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Colin O'Donoghue | |
|---|---|
 O'Donoghue in 2023 atGalaxy Con Raleigh | |
| Born | Colin Arthur O'Donoghue (1981-01-26)26 January 1981 (age 45) Drogheda,County Louth, Ireland |
| Alma mater | Gaiety School of Acting |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2001–present |
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Spouse | Helen O'Donoghue (m. 2009) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Harry O'Donoghue (cousin) |
Colin O'Donoghue (born 26 January 1981)[1][2] is an Irish actor and musician, best known for portrayingCaptain Killian "Hook" Jones on the ABC TV showOnce Upon a Time. He appeared in thehorrorthriller filmThe Rite (2011) as a skeptical novice priest, Michael Kovak. He portrayed the character of Douxie Casperan in theGuillermo del Toro animated seriesTales of Arcadia for Netflix. He is also portrayingGordon Cooper on Disney+ Original SeriesThe Right Stuff. He starred inDolly Parton's Heartstrings as J.J. Sneed.
Colin O'Donoghue, the son of Con and Mary O'Donoghue, was born and raised inDrogheda,County Louth, in aRoman Catholic family.[3] He has an older brother named Allen.[4] He is the cousin of musicianHarry O'Donoghue.[5] He attended Dundalk Grammar School, and laterThe Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin.[2] At age 16, he went to Paris for a month to learn French.[6]
O'Donoghue's early career was mainly split between theatre and television work in Ireland and the UK.[7] In 2003, he won theIrish Film and Television Award for "Best New Talent" for his role as Norman in "Home For Christmas".[7]
In 2009, he appeared asDuke Philip of Bavaria in an episode of season 3 of theShowtimehistorical-fiction seriesThe Tudors. He made his Hollywood film debut alongsideAnthony Hopkins in thehorrorthriller filmThe Rite (2011).[2] He made an audition video forThe Rite in a friend's home studio in Drogheda and sent it to the United States. He plays guitar and sings in a band called The Enemies, formed in 2003 in Ireland.[2]
In 2012, O'Donoghue was cast asCaptain Hook/Killian Jones, love interest of the main heroineEmma Swan, in thesecond season of the hitABC seriesOnce Upon a Time. In 2014, O'Donoghue was cast as the main character inThe Dust Storm, an independent film set inNashville, Tennessee as a musician named Brennan.[8][9]
Christina Perri wrote a song, "The Words", which she dedicated to Colin's character (Captain Hook) inOnce Upon a Time.[10]
In December 2018, O'Donoghue was cast in an episode of theNetflix anthology drama series,Heartstrings.[11] The series premiered on 22 November 2019.[12]
O'Donoghue was part of the five-piece Irish band, "The Enemies", which was formed in 2003 by O'Donoghue and a close friend, Ronan McQuillan. The Enemies released their self-titled debut EP on 7 March 2011[13] prior to their self-funded first album on track.[14] He played guitar and sang backing vocals on the band's first EP and debut album.
Although the band was unsigned, it was commissioned byGeneral Motors to record tracks for their "Chevy route 66" online campaign.[15] The band worked on the music forCoca-Cola's "5BY20" project.[16] Their debut albumSounds Big on the Radio was to be released in March 2013, which was later scheduled for 2014.[17] In May 2013, he announced he was leaving the band due to the filming schedule ofOnce Upon a Time.[18]
For his role inHome for Christmas, he was awarded Best New Talent at the1st Irish Film & Television Awards, held on 1 November 2003.[19]
O'Donoghue has been the co-host of The Sync Report podcast since 2022,[20] his first episode airing in February 2022 and featuringSteve Vai as guest.[21] His fellow co-hosts are American film producerRose Ganguzza and music supervisor Jason P. Rothberg.
O'Donoghue married his wife Helen, a schoolteacher, in 2009, shortly after his appearance onThe Tudors.[22] The couple have been together since they were eighteen and have two children: a son[23] and a daughter.[24]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Call Girl | Brendan | Short film |
| 2006 | 24/7 | Nick | Short film |
| 2009 | The Euthanizer | Ben | Short film |
| 2011 | The Rite | Michael Kovak | |
| 2012 | Storage 24 | Mark | |
| 2016 | The Dust Storm | Brennan | |
| 2016 | Carrie Pilby | Professor David Harrison | |
| 2018 | What Still Remains | Peter | |
| 2021 | Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans | Douxie (voice) | |
| 2022 | Luck | Gerry (voice) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Rebel Heart | Rowe | Miniseries; episode 1 |
| 2002 | Home for Christmas | Norman Quested | Television film Irish Film & Television Award for Best New Talent[19] |
| 2004 | Love Is the Drug | Peter | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Proof | Jamie | 2 episodes |
| Fair City | Emmet Fitzgerald | 3 episodes | |
| 2006–08 | The Clinic | Conor Elliott | 11 episodes |
| 2009 | The Tudors | Duke Philip of Bavaria | Episode: "The Undoing of Cromwell" |
| Wild Decembers | Young guard | Television film | |
| 2011 | Identity | John Bloom | Television pilot |
| 2012–18 | Once Upon a Time | Captain Hook/Killian Jones | Main role (season 2–6) Guest Role (season 7) |
| Wish Hook/Rogers | Guest role (season 6) Main Role (season 7) | ||
| 2018 | Trollhunters | Douxie (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | 2 episodes | |
| Dolly Parton's Heartstrings | JJ Sneed | Episode: "JJ Sneed"[11] | |
| 2020 | The Right Stuff | Gordon Cooper[25] | Main role |
| Wizards: Tales of Arcadia | Douxie (voice) | ||
| 2022–24 | The Great North | Dr. Callahan (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2025 | The Gray House |
| Year | Title | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Trollhunters: Defenders of Arcadia | Douxie (voice) |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "The Words" | Christina Perri | Love interest | [26][27] |
| Year | Title[28] | Role | Theatre | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aoife and Isobel | Project Theatre | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| The Dream of a Summer Day | Storytellers Theatre Company | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Eclipse | Olivier Theatre | London, England | ||
| Eugene Onegin – The Roadshow | Something Different Theatre Company | Oxford, England | ||
| Leaving | Quarehawks Theatre Company | Monaghan, Ireland | ||
| Moonlight Mickey's | Calipo Theatre Company | Drogheda, Ireland | ||
| Othello | Second Age Theatre Company | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Outlying Islands | Island Theatre Company | Chicago, US | ||
| Sky Road | Theatre Royal Waterford | Waterford, Ireland | ||
| The Taming Of The Shrew | Rough Magic Theatre Company | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Walking the Road | Axis Theatre | Vancouver, Canada | ||
| What the Dead Want | Project Theatre | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| 2024 | 2:22 A Ghost Story | Sam | 3Olympia Theatre | Dublin, Ireland |
| Year | Group | Award | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best New Talent | Won | Home for Christmas |
| 2014 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite On-Screen Chemistry shared with:Jennifer Morrison | Nominated | Once Upon a Time |
| 2015 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Liplock shared with:Jennifer Morrison | Nominated | Once Upon a Time |
| 2016 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Liplock shared with:Jennifer Morrison | Won | Once Upon a Time |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Liplock shared with:Jennifer Morrison | Nominated | Once Upon a Time |
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Scene Stealer | Nominated | Once Upon a Time |
His first step to stardom took the form of a small part inThe Tudors, aka almost every Irish actor's rite of passage. It was here that fate intervened on behalf of our hero. Important people in LA saw his appearance in the show – all eight minutes of it, and on the strength of that, invited him over to LA to sign with a Hollywood agency. The only snag was that all this happened just a few weeks before he was due to marry his childhood sweetheart back in Ireland.
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