Brendan Gleeson was born in Dublin, Ireland, to parents Pat and Frank Gleeson. From a very young age, he was deeply passionate about learning, particularly reading classical texts both in and outside the classroom. This passion led him to take great attention to Irish play writers such as Samuel Beckett, which ultimately influenced his decision to perform in his high school play production of "Waiting for Godot". He also paid great attention to detail in his high school drama classes.
Upon completing his 12th grade, Gleeson spent a couple of years with the Dublin Shakespeare Festival, where he received valuable guidance from a director. This guidance led him to head across to London and audition for drama schools. Soon after, he was invited to audition for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon, and spent a couple of seasons performing on the stage.
At the age of thirty-five, Gleeson decided to audition for films in the UK and began to build a respectable resume playing a wide range of diverse characters.
He made his film debut as a quarryman in "The Field" (1990). He then had several small roles in major Hollywood movies based in Ireland, such as "Far and Away" (1992) and "Into the West" (1992). Gleeson also memorably played historical Irish figure "Michael Collins" in "The Treaty" (1991).
Gleeson's breakthrough role came in the Scottish-themed "Braveheart" (1995),which was largely filmed in Ireland, opposite Mel Gibson. He played Gibson's right-hand man "Hamish". Since then, he has appeared in numerous major films such as "Mission: Impossible II" (2000),"Lake Placid" (1999),and "Turbulence" (1997).
Gleeson has also made a name for himself by taking the titular role in "The General" (1998),based on the life of Irish criminal "Martin Cahill", for which he won the Boston Society of Film Critics Award. He has also appeared in director John Boorman's film "The Tailor of Panama" (2001),as well as Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" (2002) and Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001).
Since then, Gleeson has continued to bring his impressive stage presence to the screen, always delivering his characters in full development to his audience. He is married to his lovely wife, Mary, whom he has been married to since 1982. They have four sons together.
