Brendan Gleeson

Biography

Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two BIFA's, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award, five times for a Golden Globe Award and once for an Academy Award. In 2020, he was listed at number 18 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors. He is the father of actors Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson. He is best known for his performance as Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films (2005–2010). He is also known for his supporting roles in films such as Braveheart (1995), Michael Collins (1996), 28 Days Later (2002), Gangs of New York (2002), Cold Mountain (2003), Troy (2004), Suffragette (2015), Paddington 2 (2017), The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), and The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021). He is also known for his leading roles in films such as The General (1998), In Bruges (2008), The Guard (2011), Calvary (2014), Frankie (2019), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the lattermost film. He won an Primetime Emmy Award in 2009 for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the television film Into the Storm. He also received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance as Donald Trump in the Showtime series The Comey Rule (2020). From 2017 to 2019 he starred in the crime series Mr. Mercedes. He received an Emmy Award nomination for Stephen Frears' Sundance TV series State of the Union (2022).

Known For

The Simpsons

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Spider-Noir

The Graham Norton Show

Saturday Night Live

The Late Late Show with James Corden

Golden Globe Awards

All Movies (98)

• H Is for Hawk2025 · as Alisdair Macdonald
• Joker: Folie à Deux2024 · as Jackie Sullivan
• Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's2024 · as Self
• A Greyhound of a Girl2023 · as Paddy (voice)
• On the Red Carpet Presents: The Banshees of Inisherin2023 · as Self
• The Banshees of Inisherin2022 · as Colm Doherty
• The Dead Zoo2022 · as Narrator
• The Tragedy of Macbeth2021 · as Duncan
• Riverdance: The Animated Adventure2021 · as Huntsman (voice)
• Lost Lives2019 · as Self (voice)
• Frankie2019 · as Jimmy
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs2018 · as Irishman (segment "The Mortal Remains")
• Captain Morten and the Spider Queen2018 · as Captain Vicks (voice)
• Psychic2018 · as Jeremiah
• Paddington 22017 · as Knuckles McGinty
• Hampstead2017 · as Donald Horner
• Live by Night2016 · as Thomas Coughlin
• Assassin's Creed2016 · as Joseph Lynch
• Trespass Against Us2016 · as Colby Culter
• Alone in Berlin2016 · as Otto Quangel
• Atlantic2016 · as Narrator
• In the Heart of the Sea2015 · as Old Thomas Nickerson
• Suffragette2015 · as Arthur Steed
• Pursuit2015 · as Searbhán
• Stonehearst Asylum2014 · as The Alienist
• Song of the Sea2014 · as Conor / Mac Lir (voice)
• The Grand Seduction2014 · as Murray French
• Edge of Tomorrow2014 · as General Brigham
• Calvary2014 · as Father James Lavelle
• The Smurfs 22013 · as Victor Doyle
• The Company You Keep2012 · as Henry Osborne
• So You Want To Be A Pirate!2012 · as The Pirate With Gout
• The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!2012 · as The Pirate with Gout (voice)
• The Raven2012 · as Colonel Hamilton
• Safe House2012 · as David Barlow
• Albert Nobbs2011 · as Dr. Holloran
• The Cup2011 · as Dermot Weld
• The Guard2011 · as Sergeant Gerry Boyle
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 12010 · as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
• Noreen2010 · as Con Keogh
• Green Zone2010 · as Martin Brown
• Perrier's Bounty2009 · as Darren Perrier
• Into the Storm2009 · as Winston Churchill
• The Secret of Kells2009 · as Abbot Cellach (voice)
• In Bruges2008 · as Ken
• Beowulf2007 · as Wiglaf
• Black Irish2007 · as Desmond McKay
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix2007 · as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
• The Tiger's Tail2006 · as Liam O'Leary
• The Path to Redemption2006 · as Self
• Studs2006 · as Walter Keegan
• Breakfast on Pluto2005 · as John Joe Kenny
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire2005 · as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody
• Kingdom of Heaven2005 · as Reynald de Chatillon
• Deconstructing 'The Village'2005 · as Self
• Six Shooter2004 · as Donnelly
• The Village2004 · as August Nicholson
• Troy2004 · as Menelaos
• In My Country2004 · as De Jagar
• Cold Mountain2003 · as Stobrod Thewes
• Gangs of New York2002 · as Walter 'Monk' McGinn
• Dark Blue2002 · as Jack van Meter
• 28 Days Later2002 · as Frank
• A.I. Artificial Intelligence2001 · as Lord Johnson-Johnson
• Cáca Milis2001 · as Paul
• The Tailor of Panama2001 · as Mickie Abraxas
• Wild About Harry2000 · as Harry McKee
• Saltwater2000 · as Simple Simon
• Harrison's Flowers2000 · as Marc Stevenson
• Mission: Impossible II2000 · as McCloy
• My Life So Far1999 · as Jim Menzies
• Lake Placid1999 · as Sheriff Hank Keough
• This Is My Father1999 · as Garda Jim
• Sweety Barrett1999 · as Sweety Barrett
• The General1998 · as Martin Cahill
• The Butcher Boy1998 · as Father Bubbles
• Before I Sleep1997 · as John Harte
• I Went Down1997 · as Bunny Kelly
• Angela Mooney Dies Again1997 · as Barney Mooney
• Turbulence1997 · as Stubbs
• A Further Gesture1997 · as Richard
• Spaghetti Slow1996 · as Frank Ferguson
• Michael Collins1996 · as Liam Tobin
• Trojan Eddie1996 · as Ginger
• Braveheart1995 · as Hamish Campbell
• The Snapper1993 · as Lester
• Love Lies Bleeding1993 · as Thomas Macken
• Into the West1992 · as Inspector Bolger
• Far and Away1992 · as Social Club Policeman
• The Treaty1991 · as Michael Collins
• The Field1990 · as Quarryman
• Dear Sarah1990 · as Brendan Dowd
• Sexual Healing— · as Freddy Cousaert
• The Honey Wars— · as (voice)
• A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf— · as Wiglaf
• Tales from the Poorhouse—
• Blood Runs Coal— · as Joseph Yablonski
• Spider-Noir— · as Silvermane

All TV Shows (23)

• The Good Daughter2026 · as Rusty
• Spider-Noir2026 · as Finn 'Silvermane' Byrne
• Kerry: Tides of Time2025 · as Narrator
• The Irish Civil War2022 · as Narrator
• Frank of Ireland2021 · as Liam
• The Burren: Heart of Stone2021 · as Narrator
• The Comey Rule2020 · as Donald Trump
• Gay Byrne's Late Late Moments2020 · as Self
• State of the Union2019 · as Scott
• Mr. Mercedes2017 · as Detective Bill Hodges
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self
• The Late Late Show with James Corden2015 · as Self - Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self
• 1916 Seachtar Dearmadta2013 · as Glór
• 1916 Seachtar na Cásca2010 · as Self - Narrator (voice)
• The Graham Norton Show2007 · as Self
• Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks2003 · as Ferny Toro (voice)
• The Lifeboat1994 · as Leslie Parry
• The Simpsons1989 · as Joe Quimby Sr. (voice)
• ScreenPlay1986 · as Thomas Macken
• Screen Two1985 · as Lester
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Nominee