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 Late Show with Stephen Colbert
2015
The Simpsons
1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
2014
Saturday Night Live
1975
The Graham Norton Show
2007
The Late Late Show with James Corden
2015
Golden Globe Awards
1944
Screen Two
1985
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2005
Kingdom of Heaven
2005
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2010
Filmography
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
as Self · 2015
The Simpsons
as Joe Quimby Sr. (voice) · 1989
Late Night with Seth Meyers
as Self - Guest · 2014
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host · 1975
The Graham Norton Show
as Self · 2007
The Late Late Show with James Corden
as Self - Guest · 2015
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee · 1944
Screen Two
as Lester · 1985
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody · 2005
Kingdom of Heaven
as Reynald de Chatillon · 2005
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody · 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody · 2010
Spider-Noir
as Finn 'Silvermane' Byrne · 2026
28 Days Later
as Frank · 2002
Troy
as Menelaus · 2004
Braveheart
as Hamish Campbell · 1995
ScreenPlay
as Thomas Macken · 1986
Mr. Mercedes
as Bill Hodges · 2017
Edge of Tomorrow
as General Brigham · 2014
Joker: Folie à Deux
as Jackie Sullivan · 2024
A.I. Artificial Intelligence
as Lord Johnson-Johnson · 2001
Jakers! The Adventures of Piggley Winks
as Ferny Toro (voice) · 2003
In the Heart of the Sea
as Old Thomas Nickerson · 2015
Mission: Impossible II
as McCloy · 2000
The Banshees of Inisherin
as Colm Doherty · 2022
Paddington 2
as Knuckles McGinty · 2017
The Village
as August Nicholson · 2004
The Smurfs 2
as Victor Doyle · 2013
In Bruges
as Ken · 2008
Live by Night
as Thomas Coughlin · 2016
Safe House
as David Barlow · 2012
Far and Away
as Social Club Policeman · 1992
Gangs of New York
as Walter 'Monk' McGinn · 2002
Stonehearst Asylum
as The Alienist · 2014
The Tailor of Panama
as Mickie Abraxas · 2001
Song of the Sea
as Conor / Mac Lir (voice) · 2014
Cold Mountain
as Stobrod Thewes · 2003
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
as Irishman (segment "The Mortal Remains") · 2018
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!
as The Pirate with Gout (voice) · 2012
Lake Placid
as Sheriff Hank Keough · 1999
The Tragedy of Macbeth
as Duncan · 2021
Assassin's Creed
as Joseph Lynch · 2016
Beowulf
as Wiglaf (Voice) · 2007
Green Zone
as Martin Brown · 2010
State of the Union
as Scott · 2019
The Secret of Kells
as Abbot Cellach (voice) · 2009
The Company You Keep
as Henry Osborne · 2012
The Guard
as Sergeant Gerry Boyle · 2011
Breakfast on Pluto
as John Joe Kenny · 2005
The Comey Rule
as Donald Trump · 2020
1916 Seachtar Dearmadta
as Glór · 2013
4 Play
as Farmer · 1989
Albert Nobbs
as Dr. Holloran · 2011
Suffragette
as Arthur Steed · 2015
Michael Collins
as Liam Tobin · 1996
H Is for Hawk
as Dad · 2025
The Raven
as Colonel Hamilton · 2012
Alone in Berlin
as Otto Quangel · 2016
Turbulence
as Stubbs · 1997
The Irish Civil War
as Narrator · 2022
Frank of Ireland
as Liam · 2021
Trespass Against Us
as Colby Culter · 2016
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure
as Huntsman (voice) · 2021
The Good Daughter
as Rusty · 2026
Dark Blue
as Jack van Meter · 2002
Far Cry
Calvary
as Father James Lavelle · 2014
The Grand Seduction
as Murray French · 2014
My Life So Far
as Jim Menzies · 1999
Hampstead
as Donald Horner · 2017
The Lifeboat
as Leslie Parry · 1994
Gay Byrne's Late Late Moments
as Self - Guest (archive footage) · 2020
The Butcher Boy
as Father Bubbles · 1998
On the Red Carpet Presents: The Banshees of Inisherin
as Self · 2023
Captain Morten and the Spider Queen
as Captain Vicks (voice) · 2018
Into the Storm
as Winston Churchill · 2009
Perrier's Bounty
as Darren Perrier · 2010
A Greyhound of a Girl
as Paddy (voice) · 2023
This Is My Father
as Garda Jim · 1999
Harrison's Flowers
as Marc Stevenson · 2000
The Field
as Quarryman · 1990
1916 Seachtar na Cásca
as Self - Narrator (voice) · 2010
In My Country
as De Jagar · 2004
Into the West
as Inspector Bolger · 1992
The Tiger's Tail
as Liam O'Leary · 2006
The Weir
as Jack
The Path to Redemption
as Self · 2006
The Snapper
as Lester · 1993
The General
as Martin Cahill · 1998
So You Want To Be A Pirate!
as The Pirate With Gout · 2012
Six Shooter
as Donnelly · 2004
The Cup
as Dermot Weld · 2011
Frankie
as Jimmy · 2019
Black Irish
as Desmond McKay · 2007
Wild About Harry
as Harry McKee · 2000
A Further Gesture
as Richard · 1997
Noreen
as Con Keogh · 2010
Deconstructing 'The Village'
as Self · 2005
Atlantic
as Narrator · 2016
I Went Down
as Bunny Kelly · 1997
Sweety Barrett
as Sweety Barrett · 1999
Cáca Milis
as Paul · 2001
Lost Lives
as Self (voice) · 2019
Angela Mooney Dies Again
as Barney Mooney · 1997
Before I Sleep
as John Harte · 1997
The Burren: Heart of Stone
as Narrator · 2021
Pure Rage: The Making of '28 Days Later'
as Self · 2003
A Hero's Journey: The Making of Beowulf
as Wiglaf
The Honey Wars
as (voice)
Psychic
as Jeremiah · 2018
Love Lies Bleeding
as Thomas Macken · 1993
The Treaty
as Michael Collins · 1991
Sexual Healing
as Freddy Cousaert
Spaghetti Slow
as Frank Ferguson · 1996
Dear Sarah
as Brendan Dowd · 1990
Blood Runs Coal
as Joseph Yablonski
Saltwater
as Simple Simon · 2000
Pursuit
as Searbhán · 2015
Hard Shoulder
· 1990
Kerry: Tides of Time
as Narrator · 2025
Brendan Gleeson's Farewell to Hughes's
as Self · 2024
Trojan Eddie
as Ginger · 1996
Studs
as Walter Keegan · 2006
Tales from the Poorhouse
The Dead Zoo
as Narrator · 2022