The best actors of Irish descent

James Bond may be the ultimate British spy, but a few non-English folks have played him. That includes Ireland’s own Brosnan, who starred in four Bond films, including the well-liked “Goldeneye” and the not-terribly-well-liked “Die Another Day.”

In a few of her bigger projects, including “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” and the fourth season of “Fargo,” Buckley doesn’t use her natural Irish accent. However, se did use an impeccable Scottish accent in “Wild Rose,” the role in which she earned a BAFTA nomination.

Born in Dublin, Byrne has appeared in films like “Miller’s Crossing” and “End of Days.” He’s also in “The Usual Suspects” as the guy many think is actually Keyser Soze. Byrne has also had success on television with shows like “In Treatment,” as he has three Emmy nominations.

While Day-Lewis was born and raised in London, he actually has dual citizenship between Britain and Ireland. Ergo, the Emerald Isle gets to lay claim to arguably the greatest living actor. Day-Lewis’ tremendous acting skills need no introduction, as he’s won three Oscars on six nominations. While he’s said he is retired as an actor, Day-Lewis is young enough he could always come back (and probably get nominated again).

After a promising start to his career, Farrell got his chance to star in action films and big blockbusters. Movies like “Miami Vice” didn’t quite work out as hoped, and Farrell also dealt with some personal issues. He’s since reinvented himself a bit with movies like “In Bruges” and an interesting turn in the “Fright Night” remake.

His last name, like his father, may be German, but Fassbender has plenty of Ireland in his blood. He also has quite the acting career as well. After growing up in Ireland, he got a chance to break out with “Band of Brothers,” before roles in films like “Inglourious Basterds.” In addition to his critically-acclaimed work, Fassbender has been seen in franchise roles as well, primarily as Magneto in the “X-Men” films.

In 2020, no lesser a publication than The Irish Times named Gambon the 28th-best Irish actor of all time. After studying under Laurence Olivier, Gambon began to make his name on stage, receiving Tony nomination. Although, most people probably remember him best as Dumbledore from the “Harry Potter” films, as he took on the role after Richard Harris passed away.

Did you know there is such a thing as the Irish Film & Television Awards? It’s true, and Gillen has three of them. If you live in the United States, you likely know Gillen better for his work in “The Wire” or a little show called “Game of Thrones.” There, he played Littlefinger.

“In Bruges” was quite the showcase for Irish actors apparently. In addition to Farrell, Gleeson costars in the movie. An underrated actor, Gleeson has turned in excellent performances in films like “Gangs of New York” and “Cold Mountain.” He’s also in the beloved “Paddington 2.”

Yes, Domhnall is related to Brendan. In fact, he’s the son of the venerated Irish actor. Domhnall is heading toward a fine career of his own, however. He starred alongside fellow Irishman Fassbender in “Frank,” but you likely remember Gleeson best from the recent “Star Wars” trilogy.

We mentioned Harris earlier, as he was the original Dumbledore in the first two of the “Harry Potter” movies. He also showed up in films like “Unforgiven” and “Gladiator.” If you thought it was impressive that Gambon was 28th on The Irish Times’ list of the best Irish actors, Harris finished third in that ranking.

If the last name “Hewson” sounds familiar to you, it’s the last name of Bono from U2. Eve is his daughter. At this point in her career, she has already carved out quite an acting resume of her own. She co-starred in “The Knick,” and also played Maid Marian in one of many reimaginings of “Robin Hood.”

After making it big in British television, Horgan began to make an impact across the pond. She co-created and co-starred in “Catastrophe” with Rob Delaney, and then she also created the HBO series “Divorce” for good measure. On top of that, she’s made a few movie appearances as well.

If you’ve watched “Columbo,” you’ve seen McGoohan as a murderer a handful of times. However, he did much more in his career than that, such as portraying King Edward I in Braveheart. The actor, born in America to Irish parents who then moved back to Ireland when he was a kid, also starred in the cult classic show “The Prisoner.”

If you like a supernatural flavor to your pop culture, you’d like McGrath’s filmography. In addition to appearing in a King Arthur film, she played Morgana in the TV show “Merlin” and played Lucy in a TV adaptation of “Dracula.” Oh, and then she played Lena Luthor on “Supergirl” as well. She’ll forever be popular at conventions, we assume.

Speaking of popularity at conventions, Meaney definitely would get some love at those places as well. While he’s been in a few movies and TV roles, primarily Meaney is remembered for playing Miles O’Brien in both “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” When you spend that much time in the “Star Trek” universe, you get yourself a lot of fans.

That “Dracula” TV show we mentioned earlier that Katie McGrath was in? Meyers played Dracula on that show. Prior to that, he played King Henry VIII in “The Tudors,” and before that played King Philip II in a TV version of “The Lion in Winter.” Oh, and speaking of kings, he also played Elvis Presley.

If you want a spooky villain, Murphy is usually a fine choice as an actor. We’re not judging the man himself, as he’s probably not as creepy as the guy in “Red Eye” or Scarecrow from “Batman Begins.” Well, we assume that’s the case. He seemed a little less ominous in “Dunkirk,” for example.

Negga was born in Ethiopia, but when her Ethiopian father tragically died in a car accident when she was seven, she moved to her mother’s native Ireland, where she grew up and went to college. Negga was given the chance to star as Mildred Loving in “Loving,” and she also was one of the main characters in the trippy AMC show “Preacher.”

There is no mistaking O’Dowd’s place of origin. He doesn’t do much to hide his thick Irish brogue, not that directors seem to want him to. Even when he played a cop in “Bridesmaids,” he was an Irishman with his distinct accent. Prior to arriving in the United States, O’Dowd also made a splash in the beloved British sitcom “The IT Crowd.”

We’re going old school with a vintage Irish actor. O’Hara topped that Irish Times ranking we’ve mentioned a couple of times, and she is true Hollywood royalty. The winner of a lifetime achievement Oscar, O’Hara appeared as a costar of John Wayne in several films, many of which were directed by John Ford.

O’Toole has an impressive record, but one you arguably don’t want to have. The screen icon was nominated for Best Actor a whopping eight times. However, he did not win even once. O’Toole has the most acting nominations of any actor without a single win. Hey, it’s an honor just to be nominated, right?

Ronan is well on her way to either being an Oscar winner or a regular Peter O’Toole. She’s only 26 and has already been nominated for four Oscars. That’s a dream of a career for most actors! Ronan will get her win eventually, especially if she keeps putting on performances as she did in “Lady Bird” or “Little Women.”

Any protagonist benefits from having an interesting antagonist. Fortunately, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes had just that in Scott’s version of James Moriarty. His Moriarty was even eviler than most iterations, but he was also pretty funny when he wasn’t terrifying. Scott doesn’t just play monsters, though. He rose to greater fame for being the “hot priest” on “Fleabag.”

Speaking of “Fleabag,” Shaw was in the second season of that show, earning herself an Emmy nomination. Also, like a few actors on this list, the Irish thespian had a role in the “Harry Potter” series. She played Petunia Dursley, for all you Potter heads.