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Gabriel James Byrne Wiki Biography
Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, cultural ambassador and audiobook narrator. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London’s Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne’s screen debut came in the Irish soap opera The Riordans and the spin-off show Bracken. He has now starred in over 35 feature films, such as The Usual Suspects, Miller’s Crossing, Stigmata and End of Days, in addition to writing two. Byrne’s producing credits include the Academy Award–nominated In the Name of the Father. He has received much critical acclaim for his role as Dr. Paul Weston in the HBO drama In Treatment.
| Net Worth | $10 Million |
| Date Of Birth | May 12, 1950 |
| Place Of Birth | Dublin, Ireland |
| Height | 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) |
| Profession | Actor, Producer, Writer |
| Spouse | Ellen Barkin Hannah Beth King |
| Children | John Daniel Byrne, Romy Marion Byrne |
| IMDB | http://imdb.com/name/nm6288429 |
| Quote | |
|---|---|
| 1 | I like the level of anonymity I have now. When I was doing In Treatment (2008), it became a nightmare – much more than it had been before that. You have to be very careful with television. I love working but I don’t want that kind of attention again. |
| 2 | Unfortunately, I experienced some sexual abuse. It was a known and admitted fact of life amongst us that there was this particular man, and you didn’t want to be left in the dressing room with him. There were certain boundaries, sexual boundaries, that were crossed. |
| 3 | [on being beaten in school, specifically in math class] – I feared being beaten, and I was beaten very regularly. It did affect my sense of myself. … I didn’t feel that I suffered at the time. I just felt it was the way of the world. It took many years to come to terms with and to forgive those incidents that I felt had deeply hurt me. |
| 4 | [on dealing with depression] – A single negative thought begins in your head. That single negative thought interacts with another negative thought and becomes a reality. And the world seems like the darkest, bleakest, blackest place that you can possibly be. And it has nothing to do with logic, it has nothing to do with reality. It’s a chemical, and I suppose ultimately becomes a spiritual, imbalance in the body and in the mind. But it feels like the truth. That’s what’s so insidious about it. |
| 5 | A lot of people who live in America, and it’s not their fault, have a stereotypical view of Ireland. You get a movie like The Quiet Man (1952) and people arrive at Shannon airport and expect to be met by Barry Fitzgerald. |
| 6 | It’s the job of the director to be like a great orchestra leader, and bring out the music that the writer wrote, through the instruments, which are the actors. |
| 7 | I did a play by Eugene O’Neill called “A Touch of the Poet” on Broadway a few years ago. I remember looking out into the audience at one point, and the theater was packed with wealthy, white-haired people. After the curtain call I turned to one of the other actors and said ‘Theater is dead.’ He laughed and said “That’s a good one.” I said ‘No, seriously, theater as we’re doing it now is dead. There’s no audience. There’s no one under 60 out there. They’re all white. And they can all afford $300 for a night. |
| 8 | [on working with Natasha Richardson on Gothic (1986)] It was a privilege for me to work with her in her first film. Her magnetism was incontestable, both as a person and as an actress. When you’re working with somebody you see them in a very different light. I just knew she was special. |
| 9 | I think the reason certain societies thrive while others don’t is the society that is open to new ideas is going to thrive, while the ones that don’t, that oppose any outside or opposing cultural influences, those are in trouble, and I think America has done the latter over the past 20 or more years. The worse it is for America, the worse it is for the rest of us. |
| 10 | American movies to me – and, I mean, I’ve said this before a million times – are becoming more and more homogeneous because the marketing objective – and marketing now plays such a major role in movies that it almost obliterates everything else – the marketing objective is the lowest common denominator. “You can’t put that in; let’s put the car chase, let’s put the sex scene, let’s put the fight in, let’s get them back together, they end up happily, they walk off into the sun…” So that there’s a formulaic predictability to American movies. That, allied with the cynicism of the way movies are put together – product placement and spin-offs and toys and all kinds of crap that, you know, have nothing to do with the telling of stories – they’ve turned American movies into McMovies. So that when the movie-goer gets his movie, it’s like a hamburger: he doesn’t want a piece of aubergine in there; he wants his onion, his tomato, his hamburger and his bun. And he doesn’t want the bun hard, he wants it soft. And he wants it in two minutes. |
| 11 | Sometimes, the vanity of actors is that we imagine we’re so completely different on screen from who we are in real life. When really, all actors play themselves. |
| 12 | I’ve always felt that acting is about exposure. You expose yourself in the choices you make. It’s when you present yourself as truthfully as you can, in a given situation, that you are being that character. Even though you’re being yourself. |
| 13 | The truth is that actors don’t really have any control over the end product. To think that you have control is a delusion and it’s also incredibly frustrating to be investing that much hope into something that essentially boils down to marketing. So you try to do movies that you feel connected with and you work with directors and actors you admire. |
| 14 | I would like to break out of this “dark, brooding” image, cause I’m actually not like that at all. In Ireland, brooding is a term we use for hens. A brooding hen is supposed to lay eggs. Everytime somebody says “He’s dark and brooding” I think: “He’s about to lay an egg”. |
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Not a relation of Rose Byrne. |
| 2 | Didn’t start acting until he was twenty-nine years old. |
| 3 | In Live from Lincoln Center: Camelot (2008) Gabriel Byrne plays King Arthur. In Excalibur (1981) he plays Arthur’s father, Uther Pendragon. |
| 4 | Cites Federico Fellini’s Amarcord (1973) as one of his all-time favorite movies. |
| 5 | Learned to speak Gaelic in college and still speaks it fluently. |
| 6 | Speaks English and Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic). |
| 7 | He was a football played with the Stella Maris Football Club in Drumcondra, Dublin. |
| 8 | He’s a patron of The West of Ireland Cardiology Foundation, Croi, since 1997. |
| 9 | He has Irish citizenship and resident alien status in the United States. |
| 10 | Son of Dan Byrne and Eileen Gannon. |
| 11 | Older brother of Donal, Thomas, Breda, Margaret and Marian (deceased). |
| 12 | Has appeared in 3 roles romantically opposite Laura Linney, “A Simple Twist of Fate,” “P.S.” and “Jindabyne.”. |
| 13 | Although he separated from Ellen Barkin in 1993, he did not file for divorce until May 1999. |
| 14 | Was nominated for Broadway’s 2000 Tony Award as Best Actor (Play) for a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “A Moon for the Misbegotten.” |
| 15 | Autobiography titled “Pictures in My Head” |
| 16 | Educated by the Christian Brothers in Dublin. |
| 17 | He went from a priest in Stigmata (1999) to Satan in End of Days (1999). |
| 18 | In a November 1999 interview with the New York Post, he claimed to have been molested by his Latin teacher while at an English seminary preparing for priesthood. |
| 19 | Before becoming an actor, he was an archaelogist, a schoolteacher, a short-order cook, and a bullfighter. |
| 20 | Started acting at the age of 29 and he went to America for the first time when he was 37. |
| 21 | Has a son, Jack Daniel, born 1989; and a daughter, Romy Marion, born 1992. |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emotional Arithmetic | 2007 | Christopher Lewis | |
| Jindabyne | 2006 | Stewart Kane | |
| Played | 2006 | Eddie | |
| Wah-Wah | 2005 | Harry Compton | |
| Assault on Precinct 13 | 2005 | Capt. Marcus Duvall | |
| The Bridge of San Luis Rey | 2004 | Brother Juniper | |
| P.S. | 2004 | Peter Harrington | |
| Vanity Fair | 2004 | The Marquess of Steyne | |
| Patrick | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Patrick (voice) |
| Shade | 2003 | Miller | |
| Ghost Ship | 2002 | Murphy | |
| Emmett’s Mark | 2002 | Jack Marlow / Stephen Bracken | |
| Spider | 2002 | Bill Cleg | |
| Virginia’s Run | 2002 | Ford Lofton | |
| 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 | |
| Enemy of the State | 1998 | Brill | |
| Quest for Camelot | 1998 | Lionel (voice) | |
| The Brylcreem Boys | 1998 | Commandant O’Brien | |
| The Man in the Iron Mask | 1998/I | D’Artagnan | |
| Polish Wedding | 1998 | Bolek | |
| Pirates | 1998 | Narrator (voice) | |
| This Is the Sea | 1997 | Rohan | |
| Weapons of Mass Distraction | 1997 | TV Movie | Lionel Powers |
| The End of Violence | 1997 | Ray Bering | |
| Glenroe | 1997 | TV Series | Pat Barry |
| Smilla’s Sense of Snow | 1997 | The Mechanic | |
| Draiocht | 1996 | TV Movie | Father |
| Dr Hagard’s Disease | 1996 | ||
| Somebody Is Waiting | 1996 | Roger Ellis | |
| The Last of the High Kings | 1996 | Jack Griffin | |
| Mad Dog Time | 1996 | Ben London | |
| Frankie Starlight | 1995 | Jack Kelly | |
| Dead Man | 1995 | Charlie Dickinson | |
| Buffalo Girls | 1995 | TV Movie | Teddy Blue |
| Irish Cinema: Ourselves Alone? | 1995 | Narrator (voice) | |
| The Usual Suspects | 1995 | Keaton | |
| Little Women | 1994 | Friedrich Bhaer | |
| Trial by Jury | 1994 | Daniel Graham | |
| A Simple Twist of Fate | 1994 | John Newland | |
| Screen Two | 1994 | TV Series | The Good Thief |
| Royal Deceit | 1994 | Fenge | |
| A Dangerous Woman | 1993 | Mackey | |
| Point of No Return | 1993 | Bob | |
| Into the West | 1992 | Papa Reilly | |
| Cool World | 1992 | Jack Deebs | |
| Shipwrecked | 1990 | Lt. John Merrick | |
| Miller’s Crossing | 1990 | Tom Reagan | |
| Dark Obsession | 1989 | Lord Hugo Bruckton | |
| A Soldier’s Tale | 1989 | Saul | |
| The Courier | 1988 | Val | |
| Siesta | 1987 | Augustine | |
| Hello Again | 1987 | Kevin Scanlon | |
| Julia and Julia | 1987 | Paolo | |
| Lionheart | 1987 | Black Prince | |
| Gothic | 1986 | Byron | |
| Defense of the Realm | 1986 | Nicholas ‘Nick’ Mullen | |
| Mussolini: The Untold Story | 1985 | TV Mini-Series | Vittorio Mussolini |
| Christopher Columbus | 1985 | TV Mini-Series | Christopher Columbus |
| Reflections | 1984 | William Masters | |
| The Treatment | 1984 | TV Movie | Father Michael |
| The Keep | 1983 | Kaempffer | |
| Wagner | 1981-1983 | TV Series | Karl Ritter |
| Hanna K. | 1983 | Joshua Herzog | |
| The Rocking Horse Winner | 1983 | Short | Bassett |
| Joyce in June | 1982 | TV Movie | Keogh / Blazes Boylan |
| Bracken | 1980-1982 | TV Series | Pat Barry |
| Strangers | 1981 | TV Series | Johnny Maguire |
| The Search for Alexander the Great | 1981 | TV Mini-Series | Ptolemy |
| Excalibur | 1981 | Uther Pendragon | |
| The Outsider | 1979 | ||
| The Riordans | 1978-1979 | TV Series | Pat Barry |
| On a Paving Stone Mounted | 1978 | ||
| Wings of Ash: Pilot for a Dramatization of the Life of Antonin Artaud | 1978 | Short | |
| The Burke Enigma | 1978 | TV Series | |
| Last of Summer | 1978 | TV Series | |
| Lies We Tell | 2016 | post-production | Donald |
| Mad to Be Normal | 2016 | pre-production | Jim |
| Carrie Pilby | 2016 | filming | Mr. Pilby |
| The 33 | 2015 | Andre Sougarret | |
| Louder Than Bombs | 2015 | Gene Reed | |
| Nobody Wants the Night | 2015 | Bram Trevor | |
| Vikings: Athelstan’s Journal | 2015 | TV Series | Earl Haraldson |
| No Pay, Nudity | 2015 | Lawrence Rose | |
| Quirke | 2014 | TV Mini-Series | Quirke |
| Vampire Academy | 2014 | Victor Dashkov | |
| Just a Sigh | 2013 | Doug | |
| Vikings | 2013 | TV Series | Earl Haraldson |
| All Things to All Men | 2013 | Joseph Corso | |
| Secret State | 2012 | TV Mini-Series | Tom Dawkins |
| Capital | 2012 | Dittmar Rigule | |
| I, Anna | 2012 | D.C.I. Bernie Reid | |
| In Treatment | 2008-2010 | TV Series | Dr. Paul Weston |
| Leningrad | 2009 | Parker (as Gebriel Birn) | |
| Perrier’s Bounty | 2009 | Voice of The Reaper (voice) | |
| 2:22 | 2008 | Detective Swain | |
| Live from Lincoln Center | 2008 | TV Series | King Arthur |
| Still Birth Chicken | 2008 | Short |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tent City, U.S.A. | 2012 | TV Movie documentary executive producer | |
| Madigan Men | 2000 | TV Series co-executive producer | |
| Mad About Mambo | 2000 | executive producer | |
| The Brylcreem Boys | 1998 | co-producer | |
| Dr Hagard’s Disease | 1996 | executive producer | |
| Somebody Is Waiting | 1996 | co-producer | |
| The Last of the High Kings | 1996 | co-executive producer | |
| Vardan tevo | 1993 | executive producer | |
| Into the West | 1992 | associate producer |
Writer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draiocht | 1996 | TV Movie | |
| The Last of the High Kings | 1996 |
Thanks
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prodigal Sons | 2008 | Documentary many thanks |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Des Barres: Who Do You Want Me to Be? | 2014 | Documentary | Himself |
| Behind the Sword in the Stone | 2013 | Documentary | Himself |
| Danny Boy: The Ballad That Bewitched the World | 2013 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| A Man’s Story | 2010 | Documentary | Himself |
| Dreaming the Quiet Man | 2010 | Documentary | Himself |
| Independent Lens | 2009 | TV Series documentary | Himself – Narrator |
| The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards | 2009 | TV Special | Himself – Nominated: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series |
| Xposé | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 60th Primetime Emmy Awards | 2008 | TV Special | Himself – Nominee: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series |
| TV Guide Live at the Emmy Awards | 2008 | TV Special | Himself |
| Gabriel Byrne: Stories from Home | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
| AFI’s 10 Top 10: America’s 10 Greatest Films in 10 Classic Genres | 2008 | TV Movie | Himself |
| The 62nd Annual Tony Awards | 2008 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
| Charlie Rose | 1995-2008 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| The Graham Norton Show | 2007 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Up Close with Carrie Keagan | 2007 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| 4th Irish Film and Television Awards | 2007 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
| At the Movies | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
| Tubridy Tonight | 2006 | TV Series | Himself |
| Enough Rope with Andrew Denton | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
| Riverdance: The Ten Years | 2005 | Video documentary | Himself |
| HBO First Look | 2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| 2nd Irish Film and Television Awards | 2004 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
| The Late Late Show | 2004 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| NY Graham Norton | 2004 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Narrator |
| Tinseltown TV | 2003 | TV Series | Himself |
| The 100 Greatest Movie Stars | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| RIP 2002 | 2002 | TV Movie documentary | Himself / interviewee |
| The View | 2002 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Horses: The Story of Equus | 2002 | Documentary short | Narrator |
| Keyser Söze: Lie or Legend? | 2002 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Round Up: Deposing ‘The Usual Suspects’ | 2002 | Video documentary | Himself |
| The 100 Greatest Films | 2001 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The 2001 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards | 2001 | TV Special | Himself (uncredited) |
| Inside the Actors Studio | 2000 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Late Show with David Letterman | 1994-2000 | TV Series | Himself / Himself – Guest |
| End of Days: The Beginning | 2000 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2000 | 2000 | TV Special | Himself |
| Late Night with Conan O’Brien | 1993-2000 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| The Rosie O’Donnell Show | 2000 | TV Series | Himself |
| Divine Rites: The Story of Stigmata | 1999 | TV Short documentary | Himself |
| WWE Smackdown! | 1999 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | 1993-1997 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| 1996 MTV Movie Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Himself |
| Past Into Present | 1996 | Himself | |
| The 18th Annual CableACE Awards | 1996 | TV Special | Himself – Presenter |
| Saturday Night Live | 1995 | TV Series | Himself – Host / Keith Richards / Robin Walker |
| Lauren Hutton and… | 1995 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Out of Ireland | 1995 | TV Movie documentary voice | |
| The Little Picture Show | 1994 | TV Series | Himself |
| Intimate Portrait | 1993 | TV Series documentary | Narrator |
| The 49th Annual Golden Globe Awards | 1992 | TV Special | Himself – Audience Member |
| Today | 1990 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
Archive Footage
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama | In Treatment (2008) |
| 1999 | Maverick Tribute Award | Cinequest San Jose Film Festival | ||
| 1995 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Cast Ensemble | The Usual Suspects (1995) |
| 1995 | NBR Award | National Board of Review, USA | Best Acting by an Ensemble | The Usual Suspects (1995) |
| 1987 | International Fantasy Film Award | Fantasporto | Best Actor | Gothic (1986) |
| 1979 | Jacob’s Award | Jacob’s Awards | Best Actor in a TV Series – Drama | Bracken (1980) |
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | IFTA Award | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor TV | Secret State (2012) |
| 2010 | IFTA Award | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2009 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2009 | OFTA Television Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Actor in a Drama Series | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2009 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Series, Drama | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2008 | Primetime Emmy | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2008 | Evening Standard British Film Award | Evening Standard British Film Awards | Best Actor | Jindabyne (2006) |
| 2008 | IFTA Award | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Feature Film | Jindabyne (2006) |
| 2008 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Series, Drama | In Treatment (2008) |
| 2006 | AFI Award | Australian Film Institute | Best Lead Actor | Jindabyne (2006) |
| 2006 | IF Award | IF Awards | Best Actor | Jindabyne (2006) |
| 2005 | IFTA Award | Irish Film and Television Awards | Best Actor in a Feature Film | Wah-Wah (2005) |
| 2000 | Blockbuster Entertainment Award | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Actor – Horror | Stigmata (1999) |
| 2000 | Razzie Award | Razzie Awards | Worst Supporting Actor | End of Days (1999) |
| 1998 | Golden Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television | Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) |
Source: XYZ
