Gabriel Byrne | |
|---|---|
 Byrne in 2010 | |
| Born | Gabriel James Byrne (1950-05-12)12 May 1950 (age 74) Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950)[1] is an Irish actor. He has received aGolden Globe Award as well as nominations for aGrammy Award, twoPrimetime Emmy Awards and twoTony Awards. Byrne was awarded theIrish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was listed at number 17 onThe Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors in 2020.[2] In 2009The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received anAcademy Award nomination.[3]
Byrne's acting career began at theFocus Theatre in Dublin before he joined London'sRoyal Court Theatre in 1974. His screen debut came in the Irish drama serialThe Riordans and the spin-off showBracken. He went on to star in such films asDefence of the Realm (1986),Lionheart (1987),Miller's Crossing (1990),Little Women (1994),Dead Man (1995),The Usual Suspects (1995),The Man in the Iron Mask (1998),Enemy of the State (1998),Vanity Fair (2004),The 33 (2015), andHereditary (2018). He co-wroteThe Last of the High Kings (1996) and also producedIn the Name of the Father (1993).
For hisBroadway work, Byrne has received two nominations for theTony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his roles in theEugene O'Neill playsA Moon for the Misbegotten (2000), andLong Day's Journey into Night (2016). For his television work, Byrne has received two nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role asPaul Weston in theHBO drama seriesIn Treatment (2008–2010), he also received aGolden Globe Award. His other notable television roles includeVikings (2013),Maniac (2018), andWar of the Worlds (2019–2022).
Gabriel James Byrne was born on 12 May 1950 inWalkinstown,Dublin, Ireland, the son ofRoman Catholic parents. His father Dan was a soldier andcooper, while his mother Eileen (née Gannon), fromElphin, County Roscommon,[4] was a hospital nurse. He has five younger siblings: Donal, Thomas, Breda, Margaret, and a sister who died at an early age, Marian.[5]
Byrne attendedArdscoil Éanna secondary school inCrumlin, where he later taught Spanish and history.[6] He attendedUniversity College Dublin, where he studiedarchaeology, Spanish and linguistics, and graduated with a BA in 1972,[7] becoming proficient in the Irish language. He went on to complete a Higher Diploma in Education (HDipEd) in 1973.
About his early training to become apriest, Byrne said in an interview, "I spent five years in the seminary and I suppose it was assumed that one had a vocation. I realised subsequently that I didn't."[8]
Byrne playedfootball in Dublin withStella Maris.[9]
In January 2011, Byrne spoke in an interview onThe Meaning of Life about beingsexually abused by priests during his childhood.[10][11]
Byrne worked in archaeology when he left UCD. He maintained his love of his language, later writing the first television drama inIrish,Draíocht, on Ireland's national Irish-language television station,TG4, when it began broadcasting in 1996.[12]
Before becoming an actor, Byrne had many jobs, including archaeologist, cook, and Spanish and history school teacher atArdscoil Éanna inCrumlin. He started acting at age 29,[7] and began his career on stage with theFocus Theatre and theAbbey Theatre in Dublin. He later joined the Performing Arts Course at Roslyn Park College inSandymount. He came to prominence on the final season of the Irish television showThe Riordans,[7] subsequently starring in his own spin-off series,Bracken. His first play for television wasMichael Feeney Callan'sLove Is ... (RTÉ). He made his film debut in 1981, as KingUther Pendragon inJohn Boorman'sKing Arthur epic,Excalibur.[7]
In 1983, Byrne appeared withRichard Burton in the miniseriesWagner, co-starringLaurence Olivier,John Gielgud andRalph Richardson.[13] In 1985, he starred in the acclaimed political thrillerDefence of the Realm, though he subsequently said he had been upstaged by his co-star, veteran actorDenholm Elliott: "I amended the actor's cliché to 'Never work with children, animals or Denholm Elliott'."[14] In the 90s, his production company Plurabelle Films received a first look deal with Phoenix Pictures.[15]
In 2007, Byrne led the jury of theKerry Film Festival.[16]
Upon his return to theatre in 2008, Byrne appeared as King Arthur inCamelot with theNew York Philharmonic from 7 to 10 May, following the footsteps of veteran actorsRichard Burton andRichard Harris. Byrne was cast in a film adaptation ofFlann O'Brien'smetafictional novelAt Swim-Two-Birds, alongsideColin Farrell andCillian Murphy. ActorBrendan Gleeson was set to direct the film.[17] In October 2009, however, Gleeson expressed fear that, should theIrish Film Board be abolished as planned by the Irish State, the production might fall through.[18]
Byrne starred as therapistPaul Weston in theHBO seriesIn Treatment from 2008 to 2010. He was named as TV's "latest Dr. McDreamy" byThe New York Times[19] for this role, and won theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008.
In 2011, Byrne signed up to appear in a film by directorCosta-Gavras,Le Capital,[20] an adaptation of Stéphane Osmont's novel of the same name.
In 2017, Byrne appeared inMad to Be Normal (previously titledMetanoia), a biopic of the Scottish psychiatristR. D. Laing, produced by Gizmo Films.[21]
Walking with Ghosts, Byrne's one-man show based on his memoir of the same title (published by Grove Press in January 2021), premiered at theGaiety Theatre, Dublin on 1 February 2022,[22] before playing at theEdinburgh International Festival.[23] It opened on 6 September 2022 at theApollo Theatre in London,[24] marking Byrne's West End debut at the age of 72, in 'a career-best performance',[25] and opened on 26 October 2022 at theMusic Box Theatre on Broadway.[26]
Byrne had a 12-year relationship with television producer and presenter Aine O'Connor, from 1974 to 1986.[27] He began a relationship with actressEllen Barkin, and relocated toManhattan to be with her. A year later, in 1988, he married Barkin, with whom he has two children. The couple separated amicably in 1993, and divorced in 1999.[28] He later married Hannah Beth King on 4 August 2014 atBallymaloe House inCounty Cork.[29] As of 2021[update], Byrne lives with his family inRockport,Maine.[30]
At the fifthJameson Dublin International Film Festival in 2007, Byrne was presented with the first of the new Volta awards, for lifetime achievement in acting. He received the Honorary Patronage of theUniversity Philosophical Society, ofTrinity College Dublin on 20 February 2007. In November 2007, he was awarded an honorary degree by theNational University of Ireland, Galway; the president of the university, Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, said that the award was in recognition of the actor's "outstanding contribution to Irish and international film".[31]
Byrne released a documentary for the 20thGalway Film Fleadh in the summer of 2008 calledStories from Home, an intimate portrait about his life. It premiered in the United States in September 2009 at the Los Angeles Irish Film Festival.[32]
Byrne mentioned in interviews and his 1994 autobiography,Pictures in My Head that he hates being called "brooding". He has been listed byPeople as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive".Entertainment Weekly has also dubbed Byrne as one of the hottest celebrities over the age of 50.[33]
Byrne is anatheist and has been vocally critical of theCatholic Church, which he described in a 2011 interview withThe Guardian as "repressive of women and minorities and repressive of its followers". In the same interview, he said that he still readsthe Bible "for the fables".[34]
Byrne was cultural ambassador for Ireland until he criticisedThe Gathering, a tourism initiative to encourage people of Irish heritage to visit the country, describing it as "a scam" and adding that the majority of Irish people "don't give a shit about thediaspora except to shake them down for a few quid".[35] Byrne also criticised the marketing strategy employed byGuinness known asArthur's Day as "a cynical piece of exercise in a country which has a huge drinking problem".[36]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | On a Paving Stone Mounted | Unknown | [37] | |
| 1981 | Love Is ... | Larry | ||
| Excalibur | Uther Pendragon | |||
| 1983 | Hanna K. | Joshua Herzog | ||
| The Keep | Sturmbannfuhrer Erich Kaempffer | |||
| 1984 | Reflections | William Masters | ||
| 1985 | Defence of the Realm | Nick Mullen | ||
| 1986 | Gothic | Lord Byron | ||
| 1987 | Lionheart | The Black Prince | ||
| Hello Again | Dr. Kevin Scanlon | |||
| Julia and Julia | Paolo Vinci | |||
| Siesta | Augustine | |||
| 1988 | The Courier | Val | ||
| 1989 | A Soldier's Tale | Saul | ||
| Diamond Skulls | Lord Hugo Bruckton | |||
| 1990 | Miller's Crossing | Tom Reagan | ||
| Shipwrecked | Lieutenant John Merrick | |||
| 1992 | Into the West | Papa Reilly | Also associate producer | |
| Cool World | Jack Deebs | |||
| 1993 | Point of No Return | Bob | akaThe Assassin | |
| A Dangerous Woman | Colin Mackey | |||
| In the Name of the Father | — | Executive producer | ||
| 1994 | A Simple Twist of Fate | John Newland | ||
| Trial by Jury | Daniel Graham | |||
| Little Women | Professor Friedrich Bhaer | |||
| Prince of Jutland | Fenge | |||
| 1995 | The Usual Suspects | Dean Keaton | ||
| Dead Man | Charlie Dickinson | |||
| Frankie Starlight | Jack Kelly | |||
| 1996 | Mad Dog Time | Ben London | ||
| The Last of the High Kings | Jack Griffin | Also writer and executive producer | ||
| Somebody Is Waiting | Roger Ellis | Also executive producer | ||
| Dr. Hagard's Disease | Unknown | Unreleased; also executive producer | ||
| 1997 | Smilla's Sense of Snow | The Mechanic | ||
| The End of Violence | Ray Bering | |||
| This Is the Sea | Rohan | |||
| 1998 | Polish Wedding | Bolek | ||
| The Man in the Iron Mask | D'Artagnan | |||
| The Brylcreem Boys | Sean O'Brien | Also co-producer | ||
| Quest for Camelot | Sir Lionel (voice) | |||
| Enemy of the State | NSA Agent Fake Brill | |||
| 1999 | Stigmata | Father Andrew Kiernan | ||
| End of Days | The Man / Satan | |||
| 2000 | Canone inverso | The Violinist ('Jeno Varga') | ||
| Mad About Mambo | — | Executive producer | ||
| 2002 | Virginia's Run | Ford Lofton | ||
| Spider | Bill Cleg | |||
| Emmett's Mark | Jack Marlow / Stephen Bracken | |||
| Horses: The Story of Equus | Narrator (voice) | |||
| Ghost Ship | Captain Sean Murphy | |||
| 2003 | Shade | Charlie Miller | ||
| Flight from Death | Narrator (voice) | |||
| 2004 | Vanity Fair | The Marquess of Steyne | ||
| P.S. | Peter Harrington | |||
| The Bridge of San Luis Rey | Brother Juniper | |||
| 2005 | Assault on Precinct 13 | Captain Marcus Duvall | ||
| Wah-Wah | Harry Compton | |||
| 2006 | Played | Eddie | ||
| Jindabyne | Stewart Kane | |||
| 2007 | Emotional Arithmetic | Christopher Lewis | ||
| 2008 | 2:22 | Detective Swain | Uncredited | |
| 2009 | Butte, America | Narrator (voice) | ||
| Perrier's Bounty | The Reaper (voice) | |||
| Leningrad | Phillip Parker | |||
| 2012 | Le Capital | Dittmar Rigule | ||
| I, Anna | Detective Bernie Reid | |||
| 2013 | Just a Sigh (Le Temps de l'aventure) | Doug | ||
| All Things to All Men | Joseph Corsco | |||
| 2014 | Vampire Academy | Victor Dashkov | ||
| 2015 | The 33 | André Sougarret | ||
| Louder Than Bombs | Gene Reed | |||
| Nobody Wants the Night | Bram Trevor | |||
| 2016 | Carrie Pilby | Mr. Daniel Pilby | ||
| No Pay, Nudity | Lawrence Rose | |||
| 2017 | Mad to Be Normal | Jim | ||
| Lies We Tell | Donald | |||
| 2018 | In the Cloud | Doc Wolff | ||
| An L.A. Minute | Ted Gold | |||
| Hereditary | Steve Graham | Also executive producer | ||
| Atlantic Salmon: Lost at Sea | Narrator (voice) | |||
| 2020 | Lost Girls | Richard Dormer | ||
| Death of a Ladies' Man | Samuel O'Shea | |||
| 2022 | Murder at Yellowstone City | Sheriff James Ambrose | ||
| Lamborghini: The Man Behind the Legend | Enzo Ferrari | |||
| The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse | The Horse (voice) | Short film | ||
| 2023 | Dance First | Samuel Beckett | ||
| 2025 | From the World of John Wick: Ballerina † | The Chancellor | Post-production | |
| TBA | Diary Of A Mad Old Man † | Pre-production | [38] |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–1979 | The Riordans | Pat Barry | Drama series |
| 1980–1982 | Bracken | Pat Barry | Drama series |
| 1981 | Strangers | Johnny Maguire | Episode: "The Flowers of Edinburgh" |
| The Search for Alexander the Great | Ptolemy | 4 episodes | |
| 1982 | Joyce in June | Keogh / Blazes Boylan | Television film |
| 1983 | Wagner | Karl Ritter | 3 episodes |
| 1985 | Christopher Columbus | Christopher Columbus | 4 episodes |
| Mussolini: The Untold Story | Vittorio Mussolini | 6 episodes | |
| 1993 | Intimate Portrait | Narrator (voice) | Episode: "Kim Cattrall" |
| 1994 | Screen Two | The Good Thief | Episode: "All Things Bright and Beautiful" |
| 1995 | Buffalo Girls | Teddy Blue | Television film |
| Saturday Night Live | Himself / Various Characters | Episode: "Gabriel Byrne/Alanis Morissette" | |
| 1996 | Draíocht | Father | Television film |
| 1997 | Glenroe | Pat Barry | Episode: "Miley's New Bullock" |
| Weapons of Mass Distraction | Lionel Powers | Television film | |
| 2000 | Madigan Men | Ben Madigan | 12 episodes; also co-executive producer |
| 2008–2010 | In Treatment | Dr. Paul Weston | 106 episodes |
| 2012 | Secret State | Tom Dawkins | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Vikings | Earl Haraldson | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Quirke | Quirke | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Marco Polo | Pope Gregory X | Episode: "Let God's Work Begin" |
| 2018 | Maniac | Porter Milgrim | 5 episodes |
| 2019–2022 | The War of the Worlds | Bill Ward | 24 episodes |
| 2020 | ZeroZeroZero | Edward Lynwood | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | A Moon for the Misbegotten | James 'Jim' Tyrone, Jr. | Walter Kerr Theatre (Broadway) | |
| 2002 | The Exonerated | Kerry Max Cook (replacement) | Bleecker Street Theatre (Off-Broadway) | [39] |
| 2005 | A Touch of the Poet | Cornelius Melody | Studio 54 (Broadway) | |
| 2008 | Camelot | King Arthur | Avery Fisher Hall | |
| 2016 | Long Day's Journey into Night | James Tyrone | American Airlines Theatre (Broadway) | |
| 2022 | Walking with Ghosts | Performer | Music Box Theatre (Broadway) |
In 2007,NUI Galway awarded him an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contribution to Irish and international film, theatre and the arts.[citation needed]
I'm what they call a recovering Catholic.
