This page uses content from the Gabriel Byrne biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

This article is about the Irish actor. See Gay Byrne for the Irish radio and television presenter.

Gabriel Byrne (born 12 May, 1950) is an Irish actor.

Biography

Born in Dublin, Ireland, Byrne was the first of six children born to devoutly Catholic parents (‘mystical’ is the term Byrne used to describe his father) and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. Byrne attended University College Dublin, where he studied archaeology and linguistics, becoming proficient in Irish. He worked in archaeology when he left UCD but maintained his love of the language, writing the first drama in Irish, Draiocht, on Ireland's national Irish Language television station, TG4 when it began broadcasting in 1996.

Gabriel discovered his passion for acting later in his life. Before becoming an actor, he did work as everything from an archaeologist to a cook, to a bullfighter to a Spanish schoolteacher. When he finally found acting aged 29, he began his career on stage with the Focus Theatre and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, later joining the Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre in London.

He came to prominence on the final season of the Irish television show The Riordans, subsequently starring in his own spin-off series, Bracken. He made his film debut in 1981 as Lord Uther in John Boorman's classic King Arthur epic, Excalibur. He first visited the United States when he was 37.

Byrne has won four awards for his acting: in 1979 the Jacob's Award for Best Actor in a TV series for Bracken; 1999 the Theatre World Award for A Moon for the Misbegotten; and in 2000 the Outstanding Award for Irish Culture for Wild Geese.

His mentions in interviews and in his 1995 autobiography, Pictures in my Head (ISBN 0-86327-709-8), that he hates being called brooding.

Personal life

Byrne married Jewish American actress Ellen Barkin, having two children with her, Jack Daniel (born 1989) and Romy Marion (born 1992). The couple divorced amicably in 1993.

Byrne is a fan of Chelsea FChttp://www.chelseafc.com/article.asp?article=99643&Title=Celebrities&lid=Navigation+-+Fan+Zone&sub=Celebrities&nav=&sublid=], and currently resides in Beverly Hills, California.

Partial filmography

• Jindabyne (2006)
• Wah-Wah (2005)
• Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
• The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)
• P.S. (2004)
• Shade (2003)
• Vanity Fair (2004)
• Ghost Ship (2002)
• Spider (2002)
• End of Days (1999)
• Stigmata (1999)
• Enemy of the State (1998)
• Quest for Camelot (1998) (voice)
• The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
• Polish Wedding (1998)
• Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997)
• The Brylcreem Boys (1997)
• The End of Violence (1997)
• This Is the Sea (1997)
• Mad Dog Time (1996)
• The Usual Suspects (1995)
• Dead Man (1995)
• Little Women (1994)
• Trial by Jury (1994)
• Point of No Return (1993)
• Cool World (1992)
• Into the West (1992)
• Miller's Crossing (1990)
• Shipwrecked (1990)
• Lionheart (1987)
• Gothic (1986)
• Defence of the Realm (1985)
• The Keep (1983)
• Excalibur (1981)
• Bracken (1978) (TV series)
• The Riordans (1965) (TV series)

References

External links

• Gabriel Byrne's Official Site (defunct as of Nov, 2006)
• Biography Gabriel Byrne
• Gabriel Byrne's entry in Art of Amnesty

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