As an actor, it always pays to have a set of attributes that stand you out from the crowd. Anyone who has Brendan Gleeson in his element would attest to the fact that this burly actor with an Irish accent has got something about him.

Brendan spent ten years as a teacher before venturing into the acting world. He had his major breakthrough after taking a spot as one of the iconic characters in the Harry Potter series playing Alastor Moody. Ever since then, he has become one of the famous faces in the world and has gone on to star in other projects like In Bruges, Edge of Tomorrow, Paddington 2. His performance in classics such as Brave Heart, Gangs of New York (2002), Cold Mountain (2003) and, The Grand Seduction (2013) has earned him critical acclaim. He is a Golden Globe nominee and an Emmy winner.

Brendan Started off as a Stage Actor Before Transitioning to Film

Sometimes, the biggest obstacle in our journey to success is ourselves. Brendan Gleeson spent ten years working as a teacher before he committed to pursuing his dream of becoming an actor. Today, the hesitation only robbed him of 10 years which he could have had under his belt as a professional actor.

Despite the massive passion he had for acting, Brendan sought to play it safe and became a school teacher after he finished his training as an actor, teaching secondary school students at Catholic Belcamp College in North County Dublin. He taught Irish and English. Thankfully, our future Alastor Moody actor had a good sense of not giving up completely on his dream and he worked on different stage productions for the theatre company, Passion Machine.

During the time, he performed in notable plays such as Brownbread, Home, and Wasters. A man who would later become a film director, while he was with Passion Machine, he showed a glimpse of his storytelling by writing a few plays for Passion Machine, like Breaking Up and The Birdtable.

He Finally Quit His Teaching Job to Focus on Acting

After 10 years of combining the few acting responsibilities that came his way with his duties as a school teacher, Brendan resigned from teaching and became a full-time actor in 1991. He starred in his first onscreen project in 1989, appearing in a television film, Dear Sarah as Brendan Dowd. In the following year, he made his big-screen debut in The Field, where he appeared playing the character, Quarryman.

Since debuts in both mediums, Brendan has gone on to star in several films and television shows, racking credits, and establishing himself as a great actor, both in his local Irish/English film industry and in Hollywood.

At the Turn Of The Century, Gleeson Landed A Series Of High Profile Roles That Shot Him To Global Stardom

On the strength of his impressive performances in films popular in the United Kingdom such as John Boorman’s 1998 film The General, Gleeson was fast gaining admirers in Hollywood.

His big break came in John Woo’s Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), in which he played one of the film’s resident villains. Later in 2000, he made waves for his starring role as a philandering chef in the romantic comedy Wild About Harry. He made an appearance two years later in the high-profile film Gangs of New York. The next year in 2003 he featured in the police detective thriller Dark Blue (2003).

The next five years will see him appear in historically epic films Troy and the box-office dud the Kingdom of Heaven. He landed the gig to play Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films from (2005–2010). He was a regular feature of the fourth installment in the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

In films, he has starred in a total of 77 films, which includes three of the films in the Harry Potter series; Gangs of New York, Troy, In Bruges, In the Heart of the Sea, among several others. In television, he has starred in Into the Storm, The Treaty, This is My Father, among others, with a total of 14 credits, which are mostly television films. He has a few awards and nominations to his name, such as one Emmy award, two BIFA Awards, three Golden Globe nominations, and two BAFTA nominations

He has been able to accrue a net worth of $4 million from his appearances in several films, which total over 80 across film and television.

Brendan’s Kids have Towed Their Fathers Line, Pursuing a Career in Acting

Brendan Gleeson, despite the fame and success, has maintained quite the simple life. He has been married to one woman, Mary Weldon, since 1982. The marriage has been blessed with four children, Domhnall, Brian, Fergus, and Rory Gleeson. Two of his children have followed in their father’s footsteps to be actors – Domhnall and Brian Gleeson.

Domhnall Gleeson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology after which he began directing and writing scripts for stage plays. His career trajectory is a lot similar to that of his father as he has also featured in Broadway productions such as The Lieutenant of Inishmore, and Never Let Me Go. Just like his father, he appeared in the Harry Potter film series where he played Bill Weasley. Domhnall has featured in several films such as Ex Machina, The Revenant, and About Time. He is a recipient of three IFTA Awards and a Tony Award nomination in 2006.

Brendan’s second son Brian Gleeson joining the Gaiety’s Youth Theatre Company as a child in keeping with the family tradition of getting grounded in Theater first before venturing into film and Television. His first major appearance was alongside his dad in the Irish film The Tiger’s Tail. He also featured in the 2012 fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman. He was nominated for an IFTA for the television series Love/Hate.