Our 10 Favorite Irish Actors

Comingsoon.net is celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day by taking a look at some of our favorite Irish actors. Check out their names in the gallery below!

When we think about actors from the UK, our minds wander to the finest thespians from the London stage; rarely do we think about those that come from northern Ireland and definitely not southern (which isn’t a part of the UK). More often than not, Irish actors put on English or American accents—hiding that from which they came.

Characters like James Bond and Dumbledore have been brought to life by Ireland’s finest. On top of all the Guinness and charm, the Emerald Isle is a well of creativity; it’s a birthplace of some truly legendary performers. In honor of the patron saint of Ireland, here are our 10 favorite Irish actors who have represented Ireland on the big and small screen.

Irish Actors

Cillian Murphy

Cillian Murphy was born in County Cork , Ireland. Murphy made his big screen debut in 28 Days Later. You'll also know him from films like The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception or the BBC television series Peaky Blinders were he plays Thomas Shelby. Murphy can also be seen in the upcoming film, A Quiet Place Part II (whenever it releases).
Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland. He is known for starring in films like Braveheart, Gangs of New York, Cold Mountain, Kingdom of Heaven, the Harry Potter franchise, and In Bruges. He is also the father of fellow Irish actors Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) and Brian Gleeson (Love/Hate).
Chris O'Dowd

Actor and comedian Chris O'Dowd was born in Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland. His breakout role was as Roy Trenneman in The IT Crowd. Since his transition to Hollywood he has starred in films such as This is 40, Bridesmaids, and Thor: The Dark World.
Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender may have been born in West Germany but he moved to the Irish town of Killarney, County Kerry when he was only two years old. He has starred in the HBO series Band of Brothers, Inglorious Basterds, A Dangerous Mind, young Magneto in Fox's X-Men franchise, Prometheus, and Alien: Covenant.
Peter O'Toole

Peter O' Toole had two birth certificates, one that says he was born in Leeds, England and the other that says that he was born in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. In truth, O'Toole wasn't sure where he was born but always paid homage to his Irish heritage. You'll known O'Toole from classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Man of La Mancha, How to Steal a Million, What's New, Pussycat, Venus, and Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
Richard Harris

Richard Harris was born in limerick, County Limerick, Ireland. You may recognize him as Dumbledore from the first two Harry Potter films (Michael Gambon, who was born in Dublin, played Dumbledore in the rest of the franchise after Harris' passing). Harris also starred in The Field, This Sporting Life, Camelot, Unforgiven, Gladiator, and A Man Called Horse.
Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. He's starred in massive films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Love Actually, Taken, Batman Begins, Silence, and Schindler's List.
Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell was born in Dublin, Ireland. As probably one of the most well known Irishmen on this list, Farrell has starred in films like Phone Booth, The New World, Saving Mr. Banks, The Lobster, The Killing of the Sacred Deer, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He will be playing the Penguin in Matt Reeves' upcoming The Batman.
Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan was born in Drogheda, Ireland. He is most recognizable as James Bond in entries like GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, and The World is Not Enough. He has also starred in films such as The Ghost Writer, Mister Johnson, The Tailor of Panama, and The Matador.
Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott was born in Dublin, Ireland. He most recognized for his roles on television shows like Sherlock, Fleabag, Modern Love, and Black Mirror. He's also starred on the big screen in films like Spectre, Victor Frankenstein, Dead Bodies, and Pride.