
Brendan Gleeson
Acting
Born 1955-03-29 · Dublin, Ireland
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

Mr. Mercedes
2017 · TV

State of the Union
2019 · TV

The Simpsons
1989 · TV

The Lifeboat
1994 · TV

Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014 · TV

Spider-Noir
Releases May 25, 2026

The Irish Civil War
2022 · TV

The Comey Rule
2020 · TV

Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
2003 · TV

The Burren: Heart of Stone
2021 · TV

Kerry: Tides of Time
2025 · TV

Frank of Ireland
2021 · TV

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015 · TV

Saturday Night Live
1975 · TV

The Graham Norton Show
2007 · TV

Golden Globe Awards
1944 · TV

The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015 · TV