Aidan Murphy (born 24 April 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (/ˈɡɪlən/), is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards[1] and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award.[2]
Aidan Gillen | |
|---|---|
 Gillen in 2010 | |
| Born | Aidan Murphy 24 April 1968 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Spouse |
Olivia O'Flanagan
(m. 2001; div. 2005) |
| Partner(s) | Camille O'Sullivan (2014–present) |
| Children | 2 |
On television, he played Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 series Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Tommy Carcetti in the HBO series The Wire (2004–2008), John Boy in the RTÉ series Love/Hate (2010–2011), Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2017), Aberama Gold in the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2017–2019), and as Milo Sunter on Mayor of Kingstown (2021–present).
His film roles include CIA operative Bill Wilson in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Dr. Frank Harte in Calvary (2014), Janson in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018), Robert in Sing Street (2016), and John Reid in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). He also provided the voice and motion capture for Paul Serene in the 2016 video game Quantum Break.
Early life
editGillen was born in the Drumcondra area of Dublin on 24 April 1968, the youngest of six children born to Patricia (née Gillen) and Denis Murphy.[3] He was educated at St. Vincent's C.B.S. in Dublin's Glasnevin neighbourhood.[4]
Gillen began his acting career as a teenager, joining the National Youth Theatre at the age of fourteen[3] and playing Nick Bottom in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Project Arts Centre when he was sixteen.[5] The name Aidan Murphy was already registered so he began using his mother's maiden name as a stage name.[6] He moved to London in 1987 when he was nineteen.[6]
Career
editGillen played Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 television series Queer as Folk and its sequel, for which he received a British Academy Television Award nomination for Best Actor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his Broadway role in Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker.[7] He was also nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for his portrayal of Teach in the Dublin Gate Theatre's 2007 production of David Mamet's American Buffalo.[8] In 2003 he played the villain in the Shanghai Noon sequel, Shanghai Knights. In 2004, having been spotted by producers in The Caretaker, Gillen was cast as Tommy Carcetti in the HBO series The Wire, for which he received an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television.[9] In 2008, he was named an "Irish cult hero" by the Sunday Tribune. He appeared in the 2009 film 12 Rounds, and in July of that year, he appeared in the one-off BBC2 drama Freefall. He co-starred as Phil Hendrick in the British drama Thorne.
In 2011, Gillen began playing Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish on the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which he received his second Irish Film & Television Award nomination.[10] He appeared in seven seasons,[11] until his character's death in the season 7 finale "The Dragon and the Wolf".[12] He starred as cop killer Barry Weiss in the British crime-thriller Blitz and in the British horror film Wake Wood. Gillen played crime boss John Boy in the acclaimed Irish crime-drama Love/Hate,[13] for which he received his third Irish Film & Television Award nomination and second win.
In 2012, he played CIA operative Bill Wilson[14] (the character's name is from the novelisation; his name is not directly said in the film's script) in The Dark Knight Rises, his first role in a major Hollywood film.[15] Gillen said he enjoyed playing the role, but preferred low-budget lead roles to blockbuster bit-parts.[15] Gillen's character was particularly noted by some Internet circles for his delivery of supposedly awkward dialogue in the film's opening plane scene, especially by users of 4chan's /tv/ board. Thus, he subsequently became the subject of an Internet meme popular among /tv/ users known as "Baneposting",[16] which references the dialogue between Wilson and Tom Hardy's character Bane in said scene.[17][18] The same year, Gillen also starred in the British spy-drama Shadow Dancer, and was announced as the new host of the music show Other Voices.[19][20]
He starred in the BBC five-part thriller Mayday in 2013, and the Irish comedy-drama film Calvary the following year.[21] He shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with the cast of Game of Thrones for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Gillen also starred in the short film Ekki Múkk,[22] created for the Valtari Mystery Film Experiment by Icelandic band Sigur Rós, as well as Janson in the second film, The Scorch Trials, and third film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, in the Maze Runner trilogy.[23]
Gillen played Queen's manager John Reid in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which was released on 2 November 2018.[24] He starred as Aidan in the short film titled I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't, written and directed by Irish actress Laoisa Sexton.[25]
He starred in The History Channel's two-season series Project Blue Book from 2019 to 2020. Gillen played Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a brilliant and underappreciated college professor who is recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead an operation named Project Blue Book. He is joined by his partner Air Force Capt. Michael Quinn as they investigate UFO sightings around the country.[26] He also plays Frank Kinsella, a member of a prominent Irish crime family in the BBC crime drama Kin.[27]
Personal life
editGillen resides in his native Dublin. He met Olivia O'Flanagan when they were teenagers.[6] They have two children: Berry (b. March 1997) and Joe (b. October 2000).[6][3] They married in 2001 and separated in 2005.[3]
Gillen has been in a relationship with singer Camille O'Sullivan since 2014. He is the stepdad of Camille's daughter, Leila Élodie from her previous relationship with musician Mike Scott[3]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Drip | Young Guy | Short film |
| 1987 | The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne | Youth at Liquor Store | Credited as Aidan Murphy |
| 1988 | The Courier | Boy | |
| 1995 | Circle of Friends | Aidan Lynch | |
| 1996 | Some Mother's Son | Gerard Quigley | |
| 1997 | Mojo | Baby | |
| 1998 | Gold in the Streets | Paddy | |
| Amazing Grace | Young Man | Short film | |
| 1999 | Buddy Boy | Francis | |
| 2000 | The Second Death | Pool Player | Short film |
| The Low Down | Frank | ||
| 2001 | My Kingdom | Barry Puttnam | |
| Robertson Major | William Robertson | Short film | |
| 2002 | The Final Curtain | Dave Turner | |
| 2003 | Photo Finish | Joe Wilde | |
| Shanghai Knights | Lord Nelson Rathbone | ||
| Burning the Bed | Stephen | Short film | |
| 2006 | Trouble with Sex | Conor | |
| 2008 | Blackout | Karl | |
| 2009 | 12 Rounds | Miles Jackson | |
| Spunkbubble | Dessie | Short film | |
| Runners | Terry | ||
| 2010 | Treacle Jr. | Aidan | |
| 2011 | Wake Wood | Patrick Daley | |
| Blitz | Barry Weiss | ||
| 2012 | The Dark Knight Rises | CIA Op | "CIA Op" in film credits, "Bill Wilson" in the movie's novel |
| Shadow Dancer | Gerry | ||
| Ekki Múkk | Little One | Short film | |
| The Good Man | Michael | ||
| 2013 | Scrapper | Ray | |
| The Note | Lars | Short film | |
| Mister John | Gerry Devine | ||
| Beneath the Harvest Sky | Clayton | ||
| Song | Dan | Short film | |
| 2014 | Calvary | Dr. Frank Harte | |
| Still | Tom Carver | ||
| Song | Dan | Short film | |
| Ambition[28] | Master | ||
| 2015 | You're Ugly Too | Will | |
| Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials | Janson | ||
| 2016 | Sing Street | Robert | |
| 2017 | The Lovers | Robert | |
| King Arthur: Legend of the Sword | Goosefat Bill | ||
| 2018 | Maze Runner: The Death Cure | Janson | |
| Bohemian Rhapsody | John Reid | ||
| 2019 | I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't | Aidan | Short film |
| Rose Plays Julie | Peter | ||
| 2021 | Those Who Wish Me Dead | Jack Blackwell | |
| 2023 | Barber | Val Barber | |
| Dance First | James Joyce | [29] |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Wanderly Wagon | Shadow | |
| 1990 | The Play on One | Harry | Episode: "Killing Time" |
| 1992 | An Ungentlemanly Act | Marine Wilcox | Television film |
| 1993 | A Handful of Stars | Tony | Television film |
| Belfry | Dominic | Television film | |
| The Bill | Jeff Barratt | Episode: "Play the Game" | |
| Screenplay | Gypo | Episode: "Safe" | |
| 1994 | In Suspicious Circumstances | James Crozier | Episode: "To Encourage the Others" |
| 1999–2000 | Queer as Folk | Stuart Alan Jones | 10 episodes |
| 2000 | The Darkling | Jeff Obold | Television film |
| Lorna Doone | Carver Doone | Television film | |
| 2001 | Dice | Glenn Taylor | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | First Communion Day | Seamus | Television film |
| 2003 | Agatha Christie's Poirot | Amyas Crale | Episode: "Five Little Pigs" |
| 2004–2008 | The Wire | Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti | 35 episodes |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Jimmy Colby | Episode: "Vigilante" |
| The Last Detective | Steve Fallon | Episode: "Willesden Confidential" | |
| Walk Away and I Stumble | Paul | Television film | |
| 2009 | Freefall | Gus | Television film |
| 2010 | Thorne | Phil Hendricks | 6 episodes |
| Identity | DI John Bloom | 6 episodes | |
| 2010–2011 | Love/Hate | John Boy Power | 10 episodes |
| 2011–2017 | Game of Thrones | Petyr Baelish | 41 episodes |
| 2011–2013 | Other Voices | Himself (host) | |
| 2013 | Mayday | Everett Newcombe | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Charlie | Charles J. Haughey | 3 episodes |
| 2017 | Urban Myths | Timothy Leary | Episode: "Cary Grant and Timothy Leary" |
| 2017–2019 | Peaky Blinders | Aberama Gold | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | Dave Allen at Peace | Dave Allen | Television film |
| 2019–2020 | Project Blue Book | J. Allen Hynek | 20 episodes |
| 2021–2023 | Kin | Frank Kinsella | 16 episodes |
| 2021 | Killers of the Cosmos | Gumshoe detective (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | Mayor of Kingstown | Milo Sunter | 22 episodes |
| 2022 | That Dirty Black Bag | Butler | 2 episodes |
| Chicago Party Aunt | Small Man (voice) | Episode: "St. Patrick's Day" |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "Ekki múkk" | Sigur Rós | [30] |
| 2014 | "Valentine" | I Draw Slow | [31] |
| 2016 | "Cameo"[32] | Mick Flannery | |
| 2019 | "When We Go Out" | Vinci | [33] |
| "Lived Through This Before" | Barry McCormack | [34] | |
| 2020 | "A Hero's Death" | Fontaines D.C. | [35] |
| 2020 | "Distant Shores" | Barry McCormack | [36] |
Audiobooks
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha | [37] |
| 1995 | Felicia's Journey | [38] |
| The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments | [39] | |
| 1998 | Irish Short Stories | |
| 2010 | The Poetry of Ireland | [40] |
| 2015 | The Art of War |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Last Tycoon | BBC Radio 4[41] |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Quantum Break | Paul Serene | Also motion capture |
Stage
edit| Year | Title | Role | Venue(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | The Do-It-Yourself Frankenstein Outfit | Robot | Dublin Youth Theatre |
| 1985 | Our Day Out | Andrews | Dublin Youth Theatre |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | Nick Bottom | National Youth Theatre | |
| 1988 | The Wexford Trilogy: A Hand of Stars | Tony | Bush Theatre |
| 1989 | Juno and the Paycock | Soldier | Royal National Theatre |
| Blue | Ed Ache / Fred | National Theatre Studio | |
| The Long Way Round | Albin | Royal National Theatre | |
| The Water Engine | Bernie | Hampstead Theatre | |
| 1990 | Lovers Meeting | Joe Hession | Druid Theatre Company |
| 1991 | The Patriot Game | Pearse | Abbey Theatre |
| The Wexford Trilogy: Belfry | Dominic | Bush Theatre | |
| 1992 | Drama at Inish | Eddie Twohig | Abbey Theatre |
| 1993 | The Wexford Trilogy | Tony / Dominic | Abbey Theatre |
| Marvin's Room | Hank | Hampstead Theatre Comedy Theatre | |
| 1994 | The Playboy of the Western World | Christopher Mahon | Almeida Theatre |
| 1995 | Mojo | Skinny | Royal Court Theatre |
| 2000 | The Tempest | Ariel | Almeida Theatre |
| 2001 | Platonov | Platonov | Almeida Theatre |
| 2003 | The Caretaker | Mick | Roundabout Theatre |
| 2005 | Someone Who'll Watch Over Me | Edward | New Ambassadors Theatre |
| 2007 | American Buffalo | Teach | Gate Theatre |
| Glengarry Glen Ross | Richard Roma | Apollo Theatre | |
| 2015 | The Dead | Sam Wanamaker Playhouse | |
| 2021–2022 | Faith Healer | Frank Hardy | Abbey Theatre[42] |
Awards and nominations
editReferences
edit- ^ "IFTA winners 2012 announced". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Harris, David (2 February 2016). "Current (Aidan Gillen) and future (Richard E. Grant) Game of Thrones Actors discuss their careers". Winter is Coming. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "'Aloof? I was just scared' – Aidan Gillen on finding love, dealing with his father's illness and why he prefers Kerry to Hollywood". Irish Independent. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Sweeney, Tanya (30 October 2021). "Aidan Gillen: 'I think people like looking at violence on TV and movies. It's living vicariously. It's kind of a release of pressure". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Mark (2 October 2007). "'I don't mind nasty roles'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d O'Connor, Aine (17 July 2015). "Aidan Gillen comes to terms with fame". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Aidan Gillen Tony Award". Broadwayworld. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "Theatre Awards Shortlist Announced". RTÉ. 14 January 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ "Winners of the 6th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards, 2009". Irish Film and Television Academy. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Aidan Gillen – Nominated for TWO IFTA awards". Live Journal. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
- ^ Dresdale, Andrea (12 April 2015). "'Game of Thrones' Premiere: What to Expect from Season 5". ABC News. Go.com. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ MacDonald, Lindsay (27 August 2017). "The Game of Thrones Finale Featured a Major Reveal and a Long-Awaited Death". TV Guide. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
- ^ "Third series of Love/Hate in development". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ Cox, Greg (24 July 2012). The Dark Knight Rises: The Official Novelization. London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78116-106-7.
- ^ a b Mottram, James (14 September 2013). "Lost soul: Aidan Gillen is taking on an existential crisis in the spiky Mister John". The Independent. Archived from the original on 17 September 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Baneposting". Know Your Meme. 26 April 2014. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Broderick, Ryan (25 January 2017). "Trump Supporters And Neo-Nazis Are Using Secret Chatrooms To Harass Shia LaBeouf". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Aidan Gillen has accidentally become part of a bizarre 'alt-right meme'". The Daily Edge. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Gillen is new Other Voices host". RTÉ. 8 November 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ "I did warn you not to trust me…". UniversityObserver. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "Aidan Gillen in BBC thriller Mayday". Digital Spy. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ "Sigur Rós – Ekki múkk". Vimeo. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ Kit, Borys (26 September 2014). "'Game of Thrones' Actor to Play Villain in 'Maze Runner' Sequel (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (26 September 2017). "Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander Join Cast of Queen Biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "SEARCH FOR a PLAY – PlayographyIreland".
- ^ Petski, Denise (10 February 2019). "'Project Blue Book' Renewed For Season 2 By History – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Kin (TV Series 2021– )". IMDb.
- ^ "Game of Thrones star takes lead in hard sci-fi 'Ambition' (Wired UK)". Wired. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "First look: Gabriel Byrne as Samuel Beckett in James Marsh's biopic 'Dance First'". Screen Daily.
- ^ Carrie, Battan (24 September 2012). "Watch: New Sigur Rós Video Starring Aiden Gillen, a.k.a. Mayor Tommy Carcetti From "The Wire"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
- ^ McGuire, Peter (13 February 2014). "'Game of Thrones' Star Aidan Gillen in New 'I Draw Slow' Video". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Madden, Peter (26 September 2016), "CAMEO", Vimeo, retrieved 1 August 2017
- ^ McIntyre, Sarah (7 June 2019). "Aidan Gillen stars in Irish band's music video about homeless crisis". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Watch: Aidan Gillen plays conspiracy theorist in new music video". RTÉ.ie. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Dolan, Jon (8 May 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Fontaines D.C., 'A Hero's Death'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Corr, Alan (25 November 2020). "Watch: Aidan Gillen plays vagrant in new music video". RTÉ.ie. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ ASIN B0051H6FW4
- ^ ASIN B000PYA4MA, ASIN B002X7UY36
- ^ ASIN B002SQCXX6
- ^ ASIN B003GQ6S2O
- ^ "The Last Tycoon – BBC Radio 4". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ "Faith Healer". Abbey Theatre. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ "Edinburgh International Film Festival 2000". IMDb.
- ^ "MIFF Awards Winners MIFF Tour". Milan International Film Festival Awards.
- ^ "Empire Hero Award". Empireonline.com. Bauer Consumer Media. 2015. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
- ^ Eliahou, Maya (9 June 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016—Captain America: Civil War Leads Second Wave of Nominations". E! Online. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
- ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2018: See the full list of winners". EW.com. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
External links
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