Aidan Gillen

Early life and education

Gillen was born Aidan Murphy in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, the youngest of six children born to Patricia (née Gillen) and Denis Murphy, on 24 April 1968. He was educated at St. Vincent's C.B.S. in Dublin's Glasnevin neighbourhood.

Gillen joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of fourteen, and also joined Dublin Youth Theatre in his teens. His career began when he was 16, with the role of Nick Bottom in the Dublin Youth Theatre's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Project Theatre in 1983.

He obtained his Equity card straight after leaving school, and began getting small professional roles at 17. The name Aidan Murphy was already registered so he began using his mother's maiden name as a stage name. He moved to London in 1987 when he was 18 or 19.

Career

Stage

Gillen's first role on a London stage was at the Bush Theatre, in Billy Roche's Wexford Trilogy. Soon afterwards he had a role in Juno and the Paycock at the Royal National Theatre.

In 2005, he played one of three men in a prison cell in Dominic Dromgoole's production of Irish playwright Frank McGuinness's 1992 hostage drama, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me at the New Ambassadors in London.

In 2008, Gillen played Teach in the Dublin Gate Theatre's 2007 production of David Mamet's American Buffalo.

Gillen had his Broadway debut playing Mick, alongside Patrick Stewart and Kyle MacLachlan, in Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker in 2003, directed by David Jones. The New York Times reviewer Ben Brantley called his performance a "smashing Broadway debut".

Screen

During the 1990s Gillen played a number of roles in television dramas and series, including a TV adaptations of the Wexford Trilogy.

In 1997, he appeared alongside playwright Harold Pinter in Mojo

In 2000, he starred in The Low Down, director Jamie Thraves' first feature film. The film was named among the "neglected masterpieces" of film history by The Observer in its rundown of 50 Lost Movie Classics.

In 2003, he played the villain in the Shanghai Noon sequel, Shanghai Knights.

In 2004, having been spotted by producers in The Caretaker, Gillen was cast as Tommy Carcetti in the HBO series The Wire, for which he received an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television.

In 2011, Gillen began playing Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish on the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which he received his second Irish Film & Television Award nomination. He appeared in seven seasons, until his character's death in the season 7 finale "The Dragon and the Wolf". He starred as cop killer Barry Weiss in the British crime-thriller Blitz and in the British horror film Wake Wood. Gillen played crime boss John Boy in the acclaimed Irish crime-drama Love/Hate, for which he received his third Irish Film & Television Award nomination and second win.

In 2012, he played CIA operative Bill Wilson (the character's name is from the novelisation; his name is not directly said in the film's script) in The Dark Knight Rises, his first role in a major Hollywood film. Gillen said he enjoyed playing the role, but preferred low-budget lead roles to blockbuster bit-parts. Gillen's character was particularly noted by some Internet circles for his delivery of supposedly awkward dialogue in the film's opening plane scene, especially by users of 4chan's /tv/ board. Thus, he subsequently became the subject of an Internet meme popular among /tv/ users known as "Baneposting", which references the dialogue between Wilson and Tom Hardy's character Bane in said scene. The same year, Gillen also starred in the British spy-drama Shadow Dancer, and was announced as the new host of the music show Other Voices.

He starred in the BBC five-part thriller Mayday in 2013, and the Irish comedy-drama film Calvary the following year. He shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with the cast of Game of Thrones for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Gillen also starred in the short film Ekki Múkk, created for the Valtari Mystery Film Experiment by Icelandic band Sigur Rós, as well as Janson in the second film, The Scorch Trials, and third film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, in the Maze Runner trilogy.

Gillen played Queen's manager John Reid in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which was released on 2 November 2018. He starred as Aidan in the short film titled I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't, written and directed by Irish actress Laoisa Sexton.

He starred in The History Channel's two-season series Project Blue Book from 2019 to 2020. Gillen played Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a brilliant and underappreciated college professor who is recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead an operation named Project Blue Book. He is joined by his partner Air Force Capt. Michael Quinn as they investigate UFO sightings around the country.

Gillen co-wrote the script of and starred in Jamie Thraves' fourth feature film, Pickups (2017). This was the third collaboration with Thraves.

He plays Frank Kinsella, a member of a prominent Irish crime family in the RTÉ One crime drama Kin (2021–2023).

Personal life

Gillen resides in his native Dublin. He met Olivia O'Flanagan when they were teenagers. They have two children. They married in 2001 and separated in 2005.

Gillen has been in a relationship with singer Camille O'Sullivan since 2014.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music video appearances

Audiobooks

Video games

Stage credits

Radio appearances

Awards and nominations

Footnotes

References

References

1. (29 November 2020). "'Aloof? I was just scared' – Aidan Gillen on finding love, dealing with his father's illness and why he prefers Kerry to Hollywood". [[Irish Independent]].
2. Clark, Stuart. (24 April 2020). "Happy Birthday to Aidan Gillen who talks David Simon and The Wire in this classic interview".
3. Sweeney, Tanya. (30 October 2021). "Aidan Gillen: 'I think people like looking at violence on TV and movies. It's living vicariously. It's kind of a release of pressure". Irish Independent.
4. "National Youth Theatre".
5. Lawson, Mark. (2 October 2007). "'I don't mind nasty roles'". The Guardian.
6. O'Connor, Aine. (20 July 2015). "Aidan Gillen comes to terms with fame".
7. (3 October 2000). "Aidan Gillen".
8. Brady, Tara. (13 April 2023). "Aidan Gillen: 'It was liberating to get out a little early on Game of Thrones'". The Irish Times.
9. Gillen, Aidan. (12 January 2015). "Proper Charlie: Aidan Gillen on how acting and children keep him young".
10. (14 January 2022). "A Midsummer Night's Dream".
11. (11 May 2020). "Aidan Gillen".
12. Clapp, Susannah. (24 April 2005). "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me".
13. (14 January 2008). "Theatre Awards Shortlist Announced".
14. Kennedy, Randy. (19 November 2003). "Intrigued by Characters With Dark Mysteries".
15. (2 February 2016). "Current (Aidan Gillen) and future (Richard E. Grant) Game of Thrones Actors discuss their careers". Winter is Coming.
16. Butterworth, Jez. (23 October 2016). "Mojo (1997 Film) : Jez Butterworth".
17. Ryan Gilbey. "Jamie Thraves: Life is bittersweet | Film". [[The Guardian]].
18. "50 Lost Movie Classics". [[The Guardian]].
19. "Treacle Jr".
20. "Winners of the 6th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards, 2009". Irish Film and Television Academy.
21. "Aidan Gillen – Nominated for TWO IFTA awards". Live Journal.
22. Dresdale, Andrea. (12 April 2015). "'Game of Thrones' Premiere: What to Expect from Season 5". Go.com.
23. MacDonald, Lindsay. (27 August 2017). "The Game of Thrones Finale Featured a Major Reveal and a Long-Awaited Death".
24. "Third series of Love/Hate in development".
25. "IFTA winners 2012 announced". RTÉ.
26. Cox, Greg. (24 July 2012). "The Dark Knight Rises: The Official Novelization". Titan Books.
27. Mottram, James. (14 September 2013). "Lost soul: Aidan Gillen is taking on an existential crisis in the spiky Mister John". [[The Independent]].
28. (26 April 2014). "Baneposting".
29. Broderick, Ryan. (25 January 2017). "Trump Supporters And Neo-Nazis Are Using Secret Chatrooms To Harass Shia LaBeouf". [[BuzzFeed]].
30. (29 January 2017). "Aidan Gillen has accidentally become part of a bizarre 'alt-right meme'". [[TheJournal.ie.
31. (8 November 2011). "Gillen is new Other Voices host".
32. "I did warn you not to trust me…". UniversityObserver.
33. "Aidan Gillen in BBC thriller Mayday".
34. "Sigur Rós – Ekki múkk". Vimeo.
35. (26 September 2017). "Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander Join Cast of Queen Biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". The Hollywood Reporter.
36. "SEARCH FOR a PLAY – PlayographyIreland".
37. (10 February 2019). "'Project Blue Book' Renewed For Season 2 By History – TCA".
38. Gilbey, Ryan. (9 December 2015). "Aidan Gillen: 'I hate fame – but I'd miss it too'".
39. White, Peter. (6 November 2020). "Aidan Gillen, Charlie Cox & Clare Dunne To Star In Irish TV Drama 'Kin' From Bron Studios, Headline Pictures & NENT Studios For RTÉ".
40. (27 October 2023). "BBC acquires star studded Irish crime drama Kin".
41. O'Connor, Aine. (17 July 2015). "Aidan Gillen comes to terms with fame". Irish Independent.
42. (16 October 2014). "Game of Thrones star takes lead in hard sci-fi 'Ambition' (Wired UK)".
43. "First look: Gabriel Byrne as Samuel Beckett in James Marsh's biopic 'Dance First'".
44. (24 September 2012). "Watch: New Sigur Rós Video Starring Aiden Gillen, a.k.a. Mayor Tommy Carcetti From "The Wire"".
45. McGuire, Peter. (13 February 2014). "'Game of Thrones' Star Aidan Gillen in New 'I Draw Slow' Video". [[The Huffington Post]].
46. Madden, Peter. (26 September 2016). "CAMEO".
47. McIntyre, Sarah. (7 June 2019). "Aidan Gillen stars in Irish band's music video about homeless crisis".
48. (20 November 2019). "Watch: Aidan Gillen plays conspiracy theorist in new music video".
49. Dolan, Jon. (8 May 2020). "Song You Need to Know: Fontaines D.C., 'A Hero's Death'".
50. Corr, Alan. (25 November 2020). "Watch: Aidan Gillen plays vagrant in new music video".
51. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0051H6FW4 ASIN B0051H6FW4]
52. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000PYA4MA ASIN B000PYA4MA]
53. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002SQCXX6 ASIN B002SQCXX6]
54. [https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003GQ6S2O ASIN B003GQ6S2O]
55. "Faith Healer".
56. "The Last Tycoon – BBC Radio 4".
57. "Edinburgh International Film Festival 2000". [[IMDb]].
58. (14 January 2008). "Theatre Awards Shortlist Announced".
59. "MIFF Awards Winners MIFF Tour". Milan International Film Festival Awards.
60. (2015). "Empire Hero Award". [[Bauer Consumer Media]].
61. Eliahou, Maya. (9 June 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016—Captain America: Civil War Leads Second Wave of Nominations". E! Online.
62. "Teen Choice Awards 2018: See the full list of winners". [[Entertainment Weekly]].