Brendan Gleeson

Acting

Brendan Gleeson

Born March 29, 1955Dublin, Ireland117 credits

Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two BIFA's, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award, five times for a Golden Globe Award and once for an Academy Award. In 2020, he was listed at number 18 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors. He is the father of actors Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson. He is best known for his performance as Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films (2005–2010). He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as Braveheart (1995), Michael Collins (1996), 28 Days Later (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), Troy (2004), Suffragette (2015), Paddington 2 (2017), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). He is also known for his leading roles in films such as The General (1998), In Bruges (2008), The Guard (2011), Calvary (2014), Frankie (2019), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the lattermost film. He won an Primetime Emmy Award in 2009 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the television film Into the Storm. He also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance as Donald Trump in the Showtime series The Comey Rule (2020). From 2017 to 2019 he starred in the crime series Mr. Mercedes. He received an Emmy Award nomination for Stephen Frears' Sundance TV series State of the Union (2022).

Known For

Filmography

Spider-Noir
2026Spider-Noir
as SilvermaneTV
H Is for Hawk
2025H Is for Hawk
as Alisdair MacdonaldMovie
Joker: Folie à Deux
2024Joker: Folie à Deux
as Jackie SullivanMovie
A Greyhound of a Girl
2023A Greyhound of a Girl
as Paddy (voice)Movie
The Banshees of Inisherin
2022The Banshees of Inisherin
as Colm DohertyMovie
T
2022The Dead Zoo
as NarratorMovie
The Comey Rule
2020The Comey Rule
as Donald TrumpTV
Lost Lives
2019Lost Lives
as Self (voice)Movie
Frankie
2019Frankie
as JimmyMovie
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
2018The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
as Irishman (segment "The Mortal Remains")Movie
Captain Morten and the Spider Queen
2018Captain Morten and the Spider Queen
as Captain Vicks (voice)Movie
Psychic
2018Psychic
as JeremiahMovie
Paddington 2
2017Paddington 2
as Knuckles McGintyMovie
Mr. Mercedes
2017Mr. Mercedes
as Detective Bill HodgesTV
Hampstead
2017Hampstead
as Donald HornerMovie
Live by Night
2016Live by Night
as Thomas CoughlinMovie
Assassin's Creed
2016Assassin's Creed
as Joseph LynchMovie
Trespass Against Us
2016Trespass Against Us
as Colby CulterMovie
Alone in Berlin
2016Alone in Berlin
as Otto QuangelMovie
Atlantic
2016Atlantic
as NarratorMovie
In the Heart of the Sea
2015In the Heart of the Sea
as Old Thomas NickersonMovie
Suffragette
2015Suffragette
as Arthur SteedMovie
Pursuit
2015Pursuit
as SearbhánMovie
Stonehearst Asylum
2014Stonehearst Asylum
as The AlienistMovie
Song of the Sea
2014Song of the Sea
as Conor / Mac Lir (voice)Movie
The Grand Seduction
2014The Grand Seduction
as Murray FrenchMovie
Edge of Tomorrow
2014Edge of Tomorrow
as General BrighamMovie
Calvary
2014Calvary
as Father James LavelleMovie
The Smurfs 2
2013The Smurfs 2
as Victor DoyleMovie
The Company You Keep
2012The Company You Keep
as Henry OsborneMovie
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
2012So You Want To Be A Pirate!
as The Pirate With GoutMovie
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
2012The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
as The Pirate with Gout (voice)Movie
The Raven
2012The Raven
as Colonel HamiltonMovie
Safe House
2012Safe House
as David BarlowMovie
Albert Nobbs
2011Albert Nobbs
as Dr. HolloranMovie
The Cup
2011The Cup
as Dermot WeldMovie
The Guard
2011The Guard
as Sergeant Gerry BoyleMovie
1
20101916 Seachtar na Cásca
as Self - Narrator (voice)TV
Noreen
2010Noreen
as Con KeoghMovie
Green Zone
2010Green Zone
as Martin BrownMovie
Perrier's Bounty
2009Perrier's Bounty
as Darren PerrierMovie
Into the Storm
2009Into the Storm
as Winston ChurchillMovie
The Secret of Kells
2009The Secret of Kells
as Abbot Cellach (voice)Movie
In Bruges
2008In Bruges
as KenMovie
Beowulf
2007Beowulf
as WiglafMovie
Black Irish
2007Black Irish
as Desmond McKayMovie
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' MoodyMovie
The Tiger's Tail
2006The Tiger's Tail
as Liam O'LearyMovie
Studs
2006Studs
as Walter KeeganMovie
Breakfast on Pluto
2005Breakfast on Pluto
as John Joe KennyMovie
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' MoodyMovie
Kingdom of Heaven
2005Kingdom of Heaven
as Reynald de ChatillonMovie
Six Shooter
2004Six Shooter
as DonnellyMovie
The Village
2004The Village
as August NicholsonMovie
Troy
2004Troy
as MenelaosMovie
In My Country
2004In My Country
as De JagarMovie
Cold Mountain
2003Cold Mountain
as Stobrod ThewesMovie
Gangs of New York
2002Gangs of New York
as Walter 'Monk' McGinnMovie
Dark Blue
2002Dark Blue
as Jack van MeterMovie
28 Days Later
200228 Days Later
as FrankMovie
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
2001A.I. Artificial Intelligence
as Lord Johnson-JohnsonMovie
Cáca Milis
2001Cáca Milis
as PaulMovie
The Tailor of Panama
2001The Tailor of Panama
as Mickie AbraxasMovie
Wild About Harry
2000Wild About Harry
as Harry McKeeMovie
Saltwater
2000Saltwater
as Simple SimonMovie
Harrison's Flowers
2000Harrison's Flowers
as Marc StevensonMovie
My Life So Far
1999My Life So Far
as Jim MenziesMovie
Lake Placid
1999Lake Placid
as Sheriff Hank KeoughMovie
This Is My Father
1999This Is My Father
as Garda JimMovie
Sweety Barrett
1999Sweety Barrett
as Sweety BarrettMovie
The General
1998The General
as Martin CahillMovie
The Butcher Boy
1998The Butcher Boy
as Father BubblesMovie
Before I Sleep
1997Before I Sleep
as John HarteMovie
I Went Down
1997I Went Down
as Bunny KellyMovie
Angela Mooney Dies Again
1997Angela Mooney Dies Again
as Barney MooneyMovie
Turbulence
1997Turbulence
as StubbsMovie
A Further Gesture
1997A Further Gesture
as RichardMovie
Spaghetti Slow
1996Spaghetti Slow
as Frank FergusonMovie
Michael Collins
1996Michael Collins
as Liam TobinMovie
Trojan Eddie
1996Trojan Eddie
as GingerMovie
Braveheart
1995Braveheart
as Hamish CampbellMovie
The Lifeboat
1994The Lifeboat
as Leslie ParryTV
The Snapper
1993The Snapper
as LesterMovie
Love Lies Bleeding
1993Love Lies Bleeding
as Thomas MackenMovie
Into the West
1992Into the West
as Inspector BolgerMovie
Far and Away
1992Far and Away
as Social Club PolicemanMovie
The Treaty
1991The Treaty
as Michael CollinsMovie
The Field
1990The Field
as QuarrymanMovie
Dear Sarah
1990Dear Sarah
as Brendan DowdMovie
The Simpsons
1989The Simpsons
as Joe Quimby Sr. (voice)TV
Saturday Night Live
1975Saturday Night Live
as Self - HostTV
Golden Globe Awards
1944Golden Globe Awards
as Self - NomineeTV
S
Sexual Healing
as Freddy CousaertMovie
The Honey Wars
The Honey Wars
as (voice)Movie
B
Blood Runs Coal
as Joseph YablonskiMovie