Ireland is famous for many incredible things, from its outstanding landscape ranging from the Cliffs of Moher, the Giants Causeway, and the Blarney Stone, to its cuisine which includes Irish soda bread and Irish stew. Of course, one must take note of the country’s notable exports as well – Irish whiskey, Guinness, wool sweaters, Waterford crystal, literature, and last but certainly not least, its actors.
24/7 Tempo reviewed a popularity ranking on IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, of more than 3,000 actors born in both Ireland and Northern Ireland to compile a list of the most popular Irish actors of today.
It may come as no surprise that many Irish actors begin their acting careers in theater before moving on to motion pictures or television, given that Ireland has a rich stage tradition that’s produced playwrights from George Bernard Shaw to Samuel Beckett to Martin McDonagh. Last night, the first Irish actor ever won an Academy Award for Best Actor (though Daniel Day-Lewis – an English-born actor with joint British/Irish citizenship – has won three Best Actor Oscars). Barry Fitzgerald won Best Supporting Actor in 1945 for “Going My Way,” and Brenda Fricker took home the Best Supporting Actress statue in 1990 for “My Left Foot.(See this list of the most nominated actors who still don’t have Oscars.)
Here are the most popular Irish actors of today.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers
- Born on: July 27, 1977 in Dublin
- Known for: The Tudors (2007-2010)
Sam Neill
- Born on: Sept. 14, 1947 in Omagh, Northern Ireland (moved to New Zealand as a child)
- Known for: Jurassic Park (1993)
Denise Gough
- Born on: Feb. 28, 1980 in Wexford
- Known for: Andor (2022)
Stuart Townsend
- Born on: Dec 15, 1972 in Howth
- Known for: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)
Kenneth Branagh
- Born on: Dec. 10, 1960 in Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Known for: Henry V (1989)
Jamie Dornan
- Born on: May 1, 1982 in Holywood, Northern Ireland
- Known for: Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy (2015, 2017, 2018)
Pierce Brosnan
- Born on: May 6, 1953 in Drogheda
- Known for: GoldenEye (1995)
Genevieve O’Reilly
- Born on: Jan. 6, 1977 in Dublin
- Known for: The Dry (2020)
Jamie-Lee O’Donnell
- Born on: March 4, 1992 in Derry, Northern Ireland
- Known for: Derry Girls (2018-2022)
Orla Brady
- Born on: March 28, 1961 in Dublin
- Known for: Star Trek Picard (2020-2023)
Richard Harris
- Born on: Oct. 1, 1930 in Limerick (died: Oct. 25, 2002)
- Known for: The Field (1990)
Nora-Jane Noone
- Born on: March 8, 1984 in Galway
- Known for: The Descent (2005)
Charlie Murphy
- Born on: April 19, 1988 in Enniscorthy
- Known for: Happy Valley (2014-2023)
Eve Hewson
- Born on: July 7, 1991 in Dublin
- Known for: Robin Hood (2018)
Sinéad Keenan
- Born on: Dec. 27, 1977 in Dublin
- Known for: Being Human (2008-2013)
Caitríona Balfe
- Born on: Oct. 4, 1979 in Dublin
- Known for: Belfast (2021)
Domhnall Gleeson
- Born on: May 12, 1983 in Dublin
- Known for: The Revenant (2015)
Brendan Gleeson
- Born on: March 29, 1955 in Dublin
- Known for: Calvary (2014)
Liam Neeson
- Born on: June 7, 1952 in Ballymena
- Known for: Taken trilogy (2008, 2012, 2014)
Cillian Murphy
- Born on: May 25, 1976 in Douglas
- Known for: Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) and Oppenheimer (2023)
Paul Mescal
- Born on: Feb. 2, 1996 in Maynooth
- Known for: Aftersun (2022)
Barry Keoghan
- Born on: Oct. 18, 1992 in Summerhill
- Known for: The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Jessie Buckley
- Born on: Dec. 28, 1989 in Killarney
- Known for: The Lost Daughter (2021)
Colin Farrell
- Born on: May 31, 1976 in Castleknock
- Known for: In Bruges (2008)
Kerry Condon
- Born on: Jan. 9, 1983 in Thurles
- Known for: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)