Irish American actor Peter Gallagher is having a carer renaissance. This year he's been all over TV making recurring appearances on hit show Californication even as she was dashing between the buzzing sets of Rescue Me and Covert Affairs, playing a priest named Father Phil on one show and the director of the CIA on the other. How's that for versatility?

Next up Gallagher's shooting the feature film Conviction with Hilary Swank and he will also be seen this fall in Christina Aguilera and Cher blockbuster Burlesque. But in the meantime he's happy to reflect on his recent renaissance.

In an interview with the press Gallagher confirmed that work wise he's having a ball, in particular he enjoyed playing the wisecracking priest on Rescue Me.


'It’s so nice to have someone actually write something funny for you. I haven’t watched myself yet, I figure I will eventually. I just laugh my ass off. It feels like the best job in the world - you can relax. And you just look around and marvel at the fact that they’re being allowed to wander around Brooklyn and Manhattan dressed up as firemen.'

Gallagher credits Rescue Me's star Denis Leary for knowing that the priest character would be a good fit for him.

'Denis and I are both like from the neighborhood in some ways. The whole Irish-American thing is something we don’t have to explain to each other. We had been hearing for ages that we should meet each other, and I saw him at a bar - shocking! - and I went over and introduced myself. So that was the beginning of our friendship.'

Asked to discuss his trademark eyebrows, Gallagher laughed: 'You go to certain areas in Ireland and I’m a dime a dozen, so it’s like, what the hell are they talking about, it’s just my eyebrows!'