Biography
Brendan Gleeson
Table of Contents
Quick Facts About Brendan Gleeson
Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor and director. He was nominated two times for a BAFTA Award and two times for a Golden Globe Award. He is the winner of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
| Quick Infos | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Brendan Gleeson |
| Date of birth | March 29, 1955 |
| Birth Place | Dublin, Ireland |
| Parent(s) | Francisco Estevez Martinez Mary-Ann Martinez |
| Occupation | Actor, Director |
| Spouse | Mary Weldon |
| Age | 65 years |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Children | 4 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Net worth | US $4 million |
As a teenage child, he was very curious about dramas and plays and learned Irish drama. He took part in school dramas and stage performances during his high school years. In films like ‘The Guard,’ ‘Calvary,’ and ‘the General’ he also played prominently. He was a guide and a mentor for many actors of the Hollywood Film Brotherhood, offering excellent acting ability and a long-acting career.
Childhood, Early Life, Bio, Young, and Family
Brendan Gleeson was born to Pat and Frank Gleeson in Dublin, Ireland on 29 March 1955. He loved to learn, especially reading classic texts in and out of classrooms from a very young age. He was very attentive to Irish playwrights like Samuel Beckett, which eventually led him to play “Waiting for Godot” at his secondary school and to give great attention to details in his high school drama classes.
After graduation from the 12th grade, he went to London and auditioned at the Dublin Shakespeare Festival under the advice of a director. Shortly thereafter, he was invited to the Stratford Royal Shakespeare Company’s Avon audition and remained on stage in England for a few seasons. He then started to listen in the UK at the age of thirty-five and began to develop a reputable CV with several different characters.
Career: Movies, TV Shows
Brendan Gleeson is a highly successful actor and a movie director. Gleeson appeared in some of his early and highly successful plays such as Brownbread (1987) Wasters (1985) and Home in Dublin as a part of Passion Machine Theatre (1988). Brendan Gleeson was an aspiring actor and he got a hearing invitation from the Royal Shakespeare Company.
He spent a few years doing stage shows. He started auditioning in short films in the United Kingdom in the mid-30s and started playing various roles. After the period of his struggle, he began to work as a theater player (1988) in well-known plays like ‘Waster’ (1985), ‘Brownbread’ (1987), and ‘Home,’ During that time he has also written and directed two successful plays – “Birdtable” (1987) and “Breaking Up” (1988).
He actually began his career with ‘The Field’ (1990) film directed by Jim Sheridan, where a quarryman’s character was played by Brendan Gleeson. He took a mediocre part in films such as ‘In the Border Country’ (1991) and ‘Saint Oscar’ (1991).
He made a huge breakthrough in 1995 where he was a William Wallace’s (Mel Gibson) trusted pal, along with the Mel Gibson at the box office hit “Braveheart.” Brendan Gleeson began getting better roles after the tremendous success of Braveheart. The same year he was screened in the movie “Kidnapped,” a dramatic adventure film, where Colin Roy Campbell played the part. In the Secret of the Kells animation movie of Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, Gleeson introduced the voice of Abbot Cellach to the Cartoon Saloon, which was premiered at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in February 2009.
In 2006, Gleeson played a star in the short film Six Shooter winning the Best Live Action short film Academy Award. Martin McDonagh wrote and directed this film. In 2008, in Bruges, also written and directed by McDonagh, Gleeson starred in Comedy crime. The film was widely critically praised, and Gleeson won many awards including his first Golden Globe nomination.
Gleeson earned many awards. In the film, Gleeson plays Colin Farrell‘s hitman as a mentor. Roger Ebert described the elder Gleeson in his review of In Bruges as having a “noble face shambles, and a boxer’s heft is gone. Talking about the recent work he has appeared in significant films such as ‘The Shore’ (2015), ‘Assassin’s Creed’ (2016), ‘Hampstead’ (2017), ‘Mr. and the ‘Paddington’ of Mercedes (2017).
Musical Career
Gleeson has also contributed to the music industry. He was the fiddle player of Cold Mountain, Michael Collins, and The Greater Seduction, as well as appearances on Altan’s 2009 live album. He performed with a lot of interest in Irish folklore. Gleeson sings “The Unfortunate Rake” in Coen’s Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). In 2019, he contributed also with a version of ‘The Rocky Road To Dublin’ to the latest album of the Irish folk group ‘Dervish.’
Major Works and Awards
In a TV movie entitled ‘Into the Storm’ (2009), Brendan Gleeson played the part of Winston Churchill and was nominated for the British Academy Television Award and the Golden Globe Awards as the ‘Emmy Award’ for the best lead actor and the ‘Satellite Award’ for the top actor. In his film ‘The Guard’ (2011), for which he has been called as ‘Golden Globe Award,’ ‘Satellite Award, ‘IFTA Award’ and ‘the British Independent Film Award,’ he was appreciated for the role of sergeant Gerry Boyle for the best actor in leading roles.
Brendan Gleeson won the Primetime Emmy Award in a Miniseries or a film for the “Storm” (2009). He has been awarded three IFTA awards and two BIFA awards. For his role in ‘Calvary,’ he received the IFTA Award for the best leader in 2014.
Personal life, Wife Mary Weldon, and Sons
Since 1982, Brendan Gleeson is married to Mary Weldon. The pair has four sons – Domhnall Gleeson, Brian Gleeson, Fergus Gleeson, and Rory Gleeson. Of the four, the actors and authors Domhnall and Brian were selected for Hollywood roles.
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
It is seen that Brendan likes to live a private and comfortable life. He doesn’t like to disclose what he does or how he lives his life to the general public. Currently, he is not active on any of the social media.
Net Worth
As of 2020, the estimated net worth of Brendan Gleeson is believed to be $4 million. His major sources of income are the movies he acts on and the movies he directs along with his own musical career. Not just this, he even earns money from brand endorsement deals.
