Today's Birthday 29/3
Today's birthday, March 29: Irish actor Brendan Gleeson (1955 - ).
Irish actor Brendan Gleeson was a latecomer to the screen, spending much of his formative years working as an English teacher and training for the stage before breaking into films and television at the age of 34.
Gleeson was born in Dublin in 1955 and was a keen reader as a child. He was particularly interested in the work of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, which led him to perform in his high school production of Waiting for Godot.
After finishing grade 12, he spent several years with the Dublin Shakespeare Festival before auditioning for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon. He spent the next ten years performing on stage in England and working as a secondary school teacher.
In 1990, Gleeson left teaching to focus on acting full-time.
He made his big screen debut as a quarryman in the 1990 film The Field and followed this with a part in the 1992 film The Treaty.
Gleeson's breakthrough performance came in the 1995 film Braveheart, playing Mel Gibson's right-hand man Hamish.
He then took on the role of Irish gangster Martin Cahill in John Boorman's 1998 critically-acclimed film The General. He went on to win the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for the role.
Since then the Irish actor has appeared in more than 30 films, including Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven and The Village. He is also well-known for his role as Hogwarts professor Mad-Eye Moody in several of the Harry Potter films.
In 2008 Gleeson enjoyed huge critical acclaim and his first Golden Globe nomination for his role in Martin McDonagh's film In Bruges.
A year later he received another Golden Globe nomination and an Emmy award win for his role as Winston Churchill in the television movie Into the Storm.
Since 2017, Gleeson has starred in the American television series Mr. Mercedes.
In addition to acting, he also enjoys playing the fiddle and mandolin.
Gleeson is married with four sons. Two of his sons, Domhnall and Brian, are also actors.
