Brendan Gleeson
Biography
Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor and film director born on March 29, 1955, in Dublin, Ireland. Throughout his career, he has earned recognition for his contributions to film, receiving three IFTA Awards, two BIFA awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. His professional achievements include two BAFTA Award nominations, five Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination. In 2020, The Irish Times ranked him as the 18th greatest film actor in Ireland. He is the father of actors Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson. With 123 known credits in the acting industry, he remains a prominent figure in international cinema.
Career overview
Brendan Gleeson is widely recognized for his portrayal of Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter film series, spanning from 2005 to 2010. His filmography includes a variety of supporting roles in notable productions. His early career work features appearances in Braveheart, released in 1995, and Michael Collins, released in 1996. These roles helped establish his presence in the industry during the 1990s.
In the early 2000s, Gleeson continued to build his portfolio with performances in several high-profile films. His credits from this period include 28 Days Later and Gangs of New York, both released in 2002, as well as Cold Mountain in 2003 and Troy. His extensive body of work, totaling 123 known credits, reflects a long-standing career in both television and film. His consistent output and critical recognition have solidified his reputation as a versatile actor within the global entertainment landscape.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Spider-Noir (2026) as Finn 'Silvermane' Byrne
- The Good Daughter (2026) as Rusty
- H Is for Hawk (2025) as Alisdair Macdonald
- Kerry: Tides of Time (2025) as Narrator
- Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) as Jackie Sullivan
- Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's (2024) as Self
- A Greyhound of a Girl (2023) as Paddy (voice)
- On the Red Carpet Presents: The Banshees of Inisherin (2023) as Self
- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) as Colm Doherty
- The Irish Civil War (2022) as Narrator
- The Dead Zoo (2022) as Narrator
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) as Duncan
- Riverdance: The Animated Adventure (2021) as Huntsman (voice)
- Frank of Ireland (2021) as Liam
- The Burren: Heart of Stone (2021) as Narrator
- The Comey Rule (2020) as Donald Trump
- Gay Byrne's Late Late Moments (2020) as Self (archive footage)
- State of the Union (2019) as Scott
- Frankie (2019) as Jimmy
- Lost Lives (2019) as Self (voice)
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) as Irishman (segment "The Mortal Remains")
- Psychic (2018) as Jeremiah
- Psychic (2018) Producer
- Psychic (2018) Director
- Captain Morten and the Spider Queen (2018) as Captain Vicks (voice)
- Mr. Mercedes (2017) as Detective Bill Hodges
- Paddington 2 (2017) as Knuckles McGinty
- Hampstead (2017) as Donald Horner
- Assassin's Creed (2016) as Joseph Lynch
- Live by Night (2016) as Thomas Coughlin
- Atlantic (2016) as Narrator
- Trespass Against Us (2016) as Colby Culter
- Alone in Berlin (2016) as Otto Quangel
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2015) as Self
- The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015) as Self - Guest
- In the Heart of the Sea (2015) as Old Thomas Nickerson
- Suffragette (2015) as Arthur Steed
- Pursuit (2015) as Searbhán
- Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014) as Self
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014) as General Brigham
- Stonehearst Asylum (2014) as The Alienist
- Song of the Sea (2014) as Conor / Mac Lir (voice)
- Calvary (2014) as Father James Lavelle
- The Grand Seduction (2014) as Murray French
- The Smurfs 2 (2013) as Victor Doyle
- 1916 Seachtar Dearmadta (2013) as Glór
- Safe House (2012) as David Barlow
- The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (2012) as The Pirate with Gout (voice)
- The Raven (2012) as Colonel Hamilton
- The Company You Keep (2012) as Henry Osborne
- So You Want To Be A Pirate! (2012) as The Pirate With Gout
- The Guard (2011) as Sergeant Gerry Boyle
- Albert Nobbs (2011) as Dr. Holloran
- The Cup (2011) as Dermot Weld
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
- Green Zone (2010) as Martin Brown
- Noreen (2010) as Con Keogh
- Perrier's Bounty (2010) as Darren Perrier
- 1916 Seachtar na Cásca (2010) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- The Secret of Kells (2009) as Abbot Cellach (voice)
- Into the Storm (2009) as Winston Churchill
- In Bruges (2008) as Ken
- The Graham Norton Show (2007) as Self
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
- Beowulf (2007) as Wiglaf (Voice)
- Black Irish (2007) as Desmond McKay
- The Path to Redemption (2006) as Self
- The Tiger's Tail (2006) as Liam O'Leary
- Studs (2006) as Walter Keegan
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005) as Reynald de Chatillon
- Breakfast on Pluto (2005) as John Joe Kenny
- Deconstructing 'The Village' (2005) as Self
- Troy (2004) as Menelaus
- The Village (2004) as August Nicholson
- In My Country (2004) as De Jagar
- Six Shooter (2004) as Donnelly
- Cold Mountain (2003) as Stobrod Thewes
- Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks (2003) as Ferny Toro (voice)
- 28 Days Later (2002) as Frank
- Gangs of New York (2002) as Walter 'Monk' McGinn
- Dark Blue (2002) as Jack van Meter
- A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) as Lord Johnson-Johnson
- The Tailor of Panama (2001) as Mickie Abraxas
- Cáca Milis (2001) as Paul
- Mission: Impossible II (2000) as McCloy
- Harrison's Flowers (2000) as Marc Stevenson
- Wild About Harry (2000) as Harry McKee
- Saltwater (2000) as Simple Simon
- Lake Placid (1999) as Sheriff Hank Keough
- Sweety Barrett (1999) as Sweety Barrett
- My Life So Far (1999) as Jim Menzies
- This Is My Father (1999) as Garda Jim
- The Butcher Boy (1998) as Father Bubbles
- The General (1998) as Martin Cahill
- Turbulence (1997) as Stubbs
- A Further Gesture (1997) as Richard
- Before I Sleep (1997) as John Harte
- I Went Down (1997) as Bunny Kelly
- Angela Mooney Dies Again (1997) as Barney Mooney
- Michael Collins (1996) as Liam Tobin
- Spaghetti Slow (1996) as Frank Ferguson
- Trojan Eddie (1996) as Ginger
- Braveheart (1995) as Hamish Campbell
- The Lifeboat (1994) as Leslie Parry
- The Snapper (1993) as Lester
- Love Lies Bleeding (1993) as Thomas Macken
- Far and Away (1992) as Social Club Policeman
- Into the West (1992) as Inspector Bolger
- The Treaty (1991) as Michael Collins
- The Field (1990) as Quarryman
- Hard Shoulder (1990)
- Dear Sarah (1990) as Brendan Dowd
- The Simpsons (1989) as Joe Quimby Sr. (voice)
- 4 Play (1989) as Farmer
- ScreenPlay (1986) as Thomas Macken
- Screen Two (1985) as Lester
- Saturday Night Live (1975) as Self - Host
- Golden Globe Awards (1944) as Self - Nominee
- Blood Runs Coal as Joseph Yablonski
- The Honey Wars as (voice)
- A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf as Wiglaf
- Sexual Healing as Freddy Cousaert
- Tales from the Poorhouse