Who is Brendan Gleeson?

Brendan Gleeson, renowned for his performance as Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films, is an Irish director and actor. He is the winner of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He has starred in numerous movies including, A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), Mission Impossible: II, and Ballad of Buster Scruggs to name a few. 

In Joker: Folie a Deux, Brendan Gleeson will appear on screen alongside actors Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, according to Deadline. Director Todd Phillips is back after leading Phoenix to an Oscar in the 2019 film Joker, a complex reflection of Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. However, the sequel is a musical, albeit one more in the style of A Star is Born than West Side Story or Singing in the Rain.

Who is Brendan Gleeson? 

Brendan was born on March 29, 1955, in Dublin, to Pat and Frank Gleeson. He developed a penchant for learning from an early age, which drove him to read ancient texts and scriptures both inside and outside of the classroom.

His high school years were defined by his blossoming passion for Irish plays. He paid close attention to Irish playwrights like Samuel Beckett, which drove him to act in Waiting for Godot and perform in the high school play production. 

 After graduating from high school, he spent a few years performing at the Dublin Shakespeare Festival. On the recommendation of a director there, he then travelled to London to apply to some of the most prestigious drama schools in the world. He was soon given the opportunity to try out for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, where he spent a couple of years performing on stage. 

Bredon married Mary Weldon in 1982. He is the father of Irish actors Rory, Domhnall, Fergus, and Bran Gleeson. 

Also Read: Joker 2 adds Brendan Gleeson to the cast

Career in movies

He appeared in a number of minor roles in well-known Hollywood productions with Irish settings, including Far and Away and Into the West. He gained international recognition when he portrayed the Irish historical figure Michael Collins in The Treaty. He ultimately shot to stardom in the Mel Gibson-starring picture Braveheart, which has a Scottish theme and was mostly filmed in Ireland.

Bredon made his acting debut as Gibson’s right-hand man Hamish. Since then, he has made other significant cinematic appearances, including Lake Placid and Turbulence. He gained notoriety by playing the title character in The General, an Irish criminal Martin Cahill biopic for which he received the Boston Society of Film Critics Award in 1998. An illustrious career spanning over three decades, the actor is a two-time nominee of the BAFTA Awards and a four-time nominee of Golden Globe Awards. 

Recipient of the prestigious Emmy Award 2009, the actor is also set to appear in The Banshees of Inisherin, an upcoming comedy-drama film which is set to release on October 21, this year