Hot Irish actors

Colin Farrell is one of Ireland's biggest stars in Hollywood and abroad. His film presence has been filled with memorable roles that range from an inwardly tortured hit man, to an adventurous explorer, a determined-but-failing writer, and the greatest military leader in history.

Farrell was born on May 31, 1976 in Castleknock, Dublin, Ireland to Rita (Monaghan) and Eamon Farrell. His father and uncle were both professional athletes, and briefly it looked like Farrell would follow in their footsteps. Farrell auditioned for a part in the Irish boy band Boyzone, unsuccessfully. After dropping out of the Gaiety School of Acting, Farrell was cast in Ballykissangel (1996), a BBC television drama. "Ballykissangel" was not his first onscreen role. Farrell had previously been in The War Zone (1999), directed by Tim Roth and had appeared in the independent film Drinking Crude (1997). Farrell was soon to move on to bigger things.

Exchanging his thick Dublin accent for a light Texas drawl, Farrell acted in the gritty Tigerland (2000), directed by Joel Schumacher. Starring Farrell among a number of other budding young actors, the film portrays a group of new recruits being trained for the war in Vietnam. Farrell played the arrogant soldier Boz, drafted into the army and completely spiteful of authority. The film was praised by critics but made little money at the box office. It was Farrell's first big role on film, and certainly not his last. Farrell followed up with American Outlaws (2001), where he played the notorious outlaw Jesse James with Scott Caan, son of legendary actor James Caan, in the role of Cole Younger. The film was a box-office flop and a critical failure. Immediately, Farrell returned to the war drama film that had made him famous. Co-starring in the war film Hart's War (2002) opposite Bruce Willis, Farrell played the young officer captured by the enemy. The film was another failure. Farrell struck gold when he was cast in the Steven Spielberg film Minority Report (2002) that same year. Set in a futuristic time period, Farrell played the character Danny Witwer, a young member of the Justice Department who is sent after Tom Cruise's character. The film was a smash hit, and praised by critics.

Farrell continued this success when he reunited with Joel Schumacher on the successful thriller Phone Booth (2002). Farrell played the role of the victim who is harassed by an unseen killer (Kiefer Sutherland) and is made to reveal his sins to the public. 2003 was a big year for Farrell. He starred in the crime thriller The Recruit (2003) as a young CIA man mentored by an older CIA veteran (Al Pacino). Pacino later stated that Farrell was the best actor of his generation. Farrell certainly continued to be busy that year with Daredevil (2003), which actually allowed him to keep his thick Irish accent. The film was another success for Farrell, as was the crime film S.W.A.T. (2003) where Farrell starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and LL Cool J. Farrell also acted in the Irish black comedy film Intermission (2003) and appeared another Irish film Veronica Guerin (2003) which reunited him with Joel Schumacher once again. The following year, Farrell acted in what is his most infamous film role yet: the title role in the mighty Oliver Stone film epic Alexander (2004), which is a character study of Alexander the Great as he travels across new worlds and conquers all the known world before him. Farrell donned a blond wig and retained his Irish accent, and gave a fine performance as Alexander. However, both he and the film were criticized. Despite being one of the highest grossing films internationally and doing a good job at the DVD sales, Farrell did not come out of the experience without a few hurts. Farrell attempted to rebound with his historical film The New World (2005). Reuniting with "Alexander" star Christopher Plummer, and also acting with Christian Bale, Farrell played the brave explorer John Smith, who would make first contacts with the Native peoples. The film did not do well at the box office, though critics praised the film's stunning appearance and cinematography.

Farrell returned to act in Michael Mann's film Miami Vice (2006) alongside Jamie Foxx. The film was a film adaptation of the famous television series, and did reasonably well at the box office. Farrell also acted in Ask the Dust (2006) with Salma Hayek and Donald Sutherland, though the film did not receive much distribution. The next year, Farrell acted alongside Ewan McGregor in the Woody Allen film Cassandra's Dream (2007) which received mixed reviews from critics. Farrell followed up with the hilarious black comedy In Bruges (2008). Written and directed by Irish theatre director Martin McDonagh, the film stars Farrell and Brendan Gleeson as two Irish hit men whose latest assignment went wrong, leaving them to hide out in Bruges, Belgium. The film has been one of Farrell's most praised work, and he was nominated for a Golden Globe. As well as In Bruges (2008), Farrell acted alongside Edward Norton in the crime film Pride and Glory (2008) which was not as successful as the former film. As well as working with charity, and speaking at the Special Olympics World Games in 2007, he has donated his salary for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) to Heath Ledger's little daughter (who was left nothing in a will that had not been updated in time). Ledger had originally been cast in the film and was replaced by Farrell, Johnny Depp and Jude Law. The film was a critical and financial success, and Farrell also played a small role in Crazy Heart (2009) which had the Dubliner playing a country singer. Farrell even sang a few songs for the film's soundtrack. As well as those small roles, Farrell took the lead role in the war film Triage (2009). Farrell incredibly lost forty-four pounds to play the role of a war photographer who must come to terms with what he has experienced in Kurdistan. While the film was finely made, with excellent performances from all involved, the film has received almost no distribution.

Farrell's other leading role that year was in Neil Jordan's Irish film Ondine (2009). In recent years, he co-starred in the comedy horror film Fright Night (2011), the science fiction action film Total Recall (2012), both remakes, and McDonagh's second feature, and the black comedy crime film Seven Psychopaths (2012). Since the mid-2000s, Farrell has cleaned up his act, and far from being a Hollywood hell raiser and party animal, he has shown himself to be a respectable and very talented actor.

He also starred in The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), both directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. For The Lobster he was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Though neither American nor a teenager, Barry Keoghan wowed audiences with his terrifying portrait of Martin - an Ohio teen exacting a cruel revenge on heart surgeon Colin Farrell - in the Yorgos Lanthimos masterpiece, The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017). Born in Summerhill, Dublin and raised by his grandmother from age nine, Keoghan was bitten by the performing bug when he enrolled at The Factory, a fledgling drama school designed to nurture talent in the arenas of television and film. Tailgating brief stints on a pair of Dublin-set drama serials - Fair City (1989), Love/Hate (2010) - and meatier roles in small-scale pics such as '71 (2014), Mammal (2016), and Trespass Against Us (2016) - Keoghan shot to international esteem with his consecutive roles in 'Sacred Deer' and the Christopher Nolan war epic Dunkirk (2017); a winning streak that continued with his equivocal cameo in megabudget super-noir The Batman (2022), Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - where he was Oscar-nominated for his poignant work as the vulnerable Dominic - and cultural firecracker Saltburn (2023), which brought him Golden Globe and BAFTA nods. Outside his acting career, Keoghan is an accomplished amateur boxer and a brand ambassador for Burberry.

Domhnall Gleeson is an Irish actor and writer. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter film franchise (2010-2011), About Time (2013), Ex Machina (2015) and The Revenant (2015).

He is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, alongside whom he has appeared in several films and theatre projects.

Gleeson starred in Anna Karenina (2012), Frank (2014), Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017). He also portrayed the First Order's General Hux in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017).

In 2013 he starred in the Black Mirror episode Be Right Back.

His film debut was Boy Eats Girl (2005).

Aidan Turner was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1983. After graduating from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2004, Aidan appeared in a number of stage productions, many with Ireland's national theatre, The Abbey. Such productions included The Plough & The Stars, Romeo & Juliet and A Cry from Heaven. In 2008, Turner made the transition to movies and television with a lead role in the film Alarm and a co-starring role in the popular Irish TV drama The Clinic. In 2009, Turner moved to the UK to take on a starring role in BBC's acclaimed Being Human. Aidan played the spellbinding "Mitchell" for 3 seasons during which time he also starred in BBC's Desperate Romantics and BBC's top rated TV movie Hattie. In 2011, famed director Peter Jackson cast Turner in the role of Kili in JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit. The highly successful movie trilogy filmed for approximately two years in New Zealand during which time Aidan also starred in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments.

In 2014 Turner was cast as Poldark in the BBC remake. Aidan was the only actor considered for this charismatic hero. Poldark premiered to excellent rating in the UK in March 2015 and also in the USA in June 2015. The BBC series also aired across Europe and Australia and returned for a second series, aired during 2016.

In 2015 Aidan took on a small role in The Secret Scripture so he could work with one of his favorite directors, Jim Sheridan. He also voiced a role in the first painted animation movie, Loving Vincent, co-starred in the dark comedy, Look Away and starred in the BBC mini series, And Then There Were None.

A third series of the hugely popular Poldark aired in the spring and summer of 2017.

Michael Fassbender is an Irish actor who was born in Heidelberg, Germany, to a German father, Josef, and an Irish mother, Adele (originally from Larne, County Antrim, in Northern Ireland). Michael was raised in the town of Killarney, Co. Kerry, in south-west Ireland, where his family moved to when he was two years old. His parents ran a restaurant (his father is a chef).

Fassbender is based in London, England, and became known in the U.S. after his role in the Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009). In 2011, Fassbender debuted as the Marvel antihero Magneto in the prequel X-Men: First Class (2011); he would go on to share the role with Ian McKellen in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Also in 2011, Fassbender's performance as a sex addict in Shame (2011) received critical acclaim. He won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards. In 2013, his role as slave owner Edwin Epps in slavery epic 12 Years a Slave (2013) was similarly praised, earning him his first Oscar nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. 12 Years a Slave marked Fassbender's third collaboration with Steve McQueen, who also directed Hunger and Shame. In 2013, Fassbender appeared in another Ridley Scott film, The Counselor (2013). In 2015, he portrayed Steve Jobs (2015) in the Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the same name, and played Macbeth (2015) in Justin Kurzel's adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. For the former, he has received Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actor. As well as acting, Fassbender produced the 2015 western Slow West (2015), which he also starred in.

Jack Reynor is an award-winning Irish-American actor who co-starred opposite Florence Pugh in A24's breakout summer 2019 hit, MIDSOMMAR, directed by Ari Aster. Most recently, he was seen in Anthony and Joe Russo's crime drama film, CHERRY, opposite Tom Holland.

The multi-hyphenate talent wrote and directed a short film, BAINNE, starring Will Poulter, which won the Best First Short Drama Award at the Galway Film Festival. Reynor starred opposite Felicity Jones in Mimi Leder's, ON THE BASIS OF SEX, which chronicles the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her struggles for equal rights prior to her succession to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in CBS All Access series, STRANGE ANGEL, co-produced by Sailor Bear and Ridley Scott under his Scott Free banner.

Reynor has steadily been building his credits with critically-acclaimed performances in auteur director projects such as Lenny Abrahamson's WHAT RICHARD DID; John Carney's SING STREET, Ben Wheatley's FREE FIRE and Kathryn Bigelow's DETROIT. Additionally, he gained global recognition as the star of Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION which grossed over $1B worldwide.

In 2015 Reynor won the Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for his performance in Gerard Barrett's film GLASSLAND. Other awards include two IFTA Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in SING STREET and the IFTA Award for Best Actor for his role in WHAT RICHARD DID.

He currently resides in Ireland.

Saoirse Una Ronan was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States, to Irish parents, Monica Ronan (née Brennan) and Paul Ronan, an actor. When Saoirse was three, the family moved back to Dublin, Ireland. Saoirse grew up in Dublin and briefly in Co. Carlow before moving back to Dublin with her parents.

Saoirse made her first TV appearance with a small role in a few episodes of the TV series, The Clinic (2003). Her first film appearance was in the 2007 movie, I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007). Saoirse received international fame after appearing in the movie, Atonement (2007), which was directed by Joe Wright. The movie co-starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The film was successful, both critically and commercially, and in 2008, Saoirse earned an Oscar nomination for her role. She became one of the youngest actresses to be nominated for an Oscar. She continued to earn success and fame. Between 2008 to 2011, she starred in a number of successful movies, including City of Ember (2008), which earned her a nomination for Irish Film & Television Award, The Lovely Bones (2009), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award, and The Way Back (2010), for which she won Irish Film & Television Award for Actress in a Supporting Role. In 2016, Ronan was nominated for her second Oscar for Brooklyn (2015). She became the second youngest actress to receive two Oscar nominations at the age of 21. The youngest actress is Angela Lansbury. In 2018, Ronan was nominated for her third Oscar for Lady Bird (2017). She's the second youngest actress (first being Jennifer Lawrence) to receive three Oscar nominations before the age of 24.

Saoirse Ronan resides in London, United Kingdom.

Allen Leech was born on 18 May 1981 in Killiney, County Dublin, Ireland. He is an actor and producer, known for The Imitation Game (2014), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) and Downton Abbey (2010). He has been married to Jessica Blair Herman since 5 January 2019.

Emma Eliza Regan was born in Moycullen, County Galway, Ireland. She is an actress and director, known for Darkness on the Edge of Town (2014), Death of a Superhero (2011) and Der Irland-Krimi (2019).

Sarah is originally from Cork and trained in Dublin where she graduated from the Gaiety School of Acting in 2006.

Sarah played Helen McCormick (Slippy Helen) opposite Daniel Radcliffe as Billy Claven in Martin McDonaghs's The Cripple of Inishmaan, directed by Michael Grandage at the Cort Theatre on Broadway,NYC. Sarah was nominated for a TONY award (Best Actress in a Featured Role) 2014 for her performance in this show, one for which she was already nominated for an Olivier Award in 2013 during it's West End run and for which she was awarded the 2014 World Theater Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut.

Other theatre includes Rough Magic's production of PEER GYNT for Dublin Theatre Festival 2011 her acclaimed performance as Alice in thisispopbaby's and the Abbey Theatre's hugely successful production ALICE INFUNDERLAND in 2012. She also appeared in ELLEMENOPE JONES both directed by Wayne Jordan at The Project Arts Centre, Dublin in 2011. Sarah appeared as Sorcha in Paul Howard's play BETWEEN FOXROCK AND A HARDPLACE at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin and Cork Opera House. She played Ismene in Rough Magic's production of PHAEDRA by Hilary Fannin, directed by Lynne Parker as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Sarah appeared as Amber in Guna Nua's award winning and highly acclaimed production of LITTLE GEM which won the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and led to a remounting of the production in New York as well as tours across the UK and Ireland. Other previous productions have included: Danti Dan for Galloglass, The Death of Harry Leon for Ouroboros, The Year of the Hiker and The Playboy of The Western World, The Empress of India, and most recently Big Maggie, all with Druid Theatre Company and directed by Garry Hynes.

Sarah stars as Christina Noble alongside Deirdre O'Kane, Liam Cunnigham and Brendan Coyle in Stephen Bradley's feature NOBLE and has already won awards Jury and Audience awards at the Boston Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Newport Beach Festival, Nashville and Dallas Festivals.

In 2014, Sarah was cast alongside Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller in The Weinstein's 'Untitled John Wells Project' and joined the cast of Showtime's Penny Dreadful playing Hecate Poole.

Other film and television includes: RAW RTE/Ecosse Films, EDEN/Samson Films, SPEED DATING/RTE, BACHELOR'S WALK/Samson Films/RTE. She played the leading role of Cathleen in the Canadian/Irish feature LOVE AND SAVAGERY directed by John N. Smith. MY BROTHERS (Treasure Films) and THE GUARD (Element) opposite Brendan Gleeson. She most recently appeared as Judith in three episodes of VIKINGS (History Channel/MGM).

Irish actress Katie McGrath did not intend to make a career for herself in the acting profession. Upon graduating from Trinity College in Dublin she became interested in fashion journalism and worked for lifestyle and fashion magazine, Image. She left after a while, as it was not her calling. After this, her mother's best friend, an assistant director, helped get her a job as a wardrobe assistant on the series The Tudors (2007). Whilst working on the production some of the staff suggested she try acting. A cast driver on the series passed her a list with the actors' agents on it, so she wrote and sent photos to them, and was signed shortly after.

In television, she is best known for portraying Morgana on the BBC One series Merlin (2008-2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series Dracula (2013-2014), Sarah Bennett in the first season of the Canadian horror anthology series Slasher (2016) and for her role as Lena Luthor on the American superhero series Supergirl (2016). Her film roles include Lady Thelma Furness in the drama film W.E. (2011), Zara with one of the most iconic scenes in the whole franchise in the science fiction adventure film Jurassic World (2015) and Elsa in the epic fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).

McGrath was raised in Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland, by Paul, who works with computers, and Mary, who works for an Irish designer. She has two older brothers, Sean, an online media manager, and Rory, who is a post-production producer. She studied the International Baccalaureate at St. Andrew's College before graduating from Trinity College, Dublin with a degree in history with a focus in Russian history.

McGrath was cast in Damage, an Irish TV-movie in 2007. She also starred in the play La Marea at the Dublin Theatre Festival in the same year. She appeared in the feature films Eden and Freakdog in 2008, before being cast as Morgana Pendragon in Merlin.

In 2009, McGrath starred in a five-part docudrama for Channel 4 exploring the life of Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen, in which she played a young Princess Margaret. Emilia Fox portrayed Elizabeth II in the same episode in which McGrath appeared; the two had previously worked together as sisters Morgause and Morgana in Merlin. In 2010, McGrath was cast in Madonna's directorial debut W.E., an Edward VIII biopic. McGrath played Lady Furness, the king's former mistress who introduces him to Wallis Simpson.

2011 saw McGrath film the comedy-drama A Princess for Christmas in Romania. In September 2011, McGrath lent her voice to the characters in the Irish animated short film Tríd an Stoirm (Through the Storm). Later that month, McGrath was cast as Oriane Congost in Labyrinth.

McGrath was reunited with her The Tudors co-star and friend Jonathan Rhys Meyers in NBC and Sky Living's horror drama TV series Dracula; she portrayed Lucy Westenra. In June 2013, McGrath co-starred in episode four of the Channel 4 show Dates as a young lesbian on the dating scene alongside Gemma Chan. In November 2014, McGrath co-starred in a Hozier music video for the song "From Eden".

In 2015, McGrath had a supporting role as Zara in the film Jurassic World and starred in the Crackle original spy-thriller, The Throwaways.

McGrath portrayed the lead role in the first season of Chiller's original horror series Slasher, which premiered on 4 March 2016.

In 2016, it was announced that McGrath would play the recurring role of Lena Luthor in the second season of Supergirl. She appeared in the season two premiere episode entitled "The Adventures of Supergirl" and was promoted to a series regular in March 2017 for the third season. She appeared as Elsa in Guy Ritchie's fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, which was released in May 2017.

In 2016-2017 McGrath was featured in the first two seasons of Frontier, alongside Jason Momoa. In 2019 she starred in the Australian TV show Bridesmaids, alongside Georgina Haig and Abbie Cornish. In 2020 McGrath narrated the audio book for Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremain.

After wrapping up the sixth and final season of Supergirl in 2021, McGrath traveled to Budapest, where she shot the John Wick spin-off series The Continental. McGrath can be seen as The Adjudicator in The Continental, which aired its three episodes in 2023.

Dominique McElligott is an Irish actress. She starred in Moon (2009) and the RTÉ television series Raw before leaving to film Leap Year (2010). From 2011 to 2012, she played a lead role in the AMC series Hell on Wheels. In 2015, she starred in ABC's The Astronaut Wives Club. In 2016, McElligott played Hannah Conway, wife of the Republican presidential nominee, in the fourth and fifth season of the Netflix show House of Cards.

Memphis Eve Sunny Day Hewson, known professionally as Eve Hewson, is an Irish actress. Her first major role was in the drama film This Must Be the Place (2011). She played Nurse Lucy Elkins in Steven Soderbergh's TV series The Knick (2014-2015).

Hewson was born in Dublin, the second daughter of activist Ali Hewson (née Alison Stewart) and U2 lead singer Bono (Paul David Hewson). She was named after being born at 7 am on 7 July, as "eve" is the middle of the word "seven". She has an older sister, Jordan, and two younger brothers, Elijah and John. She was educated at the Dalkey School Project and St. Andrew's College in Dublin and New York University. The U2 song "Kite" was inspired by a moment when Bono took a kite up on Killiney Hill with Hewson and her sister, but the kite blew off and smashed.

Although Hewson's parents were against her performing, she made her acting debut in 2005 alongside her sister Jordan in the short film Lost and Found. She made her feature-length debut in 2008 in The 27 Club. The same year, Hewson took part in an acting programme at the New York Film Academy. In 2010, she appeared in the music video and accompanying short film for Irish band The Script's song "For the First Time".

She portrayed Yvonne in the 2013 thriller film Blood Ties. In July 2013, Jack Quaid of The Hunger Games and Hewson asked fans to help them fund a new film called Roadies using crowdsourcing. In September that year, she appeared in the romantic comedy film Enough Said as the daughter of James Gandolfini's character Albert. In November 2013, she was nominated for the Tatler Irish Woman of the Year Award for her work in films.

From 2014 to 2015, she co-starred in Steven Soderbergh's Cinemax TV series The Knick.

In October, 2015 she appeared as Carol Donovan in Steven Spielberg's Cold War movie Bridge of Spies. Her character is daughter of the main character in the movie, played by Tom Hanks.

She appeared as Maid Marian in the Otto Bathurst version of Robin Hood, released in November 2018. Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, and Jamie Dornan co-star.

Hewson lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. She received her degree from New York University on 22 May 2013; her father, Bono, declined an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from NYU on the same day.

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.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born Jonathan Michael Meyers on July 27, 1977, in Dublin, Ireland, to Mary Geraldine (Meyers) and John O'Keeffe, a musician. He and his family moved to County Cork, Ireland, when the actor was nearly a year old, and then, at the age of 3, his father left the family, leaving his mother to care for Jonny and his 3 younger brothers alone.

Rhys Meyers grew up with a tumultuous childhood and being permanently expelled from school at age 16. Happy to be out of school, he began spending time in a local pool hall where he was discovered by Hubbard Casting. The casting agents were talent-spotting for the David Puttnam production of War of the Buttons (1994), and asked Rhys Meyers to appear for an audition. After three days of auditions, however, he did not get the role, and Rhys Meyers gave up on his acting aspirations. Soon afterward, he received a call to audition for a national ad campaign for Knorr Soup, and though embarrassed by the attention from the ad, he soon found himself considered for a major film. His movie acting debut was a very small role in the film A Man of No Importance (1994), where his simple cast credit is as "First Young Man". His first lead role was in the film The Disappearance of Finbar (1996). During a 6-month postponement in production, he returned home to Cork and there received a call about the film Michael Collins (1996). He traveled to Dublin to meet with director Neil Jordan and successfully won the role of Collins' assassin. Jordan wrote about his meeting with the actor, "I have found someone to play Collins' killer. Jonathan Rees-Myers (sic), from County Cork, apparently, who looks like a young Tom Cruise. [He] Comes into the casting session with alarming certainty. Obviously gifted".

Rhys Meyers continued working constantly from that point and appeared in such films as The Maker (1997), Telling Lies in America (1997), and The Tribe (1998). Going on to film The Governess (1998), B. Monkey (1998), Titus (1999) and Ride with the Devil (1999), he has received critical acclaim for several performances, most notably as "Brian Slade" in Velvet Goldmine (1998), as "Steerpike" in the British mini-series Gormenghast (2000), and as a sympathetic football coach in Bend It Like Beckham (2002). Rhys Meyers is also a talented singer and musician, having performed his own vocals in Velvet Goldmine (1998) and appearing on the film's soundtrack. Rhys Meyers still resides in County Cork, Ireland.

Striking Irish actor Cillian Murphy was born in Douglas, Co Cork, the oldest child of Brendan Murphy, who works for the Irish Department of Education, and a mother who is a teacher of French. He has three younger siblings. Murphy was educated at Presentation Brothers College, Cork. He went on to study law at University College Cork, but dropped out after about a year. During this time, Murphy also pursued an interest in music, playing guitar in various bands. Upon leaving University, Murphy joined the Corcadorca Theater Company in Cork, and played the lead role in "Disco Pigs", amongst other plays.

Various film roles followed, including a film adaptation of Disco Pigs (2001). However, his big film break came when he was cast in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (2002), which became a surprise international hit. This performance earned him nominations for Best Newcomer at the Empire Awards and Breakthrough Male Performance at the MTV Movie Awards.

Murphy went on to supporting roles in high-profile films such as Cold Mountain (2003) and Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), and then was cast in two villain roles: Dr. Jonathan Crane, aka The Scarecrow, in Batman Begins (2005) and Jackson Rippner in Red Eye (2005). Although slight in nature for a villain, Murphy's piercing blue eyes helped to create creepy performances and critics began to take notice. Manhola Dargis of the New York Times cited Murphy as a "picture-perfect villain", while David Denby of The New Yorker noted he was both "seductive" and "sinister".

Later that year, Murphy starred as Patrick "Kitten" Braden, an Irish transgender woman in search of her mother in Neil Jordan's Breakfast on Pluto (2005), a film adaptation of the Pat McCabe novel. Although the film was not a box office success, Murphy was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical and he won Best Actor for the Irish Film and Television Academy Awards.

The following year, Murphy starred in Ken Loach's The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006). The film was the most successful independent Irish film and won the Palm D'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Murphy continued to take roles in a number of independent films, and also reprised his role as the Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008). Nolan is known for working with actors in multiple films, and cast Murphy in Inception (2010) as Robert Fischer, the young heir of the multi-billion dollar empire, who was the target of DiCaprio's dream team. His most well-known work is starring as Thomas Shelby in the British TV show Peaky Blinders beginning in 2013.

Murphy continues to appear in high-profile films such as In Time (2011), Red Lights (2012), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the final film in Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Murphy is married to Yvonne McGuinness, an artist. The couple have two sons, Malachy and Aran.

Adam Weafer is an actor and singer-songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. Soon after graduating from The Irish Film Academy, he landed a Series Regular role in Ireland's hit drama series Red Rock (2015) (Amazon Prime, BBC).

He portrayed the popular character David Hennessy for more than 70 episodes. Adam has since Guest Starred on the popular Irish drama series Can't Cope, Won't Cope (2016) (Netflix) and the U.K. drama series Coronation Street (1960) (BBC).

Adam performs lead vocals and guitar for his band "Where's Luke?" The band plays across Ireland to glowing reviews from audiences and critics alike.

His stage performances include the lead role of the Beast in the Irish touring production of "Beauty and the Beast."

Brian Gleeson was born on 14 November 1987 in Dublin, Ireland. He is an actor and writer, known for Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), Logan Lucky (2017) and Assassin's Creed (2016).

Gemma-Leah Devereux was born on 9 August 1990 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress, known for Judy (2019), The Bright Side (2020) and Smother (2021).

Eoin Macken is a versatile international actor, director, producer, and writer. He stars as 'Davis Collins' in Netflix series "Ransom Canyon," alongside Minka Kelly and Josh Duhamel. This follows his role as 'Gavin Harris' in NBC's hit primetime series "La Brea," which earned two People's Choice Award nominations.

On both the film and television fronts, Macken's resume includes a variety of leading roles across diverse projects. His big break in television came with his portrayal of the hero 'Sir Gwaine' in the hit BBC series "Merlin." He later starred as 'Dr. TC Callahan' in NBC's "The Night Shift." Macken also led the cast as 'Karl D'Branin' in Syfy's "Nightflyers," and had a recurring role in the Emmy-winning Showtime series "The Tudors." He starred opposite Stephen Moyer, Rufus Sewell, and Kelsey Grammer in National Geographic Channel's Emmy-nominated series "Killing Jesus." He starred as 'Philip Boyd' in the Roku series "Borderline."

In film, he has starred in Focus Features' "The Forest" opposite Taylor Kinney and Natalie Dormer, "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson with Milla Jovovich and A24's award-winning feature "The Hole in the Ground" which premiered at Sundance and was directed by Lee Cronin with Sophie Nélisse. Additionally, he can be seen in the film "Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughters about Men" which won the Jury Award at the Cannes International Independent Film Festival 2022. Macken starred as the male lead in Netflix's "Till Death" alongside Megan Fox, "The Cellar" alongside Elisha Cuthbert, which premiered at SXSW 2022 and was released on Shudder, and the Netflix film "I Used to be Famous" alongside Ed Skrein, Deadpool, Game of Thrones, and Lorraine Ashbourne, Bridgerton, from executive producers Damian Jones, The Iron Lady, The Phantom of the Opera, and Paul Grindey, The Father.

The multi-hyphenate filmmaker wrote, directed, and produced "Here Are the Young Men," adapted from a novel by Rob Doyle of the same name, starring Finn Cole, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Dean-Charles Chapman. The film's theme was driven by the social analysis of toxic masculinity, and was released in international theaters, as well as via Netflix in the UK and VOD in the states. Additionally, Macken wrote and directed the satirical comedy "Grey Elephant." Starring Brendan Fehr, Jill Flint, Mac Brandt, Erin Richards, and Macken, the story follows two couples meeting together for the first time after months of being on lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He also wrote, directed and starred in "Leopard" with Tom Hopper and Jack Reynor, and Macken's artistic talents extend into cinematography in the independent films "Stalker" starring Barry Keoghan and "Charlie Casanova" with Emmett J Scanlan that won the top prize at SXSW.

Adding to his talents and accomplishments, Eoin is also an author. He published his first book Kingdom of Scars which was shortlisted for the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards in 2014. He followed with Hunter and the Grape available on Amazon. Macken is working on his third novel, Circus, a father and son story about identity and relationships.

Ruth Bradley stars as Emma Flyte in Slow Horses. She is known for The Gold, Guilt, Love/Hate, Humans, The Fall. She has won 3 Irish Film and Television Awards as Best Actress for Grabbers, Rebellion and Stardust and also won the Best Actress Award at the Milan International Film Festival for her performance in In Her Skin.

Robert Sheehan, at fourteen years old, once ran into an audition room for a film, flipped the table over that they were all sitting behind, and started crying in the foetal position on the floor. Since then, the industry has welcomed him with open arms.

A year or so later, he went around telling everyone that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize for inventing a new kind of neutron, in the vain hopes that it would result in his life being filled with undeserved benefits.

'Sheehan' is actually his stage name. His real name is Robert Sheebunitza.

During the 2000s, Sheehan (born in Portlaoise, Co.Laois) started appearing in television series. His most prominent roles were as a series regular in the Australian series Foreign Exchange (2004), the historical fantasy Young Blades (2005), the drama series Rock Rivals (2008), and the first two seasons of science fiction series Misfits (2009). In "Misfits"(C4 and Netflix), the characters are youths in community service who gain superpowers. Sheehan's character, Nathan Young, gains the power of immortality.

Sheehan had a co-starring role in the drama film Cherrybomb (2009). The film is about two teenage boys who are trying to impress a female love interest trough performing criminal acts. Sheehan's co-star for the film was actor Rupert Grint, and their love interest was played by actress Kimberley Nixon.

Sheehan started the 2010s as a series regular in the crime drama series Love/Hate (2010). He has continued regularly appearing in theatre, film and television roles including (most recently) the series regular role of Klaus in all four seasons of "The Umbrella Academy" (Netflix, 2019-2024). Among his most prominent theatrical roles is the role of Richard Duke of Gloucester/Richard III in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's depiction of "The Wars of the Roses" directed by Trevor Nunn.

Amy Huberman was born in Dublin, Ireland. Amy is an actor and writer, known for The Bachelor Weekend (2013), Finding Joy (2018) and Rewind (2010). Amy has been married to Brian O'Driscoll since 2 July 2010. They have three children.

Darren Cahill is known for Brassic (2019), The Invisible Boy (2020) and Vikings (2013).

Valene Kane is an Irish actress born and raised in Newry, N.Ireland where she trained as a dancer.

At the age of 15, Valene joined the prestigious National Youth Theatre. Two years later, she moved to London to train at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

She is best known for roles as Rose Stagg in The Fall opposite Jamie Dornan and Lyra Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Movie.