Who is/was Ireland's most famous actor (excluding actresses for sake of clarity)?
- Thread starter Duke of Marmalade
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He moved to England when he was 6 and was a British Subject (which enabled him to be knighted) so he's at least as much English as Irish.
Then again Pierce Brosnan left Ireland when he was 10 so the same can be said about him, though he was and remained very much Irish throughout his latter childhood in London.
They were in the Irish Times Top 50 list, but I would put them a level or two below the likes of Fitzgerald, Harris, Brosnan, Neeson, Farrell, Murphy.
As well as the names mentioned already, Stephen Rea, Brendan Gleeson and Andrew Scott would be fairly well known but I wouldn't put them into the top 'division' shall we say.
Kenneth Branagh was born in Belfast but raised in England ... I hadn't thought about him or Michael Fassbender til I came across their names in this list:
List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Ireland - Wikipedia
And in the what might have beens...
Stuart Townsend was originally cast as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series but was replaced early in the production - varying stories, director Peter Jackson realised he needed someone older / director and actor not getting along.
m.independent.ie
Stuart Townsend was originally cast as Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series but was replaced early in the production - varying stories, director Peter Jackson realised he needed someone older / director and actor not getting along.
The forgotten story of Irish actor Stuart Townsend being fired from Lord of the Rings
The festive period means different things to different people, but one consistency is the inevitable Lord of the Rings marathon to help the pass the time in between days.
m.independent.ie
Another in the almost category:
Patrick McGoohan... born to Irish American parents in New York, then raised in Leitrim for a few years before the family settled in England.
Was one of the biggest stars on TV in the 1960s with Danger Man and The Prisoner... but then backed away from major roles eg reportedly turned down James Bond.
He would continue to pop up in scene stealing character roles eg he played the culprit in 3 episodes of Colombo, winning several Emmy awards.
Patrick McGoohan... born to Irish American parents in New York, then raised in Leitrim for a few years before the family settled in England.
Was one of the biggest stars on TV in the 1960s with Danger Man and The Prisoner... but then backed away from major roles eg reportedly turned down James Bond.
He would continue to pop up in scene stealing character roles eg he played the culprit in 3 episodes of Colombo, winning several Emmy awards.
A lot of people are Irish when it suits us and British when it doesn't. After all, Jack Grealish is not that much different then Ray Houghton in terms of their background and upbringing. Gambon and Brosnan are probably more Irish then Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris and DDL in many respects
Richard Todd is another in that Anglo-Irish space. Born in Dublin, brought up in India and England. Fought on DDay. Oscar nominee.
en.m.wikipedia.org
Richard Todd - Wikipedia
Harris was very much Irish, only moving to London at 24.
O'Toole was born and raised in England so he's certainly a product of two countries due to his parents Irish heritage.
I'd rank Harris as a strong contender for our greatest and most famous actor. He also had a very successful singing career that most people forget about.
John Nicholson also fits into that space. Born in Dublin, joined the British East India Company, established the Northwest Frontier, was instrumental in the suppression of the Indian "Mutany", described as a "imperial psychopath" and "a violent, manic figure, a homosexual bully; an extreme egoist who was pleased to affect a laconic indifference to danger" Wiki... the epitome of all that was wrong with Imperialism and racism but we tend to only claim the ones we like so we don't talk about people like him.
Well I think we might be a bit quicker to lay a partial claim on Richard Todd as a hero of D-Day and an Oscar nominee e.g.
Richard Todd was not only an Irishman and soldier in WWII but may well have been one of the first, if not the first, Irishman to land in Normandy on D-Day. His life was not just about being a soldier, he was also an actor and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a film he starred in alongside Ronald Regan. These extracts are taken from Dark Times, Decent Men – Stories of Irishmen in WWII by Neil Richardson.
www.thejournal.ie
Richard Todd was not only an Irishman and soldier in WWII but may well have been one of the first, if not the first, Irishman to land in Normandy on D-Day. His life was not just about being a soldier, he was also an actor and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a film he starred in alongside Ronald Regan. These extracts are taken from Dark Times, Decent Men – Stories of Irishmen in WWII by Neil Richardson.
Extract: The story of an Irishman in WW II: Richard Todd – actor and soldier
Neil Richardson’s book tells the story of Irishman Richard Todd, one of the first men on banks of Normandy, who went on to be nominated for an Oscar.
www.thejournal.ie
Richard Harris was very definitely Irish, Limerick to the backbone having won at least one Munster junior rugby cap. His brother-in-law was the GM of the Wicklow Hotel back in the day that was his base for home rugby internationals. An exquisite host, a gentleman, a great Irish actor.
He deliberately ruined his speaking and singing voice to play the part of Cromwell.
He deliberately ruined his speaking and singing voice to play the part of Cromwell.
...
I’d suggest that Ireland’s current most under-rated actor is Stanley Townsend. He’s been in everything Stanley Townsend - Wikipedia, but whenever I mention his name I get a blank stare.
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I know, I know....it was TV....but I also saw it in one go in a cinema in NY......so who can forget Sean McGinley as "Charlo" in Roddy Doyle's 'Family'
Not to be confused with Stuart Townsend, also a Dub, former long term partner of Charlize Theron, and for a brief time Aragorn in the Lord of the Longs.