). His character is unconfirmed as of now. 

Brendan Gleeson Personal Life And Net Worth

Brendan Gleeson wife is Mary Wheldon, whom he married in 1982. Regarding Brendan Gleeson son, he has four sons – Domhall Gleeson (also an actor and director, famously portrayed Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter cast alongside Brendan), Brian, Rory, and Fergus.

Brendan Gleeson net worth is $8 million, which he has earned over time from acting and producing many movies.

Conclusion: The Irishman

Brendan Gleeson is one of the most celebrated and revered Irish actors. He has received several awards and recognitions for his acting skills, most notably in his movies with co-star Colin Farrell and director William McDonagh. I have my fingers crossed for what he will portray in the sequel to the critically acclaimed Joker movie coming out next year (2024).

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