Advanced search

Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family escaped The Troubles by moving to Reading, Berkshire, England. At 23, Branagh joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he took on starring roles in "Henry V" and "Romeo and Juliet". He soon found the RSC too large and impersonal and formed his own, the Renaissance Theatre Company, which was disbanded in 1992 when he moved more fully into filmmaking. At 29, he directed Henry V (1989), where he also co-starred with his then-wife, Emma Thompson. The film brought him Best Actor and Best Director Oscar nominations. In 1993, he brought Shakespeare to mainstream audiences again with his hit adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), which featured an all-star cast that included, among others, Denzel Washington, Michael Keaton and Keanu Reeves. At 30, he published his autobiography and, at 34, he directed and starred as "Victor Frankenstein" in the big-budget adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein (1994), with Robert De Niro as the monster himself. In 1996, Branagh wrote, directed and starred in a lavish adaptation of Hamlet (1996). His superb film acting work also includes a wide range of roles such as in Celebrity (1998), Wild Wild West (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Valkyrie (2008) and his stunning portrayal of Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn (2011), where once again he offered a great performance that was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Ciarán Hinds was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on February 9, 1953. He was one of five children and the only son. His father was a doctor who hoped to have Ciarán follow in his footsteps, but that was not to be. It was his mother Moya, an amateur actress, who was the real influence behind his decision to become an actor. Though he did enroll in Law at Queens' University of Belfast, he left that in order to train in acting at RADA. He began his stage career at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre as a pantomime horse in the production of "Cinderella". Staying with the company for several years, he starred in a number of productions, including playing the lead roles in "Arsenic and Old Lace" and "Faust". His stage career has included working with The Field Day Company and a number of world tours. He has starred in a number of productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company, including a world tour in the title role of "Richard III". Hinds' film career began in 1981 in the movie Excalibur (1981), which boasted a cast rich in talented actors including Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne and Patrick Stewart. In-between his movie work, he's amassed a large number of television credits. Playing such classic characters as "Mr. Rochester" in Jane Eyre (1997), and "Captain Wentworth" in Persuasion (1995) has increased his popularity and most definitely given him much increased recognition. As for his personal life, you won't be likely to see his name in the weekly tabloids. He likes to keep his private life private. It is known that he is in a long-term, committed relationship with a French-Vietnamese actress named Hélène Patarot and they have a daughter together and live in Paris. He is in very high demand and his reputation as a quality, professional actor is sure to keep him busy for as long as he chooses.

Jamie Dornan was born on 1 May 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for The Fall (2013), A Private War (2018) and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021). He has been married to Amelia Warner since 27 April 2013. They have three children.

Stephen Rea was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He attended Belfast High School and the Queen's University, where he studied English. He later trained at the Abbey Theatre School in Dublin. In 1970s, he acted in the Focus Company in Dublin with the talented Gabriel Byrne and Colm Meaney. After several stage, television and film appearances, he came to international success with his performance in The Crying Game (1992). He was nominated an Oscar for Best Actor.

Laura Donnelly is an Irish actress. Laura is known for her lead role as Amalia True in HBO's The Nevers (2021). In April 2018 she won the Best Actress award at the Olivier Awards for her performance in The Ferryman.[2] She made her on-screen debut in 2005 in the Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush. She is also known for appearing in Outlander, Casualty, The Fall, Hex, and as a main character in the Irish film Insatiable (2008). She also starred in Best: His Mother's Son, a BBC drama on the life of George Best, playing Best's sister, Barbara. She starred in Jez Butterworth's play, The River at the Royal Court Theatre, alongside Dominic West and Miranda Raison. She reprised her role in the Broadway production alongside Hugh Jackman.

Anthony Boyle is an actor and writer, known for The Lost City of Z (2016), Pillow Talk (2012) and Onus (2016). Though born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he began his formal training as an actor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff in 2013. Graduating in 2016 (BA with honors) he immediately earned widespread acclaim for his role as Scorpius Malfoy in the London Palace Theatre play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. A part for which he won an Olivier Award in 2017 for best actor in a supporting role.

Lola Petticrew was born on 26 December 1995 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. Lola is an actor, known for She Said (2022), A Bump Along the Way (2019) and Dating Amber (2020).

Born in 1970 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Paula Malcomson is an extremely prolific film and television actress with numerous credits to her name. Malcomson began her career in the early 1990s with small parts primarily in film before scoring higher-profiles roles in the Oscar-nominated film The Green Mile (1999) and A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). In 2006, she joined the cast of HBO's Deadwood (2004) in the role of Trixie, and would also go on to appear in creator David Milch's next series, John from Cincinnati (2007). From then on, Malcomson made appearances in a number of high-profile series, including ER (1994), Lost (2004), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), and had regular roles on both Sons of Anarchy (2008) and Caprica (2009) in 2010. As her list of television appearances steadily grew, she also was cast in the role of Katniss' unnamed Mother in the blockbuster adaptation of The Hunger Games (2012). After the release of that film, she also filmed the pilot for Liev Schreiber's Showtime series Ray Donovan (2013).

Jonjo O'Neill was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1978. He moved to England to study at the Guildford School of acting from 1996 to 1999. He is now a well known British stage actor and is Resident Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, perhaps best known for his portrayals of Richard III and as Mercutio in the acclaimed Rupert Goold production of Romeo & Juliet.

Onscreen he is best known for Defiance (2008), Doctor Who (2005), The Assets (2014), The Fall (2013) and Constantine (2014).

Stephen Hagan was raised in the village of Greenisland in County Antrim, Belfast, Ireland. Stephen pursued his passion for acting after a chance acting stint at the local Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Afterwards, he made his way to London to further study and pursue acting. During his final year of study in 2007, Stephen performed in Anthony Sher's play, The Giant, performed at the Hampstead Theatre. In that same year, Stephen made his screen debut in the British drama Clapham Junction (2007). Two years later, Stephen appeared in the Steven Seagal Against the Dark (2009). In television work, Stephen appeared on an episode of the British drama Mistresses (2008) and made recurring appearances on the drama short The Cut (2009) and Injustice (2011).

Michael Smiley was born on 29 January 1963 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and director, known for Kill List (2011), Free Fire (2016) and The Lobster (2015). He is married to Miranda Sawyer. They have one child.

Warren Christie was born on 4 November 1975 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Apollo 18 (2011), Alphas (2011) and This Means War (2012). He has been married to Sonya Salomaa since 2007.

Ian McElhinney is a Northern Irish actor and director best known for his roles as General Dodonna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Val-El in Krypton, and as Ser Barristan Selmy in the HBO series, Game of Thrones.

Over a career spanning more than thirty years, McElhinney has accumulated a number of credits for film and television including roles in Hornblower, Cold Feet, Queer as Folk, and The Tudors.

Announced in 2010, McElhinney was confirmed in the role of Ser Barristan Selmy in the long running series, Game of Thrones. As a knight who had served in the Kingsguard for almost forty years, the character was one of the more honorable men in the seven kingdoms. Having read the books, McElhinney mentions that he was pleased with how show runners had used the character, however was disappointed with how and when he met his demise. Appearing in the first, third, fourth and fifth seasons of the show, his character served as a key instigator, until meeting his gruesome death at the hand of the Sons of the Harpy. After 25 episodes, his sudden exit marked the farewell to a kind and noble presence in the series.

In recent appearances, Ian McElhinney has portrayed General Dodonna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a role that was initially donned by Alex McCrindle. McElhinney is set to appear as Val-El in the upcoming Superman prequel Krypton, airing 2018.

Martin McCann grew up with a brother and sister in the Falls Road, Divis Flats area of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In 2006 Lord Richard Attenborough cast McCann in his film, "Closing the Ring" (2007) after seeing him play Alex in a stage production of A Clockwork Orange. He was invited to LA to audition for 'The Pacific' the HBO miniseries, and was cast as R.V. Burgin.

In early 2010, he filmed in Belfast for the new music-comedy Killing Bono, a film about the life of one of Bono's classmates who tries to make it in the music business, only to have his failures and frustrations magnified by the continued rise U2. McCann plays the role of Bono. He has performed on stage in Ireland and on tour.

In 2011 he won the Irish Film and Television Award for best male performance in a feature film for 'Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne'. He was also nominated as a 2015 'BAFTA Breakthrough'.

His past film credits include the Netflix Original film 'Calibre', Film Four's '71, 'The Survivalist', Michael Lennox's Oscar Nominated and BAFTA winning short film'Boogaloo and Graham' and Terrence Malicks', 'The Last Planet'.

Martin has been nominated for a BAFTA Scotland Award for the Netflix production 'Calibre' and was 2024 IFTA nominated for his performance in the BBC production 'Blue Lights'.

Martin has become Patron of the charity YouthAction Northern Ireland.

Patricia Quinn was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She was beginning to break into television when she was offered the role of "the Usherette/Magenta" in Richard O'Brien's "Rocky Horror Show", the role she would become best known for. Patricia continued to work hard after "Rocky Horror" and soon became a household name going on to star in countless productions alongside some of the biggest names in entertainment. Over the years, Quinn has proved that she can carry off anything with her unique and versatile style and an impressive resume spanning over film, television and theatre. There is only one Patricia Quinn.

Patrick O'Kane is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland who has built up a considerable body of work on the British stage since graduating from the Central School of Speech and Drama. He has appeared in classic and contemporary roles as a member of Britain's leading theatrical companies, including the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and has played the title roles in "Hamlet (1948)", "Macbeth", and "Doctor Faustus (1967)".

Frances Tomelty was born on 6 October 1948 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), Bullshot Crummond (1983) and Vanity Fair (1998). She was previously married to Sting.

Geraldine Hughes (born 1970) is a Northern Irish film, television and stage actress. She was born in West Belfast and lived in the Divis flats for a time. She won a private scholarship and attended university in America. She is best known for her portrayal of "Little Marie" in 2006's Rocky Balboa. Hughes also wrote and performed a one-woman show entitled Belfast Blues in New York City and appeared on television on ER and Profiler, among others. Recently, she played Clint Eastwood's daughter-in-law in Gran Torino.

Roisin Gallagher was born on 14 March 1987 in Andersonstown, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Dry (2022), The Lovers (2023) and The Fall (2013).

Niall Wright trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and recently graduated in 2017. He was born in Belfast, Ireland and studied a Business degree at University College Dublin. Niall's recent TV credits include Amazon's 6 part series Lore. He also appeared as the lead role in all three seasons of 6 Degrees (BBC NI and BBC Networks), and as the series regular in three seasons of Dani's Castle (CBBC). Film credits include: Mickey Bradley in Good Vibrations (starring Richard Dormer), the IFTA winning feature film Mickybo and Me (dir by Terry Loane) and the lead role in the short James (2008) (winner of 22 international awards & selected for the Sundance Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival). Theatre credits include: Jez Butterworth's 'The Ferryman' directed by Sam Mendes in London's West End and most recently on Broadway winning four Tony Awards, including Best Play.

Nick Hamm is a BAFTA award-winning director and producer. His latest film, William Tell, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September '24 and is due for worldwide theatrical release in '25. Other recent work includes Driven, which closed the 75th Venice Film Festival, The Journey, which premiered at the 73rd Venice Film Festival, and the Netflix Original Series White Lines.

Hamm began his career on the London fringe before becoming resident director of the Royal Shakespeare Company where he worked with contemporary playwrights, notably Howard Barker, Edward Bond, and Arthur Miller. He also collaborated with Miller on the drama-documentary The Bottom Line, starring Dustin Hoffman.

Hamm's early accolades include BAFTA award-winner The Harmfulness of Tobacco, the BBC's Play on One starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Colin Firth, Miramax's Talk of Angels, and Film Four's Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel, and Laurence. Hamm went on to direct the cult classic The Hole, starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley. Followed by Lionsgate's thriller Godsend, starring Robert DeNiro and Greg Kinnear. Hamm later produced and directed the U2-centric comedy, Killing Bono for Paramount Pictures and Northern Ireland Screen.

In 2016, Hamm directed and produced The Journey, which premiered at the 73rd Venice Film Festival and later at TIFF. The film, starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney, garnered critical acclaim upon release and won Meany the IFTA award for Best Lead Actor.

In 2018, Hamm premiered his next feature, Driven, at the 75th Venice Film Festival, this time as the closing film. Driven, was also a special presentation at TIFF and bowed theatrically in August 2019 under the Universal Entertainment banner.

In 2019, Hamm directed the pilot and three subsequent episodes of Netflix's Original Series White Lines, by Alex Pina. The show premiered on Netflix in Spring 2020 and received raved reviews, quickly charting its way to becoming one of the most-watched shows on Netflix.

In 2020, Hamm formed the London-and L.A.-based entertainment company, Free Turn, with his brother Jon.

In 2021, Hamm directed and produced his latest feature film, Gigi & Nate, starring Marcia Gay Harden, Diane Ladd, Charlie Rowe and Josephine Langford. The film follows a young man who finds hope in an animal friend after a freak accident leaves him paralyzed.

Gigi & Nate, was acquired by Roadside Attractions and premiered in September 2022.

As of Autumn 2024, Nick is in post-production on his next feature: period action drama, William Tell, starring Claes Bang, Golshifteh Farahani, Connor Swindells, Jonah Hauer-King, Sir Ben Kingsley and more. The film is due for theatrical release at the start of '25, debuting in UK and Ireland theatres on 10th January.

As of Summer 2024, Nick is in post-production on his next feature: period action drama, William Tell, starring Claes Bang, Golshifteh Farahani, Connor Swindells, Jonah Hauer-King, Sir Ben Kingsley and more.

Claire Rafferty was born on 19 May 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Fall (2013), Derry Girls (2018) and Beast (2017).

Kathy Kiera Clarke is an Irish actress admired for her oeuvre of stage performances throughout the UK. Her television credits are lesser known but nevertheless noteworthy, particularly Pulling Moves (2004), Derry Girls (2018) and The Pale Horse (2020). To moviegoers, she's best remembered for her IFTA Award-nominated portrayal of Frances Cooper, wife of Irish politician, Ivan Cooper, in Paul Greengrass' acclaimed film, Bloody Sunday (2002).

Damian O'Hare was born on 13 August 1977 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Manhunt (2024), Hatfields & McCoys (2012) and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). He has been married to Georgie Hurford-Jones since 30 December 2014.

Tara Lynne O'Neill was born on 18 September 1975 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Becoming Jane (2007), Disco Pigs (2001) and The Most Fertile Man in Ireland (2000).