Gabriel Byrne

Gabriel Byrne
Byrne at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Gabriel James Byrne May 12, 1950 (1950-05-12) (age 60) Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, author
Years active	1978 – present
Spouse	Ellen Barkin (1988–1999)

Gabriel James Byrne (born May 12, 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's screen début came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the spin-off show Bracken. The actor has now starred in over 35 feature films, such as The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing and Stigmata, in addition to writing two. Byrne's producing credits include the Academy Award-nominated In the Name of the Father. Currently, he is receiving much critical acclaim for his role as Dr. Paul Weston in the HBO drama In Treatment.

Early life

Byrne, the first of six children, was born in Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland, the son of a cooper and soldier, Dan, and a hospital nurse from Galway, Eileen (née Gannon).^[1][2] His siblings are Donal, Thomas, Breda, and Margaret. Another, Marian, died at a young age. Byrne was raised Roman Catholic^[3] and educated by the Irish Christian Brothers.

About his early training to become a priest, he said in an interview, "I spent five years in the seminary and I suppose it was assumed that one had a vocation. I realised subsequently that I didn't." He attended University College Dublin, where he studied archaeology and linguistics, becoming proficient in Irish. He played football in Dublin with the Stella Maris Football Club in Drumcondra.

In January 2010, he spoke in an interview on The Meaning of Life about being sexually abused by priests during his childhood.^[4][5][6][7]

Career

Byrne worked in archaeology when he left UCD but maintained his love of his language, writing the first television drama in Irish, Draíocht, on Ireland's national Irish-language television station, TG4, when it began broadcasting in 1996.

Before becoming an actor, Byrne had many jobs, including: archaeologist, cook and Spanish schoolteacher at Ard Scoil Eanna in Crumlin, Dublin. He started acting at age 29 and began his career on stage with the Focus Theatre and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. He later joined the Royal Court Theatre and the Royal National Theatre in London.

Byrne came to prominence on the final season of the Irish television show The Riordans, subsequently starring in his own spin-off series, Bracken. He made his film debut in 1981 as King Uther Pendragon in John Boorman's King Arthur epic, Excalibur.

In 1983 he appeared opposite Richard Burton in the epic mini-series Wagner (1983), and during filming attended a small dinner party in Vienna with the film's stars Burton, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Laurence Olivier.^[8]

Byrne currently stars as therapist Dr. Paul Weston in the new, critically acclaimed HBO primetime weeknight series In Treatment. He was named as TV's "latest Dr. McDreamy" by the New York Times^[9] for this role, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. He also received his first Emmy Award nomination (Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series) for the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards (Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad won.) that same year.

Upon his return to theatre in 2008, he appeared as King Arthur in Camelot with the New York Philharmonic from May 7 to May 10, following the footsteps of veteran actors Richard Burton and Richard Harris.

Byrne will next appear in a film adaptation of Flann O'Brien's metafictional novel At Swim-Two-Birds, in which he will be cast alongside Colin Farrell and Cillian Murphy. Actor Brendan Gleeson will be directing the film, which will be released in 2010.^[10] In October 2009, however, Gleeson expressed fear that, should the Irish Film Board be abolished as planned by the Irish State, the production might fall through.^[11]

Personal life

Byrne, who now holds both Irish and US citizenship, did not arrive in the United States until 1987, when he was 37. He had begun a relationship with actress Ellen Barkin, and had relocated to New York City to be with her. A year later, In 1988, Byrne married Barkin, with whom he has two children, John "Jack" Daniel (born 1989) and Romy Marion (born 1992). The couple separated amicably in 1993, and then divorced in 1999.

Byrne currently resides in Brooklyn, and is a fan of English football club Chelsea.^[12]

Byrne is also actively involved in various charities, in addition to being a human rights activist. In 2004, Byrne was appointed a UNICEF Ireland Ambassador. He became a patron of Croi (The West of Ireland Cardiology Foundation) in 1997 in response to the care given to his mother while she was a patient in a Galway hospital.

At the 5th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in 2007, Byrne was presented with the first of the newly created Volta awards, for lifetime achievement in acting. He also received the Honorary Patronage of the University Philosophical Society, of Trinity College, Dublin on February 20, 2007. In November of that same year, he was awarded an honorary degree by the National University of Ireland, Galway; the president of the University, Dr Iognáid Ó Muircheartaigh, said that this award is in recognition of the actor's "outstanding contribution to Irish and international film".^[13]

Although the actor is noted as a fiercely private person, he released a documentary for the 20th Galway Film Fleadh in the summer of 2008 called Stories from Home, an intimate portrait about his life.

Byrne mentioned in interviews and his 1995 autobiography, Pictures In My Head that he hates being called "brooding". He has been listed by People as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive". Entertainment Weekly has also recently dubbed Byrne as one of the hottest celebrities over the age of 50.^[14]

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

Byrne holding his Herald Angel, an award given to him at the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

References

Further reading

Barton, Ruth, Acting Irish in Hollywood: from Fitzgerald to Farrell, Irish Academy Press, 2006, p. 163-179, ISBN 0-7165-3344-8

Grunert, Andrea, "La lumière derrière le masque: une approche du jeu de Gabriel Byrne", in: Penny Starfield (ed.) Masque et lumière, Corlet [France]2006, p. 222-229. ISBN 2-84706-122-3.

External links

• Gabriel Byrne at the Internet Movie Database
• Gabriel Byrne's Biography
• Gabriel Byrne's entry in Art of Amnesty
• JewReview.net Gabriel Byrne video interview on Jindabyne and In Treatment
• NPR Fresh Air: The Art of Listening Gabriel Byrne discusses his role on "In Treatment" (May 30, 2009)
• Gabriel Byrne tells of childhood sexual abuse at Guardian.co.uk
• Website devoted to actor and activist Gabriel Byrne