Brendan Gleeson
Birthday: 29 March 1955, Dublin, Ireland
Height: 188 cm
Brendan Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland, to Pat and Frank Gleeson. From a very young age, he loved to learn, especially reading classical text in and outside the classroom. He took great attention ...Show More
Look at the Coen brothers. All their minor characters are as interesting as their protagonists. If t Show more
Look at the Coen brothers. All their minor characters are as interesting as their protagonists. If the smaller characters are well-written, the whole world of the film becomes enriched. It's not the size of the thing, but the detail. Hide
What I voice, I voice though my art, if that's not too vainglorious a word. But I don't think it is.
What I voice, I voice though my art, if that's not too vainglorious a word. But I don't think it is.
It's interesting going between small parts and then bigger roles where you carry the film. If the wr Show more
It's interesting going between small parts and then bigger roles where you carry the film. If the writing is good, and if the people involved have integrity, then you'll do it, even if it's only five minutes on screen. Hide
I don't maybe follow the normal star profile, and it's not something that I particularly want to emb Show more
I don't maybe follow the normal star profile, and it's not something that I particularly want to embrace in terms of the publicity thing and wanting to be famous and known. Hide
When I first was able to fill in A-C-T-O-R for the occupation line on my passport, that was the firs Show more
When I first was able to fill in A-C-T-O-R for the occupation line on my passport, that was the first time I really felt, 'Wow, I'm home.' Hide
I think it was a possibility, I think we're all kind of delusional like that, we think that we can a Show more
I think it was a possibility, I think we're all kind of delusional like that, we think that we can all carry on being who we are without bending ourselves to make ourselves acceptable and expect someone to come along and see to us and rescue to us. Hide
[on In Bruges (2008)] A real test of our acting ability.
[on In Bruges (2008)] A real test of our acting ability.
The whole point of film for me is that it's such a joy. It's such a wonder. The possibilities are li Show more
The whole point of film for me is that it's such a joy. It's such a wonder. The possibilities are literally endless in terms of what you can creatively do. Hide
My grandfather played a mandolin, so I got my hands on that. Then on down to a banjo, and I found I Show more
My grandfather played a mandolin, so I got my hands on that. Then on down to a banjo, and I found I couldn't play any kind of soft or mournful music with that so I took up the fiddle in my late 20s or early 30s - and that was far too late. But it keeps me off the streets. It has been a love of mine since I was 17 maybe. Hide
Actors will always tell you it's more fun playing bad guys. A lot of the time, it's criminals who ar Show more
Actors will always tell you it's more fun playing bad guys. A lot of the time, it's criminals who are the people who don't care. There's something extraordinarily seductive about the guy who doesn't care, and to play that guy is terribly empowering, because you don't have to worry about the consequences of your actions. Hide
I'm very proud of Calvary (2014). It's been doing well; it has legs. It's no easy ride. It packs a p Show more
I'm very proud of Calvary (2014). It's been doing well; it has legs. It's no easy ride. It packs a punch, this one. Hide
Winston was a bit of a challenge, all right, from a lot of different perspectives. It wasn't just th Show more
Winston was a bit of a challenge, all right, from a lot of different perspectives. It wasn't just the culture or the class divide or the historical baggage - it was also the age difference. We had to see if I could be aged-up legitimately, without it becoming some sort of hokey acting challenge. Hide
You can channel a lot within a comic framework, and I think The Guard (2011) had a lot going on outs Show more
You can channel a lot within a comic framework, and I think The Guard (2011) had a lot going on outside of the comedy, which is satisfying. Hide
The horror of a death without dignity has so much implications for the people who are left behind.
The horror of a death without dignity has so much implications for the people who are left behind.
I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people wh Show more
I don't plan in terms of career ambitions. The only career ambition I have is to work with people who are going to bring you up and elevate your performance. They'll let you know things that you didn't know already and bring you places that you might not have gotten to otherwise. Hide
I started hitching about the country when I was 16 or 17 years old. I found the music that was playe Show more
I started hitching about the country when I was 16 or 17 years old. I found the music that was played around the country - Irish music - had a particular resonance. Hide
Everyone's waiting for the seventh book, and looking at each other saying, 'Oh, I wonder will I be i Show more
Everyone's waiting for the seventh book, and looking at each other saying, 'Oh, I wonder will I be in the running?' Hide
I think it's what art should do: make you feel less alone - either in the quest for truth or in deal Show more
I think it's what art should do: make you feel less alone - either in the quest for truth or in dealing with any pain you have. Hide
I loved teaching. And I always used to say that acting was just something I did purely on my own ter Show more
I loved teaching. And I always used to say that acting was just something I did purely on my own terms, and that if I had to make a living from it there would be too much pressure. Hide
For me, it's just about keeping the standards up. We're a small country, so we have to punch above o Show more
For me, it's just about keeping the standards up. We're a small country, so we have to punch above our weight. I'm not a great man for doing something just because it's Irish, and you never know what's going to work. But as long as we keep the standards up, people will continue to invest in films. It's as simple as that. Hide
[About In Bruges (2008) director Martin McDonagh] Yeah, similar to that, I'd kind of worked with Mar Show more
[About In Bruges (2008) director Martin McDonagh] Yeah, similar to that, I'd kind of worked with Martin on Six Shooter (2004)... he showed me that script before we knew it was going to happen... It was kind of a notion at that time, so you just kind of think, 'how cool this would be to make'. Hide
When I started out at about 19, 20, it took me two years just to tell the difference between a jig a Show more
When I started out at about 19, 20, it took me two years just to tell the difference between a jig and a reel. It does all sound the same, but what you can find once you go in - it's never-ending. So that's my love. Hide
I don't want people poking around in my private stuff. They've no business in it. My work is what I Show more
I don't want people poking around in my private stuff. They've no business in it. My work is what I give to people, that's my job, and that's where it stops. Hide
I think every character actor at some stage likes to carry a film. It can be extremely liberating to Show more
I think every character actor at some stage likes to carry a film. It can be extremely liberating to just come in for a scene or two and do your thing. But I find it frustrating if I'm just doing little bits here and there for too long. Hide
I'm aware now over the last 5 or 10 years that when you do an accent, you really have to kind of get Show more
I'm aware now over the last 5 or 10 years that when you do an accent, you really have to kind of get down to the nitty gritty and go into the phonetics of it, if necessary. Find out not just the sounds but the rhythms and the music - or lack thereof - in a particular accent. Hide
I hope I'm worthy in my dying. I hope I can maintain myself - that I wouldn't become pathetic and ne Show more
I hope I'm worthy in my dying. I hope I can maintain myself - that I wouldn't become pathetic and needy, and the worst part of myself come out in adversity. But I'm not afraid of it. It'd be such a silly thing to do! To ruin the life you have by fearing its ending. Hide
I worked with Steven Spielberg on 'AI' and his level of preparation was extraordinary. He told me th Show more
I worked with Steven Spielberg on 'AI' and his level of preparation was extraordinary. He told me there was a time at the beginning when he was a bit more spontaneous and went over budget, and it absolutely wrecked his head. When you look at the power and assuredness of his movies, it makes sense that he works out so much in advance. Hide
I find myself really privileged to be able to go in and look at a set that the likes of Hollywood ca Show more
I find myself really privileged to be able to go in and look at a set that the likes of Hollywood can provide, and say, 'My God, look at the craftsmanship in this; look at the ambition in it, the scale of it.' Hide
I'd never had any problem finding inspiration; Ireland was always just there, you know? All this ric Show more
I'd never had any problem finding inspiration; Ireland was always just there, you know? All this richness of culture was there to tap into. Hide
The good thing about my part in 'Harry Potter' was that I was pretty well disguised. When I was walk Show more
The good thing about my part in 'Harry Potter' was that I was pretty well disguised. When I was walking down the street, there was no real recognition factor. Parents would sometimes call their children to come say hello to Mad-Eye, and the kids wouldn't know what they were looking at. Hide
I tend to look for the good in bad people and the bad in good people, to make them human. 'Cause I d Show more
I tend to look for the good in bad people and the bad in good people, to make them human. 'Cause I don't think that people generally are that black and white. Maybe in movie-land they can be... but that isn't necessarily all there is. Hide
Brendan Gleeson's FILMOGRAPHY
as Actor (118)
Brendan Gleeson'S roles
Walter 'Monk' McGinn
Sheriff Hank Keough
Joseph
Victor Doyle
August Nicholson
Henry Osborne
Otto Quangel
Wiglaf
Menelaus
Conor
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