All About Brendan Gleeson's Sons
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Brendan Gleeson's children take after their famous father.
The Oscar nominee has quite the acting resume — including playing Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films and his recent role in The Banshees of Inisherin — and several of his sons have forged their own careers in the industry over the years.
The actor has been married to his wife Mary Weldon since 1982 and together they have four sons, Domhnall, Fergus, Brían, and Rory.
Not only have his sons followed in his footsteps in the entertainment industry, but a few of them have even worked with their father on various projects.
From their notable projects to their bond with their dad, here's everything to know about Brendan's children.
Domhnall Gleeson
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Domhnall Gleeson is Brendan and Mary's eldest son, born on May 12, 1983. He was raised in Malahide, County Dublin with his brothers, where he performed in local school productions during his early years. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Media Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology, Domhnall embarked on his professional acting career.
He made his film debut in Martin McDonagh's short film Six Shooter in 2004, which starred his father. However, his career breakthrough came years later in 2010 when he played Bill Weasley, Ron Weasley's older brother, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 the following year. The project also starred his father, who notably played Alastor Moody in the franchise.
Domhnall has continued to have a prolific career since with some of his most notable films being About Time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Peter Rabbit among many others.
Over the years, Brendan has supported Domhnall at numerous events, including the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of his romantic period drama film Brooklyn.
The two have also hilariously accepted awards for each other at various events. In 2011, Brendan accepted his son's Rising Star award at the 8th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards, joking, "I'm not so sure about rising star. I could never get him up in the morning."
In 2015, Domhnall repaid the favor as he accepted his father's BIFA award for best supporting actor — after he beat his son in the category. "My dad told me that I should accept it if he beat me at this," he said on stage before reading his dad's prepared speech.
Fergus Gleeson
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Born in 1983, Fergus Gleeson is the second son of Brendan and Mary. Unlike his brothers, he has lived predominantly out of the spotlight, only occasionally appearing alongside his dad.
That being said, he has also followed in his father's footsteps in the entertainment industry. He previously made an acting appearance on the 2012 TV movie Immaturity for Charity and is credited as a composer for the short film Psychic, which starred his father Brendan as well as his brothers Domhnall and Brian.
In 2020, Fergus made a rare appearance with his father on the Irish talk show The Late Late Show as they performed "A Pint of Plain Is Your Only Man," with Fergus strumming along on the guitar.
Brian Gleeson
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Brian Gleeson is Brendan and Mary's third child, born on Nov. 14, 1987. Like his older brother Domhnall, he appeared in several local school plays before pursuing acting professionally.
He first started acting in 2006 when he appeared alongside his father in The Tiger's Tail directed by John Boorman. In 2010, he gained critical acclaim as Hughie in the first season of Love/Hate, which earned a nomination for an Irish Film and Television Award for best actor in a supporting role (television).
In addition to roles in films such as Snow White and the Huntsman and Phantom Thread, he has also shared the stage with his father. In 2015, Brendan and his sons Brian and Domhnall costarred in the Enda Walsh play The Walworth Farce (pictured below).
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Additionally, Brian and Domhnall costarred in Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film Mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. The two played brothers, who were meant to represent Cain and Abel from the Bible. They also worked together on the Amazon Prime series Frank of Ireland in 2021.
Rory Gleeson
Sean Berrigan
Rory Gleeson is the youngest son of Brendan and Mary, born in 1989. After growing up in Dublin with his family, he graduated with a BA in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin, before earning further degrees from Oxford, the University of Manchester, and UEA, per his official website.
While his brothers pursued careers in acting, Rory has made a name for himself as a writer. In 2017, he published his debut novel Rockadoon Shore.
The following year, his short film Psychic premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh in 2018. The project was a family collaboration as it starred his father Brendan and brothers Brian and Domhnall. It was also directed by Brendan and composed by his brother Fergus. In November 2019, his debut play Blood in the Dirt debuted at The New Theatre.