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Gabriel Byrne

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Biography

Whereas many stars are bitten by the acting bug early in life, Gabriel Byrne did not become interested in the craft until he was in his late twenties. Since then, he has worked steadily as a leading and supporting actor in a wide variety of Hollywood and international films, gaining a reputation as one of the most reliably solid performers on either side of the Atlantic.

As a youth, the Dublin-born and bred actor aspired to become a Catholic priest. He was thus sent to a seminary in England, where he studied for four years. His time there came to an abrupt end after the 16-year-old Byrne was caught smoking and expelled. Upon returning to Ireland, he worked at assorted jobs, eventually receiving a scholarship to Dublin's University College. After studying linguistics and archeology, Byrne worked as an archeologist for three years and then taught Spanish and Gaelic at a Catholic girls school for four years. During his teaching tenure, Byrne appeared in an amateur theatrical production and was good enough to attract the interest of an actor from the highly regarded Abbey Theatre, who encouraged him to try acting professionally.

After appearing in a few more community theater productions, Byrne became a member of the Abbey Theatre. He also began to work in television, and in 1979 made his film debut in The Outsider. Although his film roles were steady -- albeit small -- TV was where he was most recognizable, particularly thanks to his work in the popular Irish series Bracken. Another notable television role was that of Christopher Columbus in an American miniseries of the same name.

Byrne's film career during the 1980s was decidedly uneven. Although there were a few hits, such as the 1981 Excalibur, the number of misses was substantial. One of those misses was the 1987 Spanish film Siesta, in which he starred opposite Ellen Barkin. Although the film failed to do well, it did result in a marriage between Byrne and his co-star. The two married in 1988, and during the course of their marriage they collaborated on one film, the children's adventure Into the West (1993). They divorced in 1999.

Byrne's film career did not take flight until he starred as an Irish mobster in the Coen brothers' memorable Miller's Crossing (1990). The film helped to establish him as an actor to be taken seriously, and since 1993 -- when he starred in no less than three films, including The Point of No Return and In the Name of the Father -- Byrne has enjoyed steady work, appearing in three to four films per year, notably, Little Women (1994), Dead Man (1995), The Usual Suspects (1995), Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997), and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), in which he and Jeremy Irons, Gérard Depardieu, and John Malkovich starred as the Three Musketeers. In 1999, Byrne starred as a priest asked to investigate the case of a woman (Patricia Arquette) who has developed Christ-like wounds in Stigmata. That same year, he took on an entirely different role, playing Satan himself in the action-thriller End of Days. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Filmography

Shade (2003)
Ghost Ship (2002) .... Capt. Sean Murphy
Emmett's Mark (2002) .... Jack Marlow
Horses: The Story of Equus (2002) .... Narrator
Spider (2002) .... Bill Cleg
... aka Spider (2002) (France)
Virginia's Run (2002) .... Ford Lofton
2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, The (2001) (TV)
"Madigan Men" (2000) TV Series .... Benjamin Madigan
When Brendan Met Trudy (2000) .... Special Appearance
Canone inverso - making love (2000) .... The Violinist
End of Days (1999) .... The Man/Satan
Stigmata (1999) .... Father Andrew Kiernan
Brylcreem Boys, The (1999) .... Sean O'Brien
Enemy of the State (1998) .... Fake Brill
Quest for Camelot (1998) (voice) .... Sir Lionel
... aka Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot, The (1998)
Man in the Iron Mask, The (1998) .... Captain D'Artagnan
This Is the Sea (1998) .... Rohan
Polish Wedding (1998) .... Bolek
Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) (TV) .... Lionel Powers
End of Violence, The (1997) .... Ray Bering
... aka Am Ende der Gewalt (1997) (Germany: informal literal title)
... aka Am.Ende.der.Gew@lt. (1997) (Germany)
Irish Cinema: Ourselves Alone? (1997) (voice) .... Narrator
Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997) .... The Mechanic
... aka Fräulein Smillas Gespür für Schnee (1997) (Germany)
... aka Fröken Smillas känsla för snö (1997) (Sweden)
... aka Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (1997) (Denmark)
... aka Smilla's Feeling for Snow (1997)
Draiocht (1996) (TV)
Dr Hagard's Disease (1996)
Past Into Present (1996) .... Himself
Somebody Is Waiting (1996) .... Roger Ellis
Last of the High Kings, The (1996) .... Jack Griffin
... aka Summer Fling (1998) (USA: video title)
Mad Dog Time (1996) .... Ben London
... aka Trigger Happy (1996) (video title)
Frankie Starlight (1995) .... Jack Kelly
Out of Ireland (1995) (TV) (voice)
Dead Man (1995) .... Charles Ludlow 'Charlie' Dickinson
... aka Dead Man (1995) (Germany)
... aka Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man (1996) (USA)
Usual Suspects, The (1995) .... Dean Keaton
... aka Üblichen Verdächtigen, Die (1996) (Germany)
Buffalo Girls (1995) (TV) .... Teddy Blue
All Things Bright and Beautiful (1994) .... The Good Thief
Little Women (1994) .... Friedrich Bhaer
Trial by Jury (1994) .... Daniel Graham
Simple Twist of Fate, A (1994) .... John Newland
Prince of Jutland (1994) .... Fenge
... aka Amled, prinsen af Jylland (1994) (Denmark)
... aka Prinsen af Jylland (1994) (Denmark: video title)
... aka Royal Deceit (1994) (USA)
Dangerous Woman, A (1993) .... Mackey
Point of No Return (1993) .... Bob
... aka Assassin, The (1993/I) (Australia) (Belgium: English title) (UK) (USA: video title)
Into the West (1992) .... Papa Reilly
Cool World (1992) .... Jack Deebs
Håkon Håkonsen (1990) .... Lt. John Merrick
... aka Piratgrottans hemlighet (1991) (Sweden)
... aka Shipwrecked (1990)
Miller's Crossing (1990) .... Tom Reagan
Diamond Skulls (1989) .... Hugo
... aka Dark Obsession (1991) (USA)
Courier, The (1988) .... Val
Soldier's Tale, A (1988) .... Saul
Lionheart (1987) .... Black Prince
... aka Lionheart: The Children's Crusade (1987) (USA)
Hello Again (1987) .... Kevin Scanlon
Siesta (1987) .... Augustine
Giulia e Giulia (1987) .... Paolo
... aka Julia and Julia (1988) (USA)
Gothic (1986) .... Byron
Defence of the Realm (1985) .... Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen
... aka Defense of the Realm (1986) (USA)
"Mussolini: The Untold Story" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Vittorio Mussolini
"Christopher Columbus" (1985) (mini) TV Series .... Christopher Columbus
... aka "Cristoforo Colombo" (1985) (mini) (Italy)
Reflections (1984) (TV) .... William Masters
Keep, The (1983) .... Major Kaempffer
"Wagner" (1983) (mini) TV Series .... Karl Ritter
Hanna K. (1983) .... Joshua Herzog
Rocking Horse Winner, The (1983) .... Bassett
Joyce in June (1982) (TV) .... Keogh/Blazes Boylan
Treatment (1981) (TV)
Excalibur (1981) .... Uther Pendragon
"Bracken" (1978) TV Series .... Pat Barry
"Riordans, The" (1965) TV Series .... Pat Barry

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