Internationally-acclaimed Dublin born actor BRENDAN GLEESON's (Victor Doyle) latest projects are Julien Temple's Sexual Healing, based on the latter years of the life of Marvin Gaye, All You Need Is Kill with Tom Cruise, directed by Doug Liman, Calvary (which sees him reunite with The Guard director John Michael McDonagh), and The Grand Seduction directed by Don McKellar.

A former teacher, Gleeson left that profession to pursue a career in acting -- his first love -- and joined the Irish theatre company Passion Machine. His rise to fame began when he appeared in Jim Sheridan's The Field and the lead role of Michael Collins in The Treaty, followed by a number of small roles in such films as Far and Away and Into The West. It was his role as Hamish in Braveheart alongside Mel Gibson that brought him to the attention of Hollywood.

He landed his first starring role in I Went Down, which was followed by his acclaimed role as gang leader Martin Cahill in John Boorman's The General. His performance gained him awards for not only Best Actor at the 1998 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards and Best Actor at the 1998 ALFS, but also awards from the London Film Critics and the Best Actor award at the 1999 Irish Film & Television Awards.

In 2009, Gleeson was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for his role in Martin McDonagh's In Bruges, in which he starred alongside Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. In the same year, Gleeson won an Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie and an IFTA for best Actor in a Lead Role in Television for his portrayal of Winston Churchill HBO movie "Into the Storm," directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television and a BAFTA for Leading Actor for this performance.

Gleeson is of course also well-known for his role as Professor Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films, as well as the role of Sergeant Gerry Boyle in John Michael McDonagh's The Guard (2011).

2012 saw the release of Safe House, directed by Daniel Espinoza, The Raven, directed by James McTeigue, and Albert Nobbs, directed by Rodrigo García. Other film credits include the role of August Nicholson in M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, Cold Mountain directed by Anthony Minghella, Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, Breakfast on Pluto directed by Neil Jordan, Wolfgang Peterson's Troy, Black Irish directed by Brad Gann, Studs directed by Paul Mercier, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire directed by Mike Newell, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix directed by David Yates, John Boorman's The Tiger's Tail and Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis, John Woo's Mission: Impossible 2, Steven Spielberg's AI, John Boorman's Tailor of Panama and Country of My Skull, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, Perrier's Bounty directed by Ian Fitzgibbon, and Green Zone directed by Paul Greengrass, also starring Matt Damon.

Gleeson is also the voice of Abbott Ceallach in the animated feature The Secret of Kells, the Pirate with Gout in The Pirates! Band of Misfits, the narrator of the Irish-language documentary Seachtar na Casca, as well as the voice of Conor in Cartoon Saloon's Song of the Sea.

Gleeson is an accomplished musician, and plays the fiddle.