Gleeson was born inDublin, the son of Pat (1925–2007) and Frank Gleeson (1918–2010).[2] Gleeson has described himself as having been an avid reader as a child.[3] He received his second-level education atSt Joseph's CBS inFairview, Dublin where he was a member of the school drama group. He received hisBachelor of Arts atUniversity College Dublin, majoring inEnglish andIrish. He worked for several years as a secondary school teacher of Irish and English at the now defunctCatholicBelcamp College in northCounty Dublin, which closed in 2004.[4][5] He was working simultaneously as an actor while teaching, doing semi-professional and professional productions in Dublin and surrounding areas. He left the teaching profession to commit full-time to acting in 1991. In anNPR interview to promoteCalvary in 2014, Gleeson stated he was molested as a child by aChristian Brother in primary school but was in "no way traumatised by the incident."[6] During his twenties he playedGaelic football as a full-forward forSt Finian's of Swords.[7]
As a member of the Dublin-based Passion Machine Theatre company, Gleeson appeared in several of the theatre company's early and highly successful plays such asBrownbread (1987), written byRoddy Doyle and directed byPaul Mercier,Wasters (1985) andHome (1988), written and directed by Paul Mercier. He has also written three plays for Passion Machine:The Birdtable (1987) andBreaking Up (1988), both of which he directed, andBabies and Bathwater (1994) in which he acted.[8] Among his other Dublin theatre work arePatrick Süskind's one-man playThe Double Bass andJohn B. Keane'sThe Year of the Hiker.
Gleeson provided the voice of Abbot Cellach inThe Secret of Kells, an animated film co-directed byTomm Moore andNora Twomey ofCartoon Saloon which premiered in February 2009 at theJameson Dublin International Film Festival.[12] Gleeson starred in the short filmSix Shooter in 2006, which won anAcademy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. This film was written and directed byMartin McDonagh. In 2008, Gleeson starred in the comedy crime filmIn Bruges, also written and directed by McDonagh. The film, and Gleeson's performance, enjoyed huge critical acclaim, earning Gleeson several award nominations, including his first Golden Globe nomination. In the movie, Gleeson plays a mentor-like figure forColin Farrell's hitman. In his review ofIn Bruges,Roger Ebert described the elder Gleeson as having a "noble shambles of a face and the heft of a boxer gone to seed."[13]
Gleeson is afiddle andmandolin player, with an interest inIrish folklore.[3] He played the fiddle during his roles inCold Mountain,Michael Collins,The Grand Seduction, andThe Banshees of Inisherin, and also features onAltan's 2009 live album.[16] In the Coen brothers'The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), Gleeson sings "The Unfortunate Rake". He has also made a contribution in 2019 to the album by Irish folk groupDervish with a version ofRocky Road To Dublin.
He has been married to Mary Weldon since 1982. They have four sons, includingDomhnall andBrían.[17] He has one grandson and one granddaughter.[18][19]Gleeson speaks fluentIrish and is an advocate of the promotion of the Irish language. Gleeson is a fan of English football clubAston Villa.[20]
_(52448245670)_(Brendan_Gleeson).jpg)
.jpg)
