The adored “Quiet Man” star Maureen O’Hara has been heralded as one of Dublin’s favorite actors, though surprisingly only ranking at number eight. The Oscar winner and native Dubliner once billed as the Queen of Technicolor, joined other Dublin natives such as Colin Farrell and Gabriel Byrne on a list that proves Ireland and Dublin’s worth in turning out some incredibly talented and internationally acclaimed actors.
Stealing the number one spot was Brendan Gleeson, who was joined by one of his equally-as-talented actor sons, Domhnall, at number nine.
Unfortunately, O’Hara, well recognized for her fiery red hair and amazing good looks, didn’t even rank as the most popular actress from Dublin with Oscar-winner Brenda Fricker coming in at number five closely followed by a local favorite who is sure to make her way across the Atlantic in the future, Amy Huberman.
“What’s interesting to see when you look into the survey results is that Amy was voted number 6 on the strength of the female vote whilst Colin [Farrell] proved more popular with younger respondents especially women … so no real shock there!” said Douglas Brennan, Brand Manager for ODEON Cinemas.
The list of Dublin’s favorite actors was compiled by Odeon Cinemas, Dublin, to celebrate the opening of the Odeon Charlestown in Finglas and to welcome back Castleknock native Colin Farrell to Dublin for the premier of his new film “The Lobster”.
Nearly one thousand Dubliners were asked to name their favorite actor hailing from Ireland’s historic capital city. The top fourteen were as follows:
1. Brendan Gleeson
Former Irish and English teacher turned actor Brendan Gleeson is officially Dublin’s most adored actor. The fiddle-playing, folklore-loving, Irish-speaking actor has racked up an impressive filmography despite only beginning his professional acting career at the age of 34. He has starred in “Braveheart,” “Michael Collins,” “Mission Impossible II,” “28 Days Later,” “Gangs of New York,” the Harry Potter franchise, “In Bruges,” “Calvary” and will soon be seen in upcoming film “Suffragette.”
2. Colin Farrell
As mentioned, Farrell is a big hit with female film-lovers although that does nothing to diminish his acting star. Since starting out on Irish TV favorite “Ballykissangel,” he has gone on to star in “Phone Booth,” “Miami Vice,” “In Bruges,” “Saving Mr, Banks” and will appear in the Harry Potter spinoff, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”
3. Colm Meaney
Best known for playing Miles O'Brien in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” Colm Meaney is a Dublin-born actor who also starred in “The Commitments” and “Con Air.” His latest role will see him take on the task of playing Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in “The Journey,” a film chronicling the unlikely friendship between Sinn Féin’s McGuinness and staunch loyalist politician and former Democratic Unionist Party leader, Ian Paisley.
4. Gabriel Byrne
Irish cultural ambassador Gabriel Byrne has starred in over 35 feature films including Irish childhood classic “Into the West,” “Enemy of the State,” and “The Usual Suspects.”
5. Brenda Fricker
Oscar-award winning Brenda Fricker was the first Irish actress to receive an Academy Award. Best known for her role as Christy Brown’s mother in “My Left Foot,” for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, she has also starred in “Home Alone 2,” and “The Field.”
6. Amy Huberman
Although she may not be well-known (yet!) in the US, the author and actress Amy Huberman is a firm favorite in Dublin and her star is forever on the rise. Married to Irish rugby legend Brian O'Driscoll, Huberman is a published novelist, has starred in English and Irish TV shows “Threesome” and “The Clinic” and recently starred in Irish film “The Stag.” She is also incredibly funny and her Twitter account is well worth a follow for anybody looking for life commentary that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
7. Aidan Gillen
“Game of Thrones” fans will best know Aidan Gillen as manipulative schemer Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish. Born in Drumcondra, he has also starred as Tommy Carcetti in the acclaimed HBO series “The Wire” and CIA agent Bill Wilson in “The Dark Knight Rises.”
8. Maureen O’Hara
The Hollywood icon from Ranelagh may not have topped this list but she’s always number one at IrishCentral. Best known for playing the iconic Mary Kate in “The Quiet Man,” O’Hara received an honorary Oscar from the Academy in 2014 when she quietened a boisterous crowd by softly singing “Danny Boy”, both a tribute to her roots and showcasing her command of a stage even from a wheelchair at 94 years of age.
9. Domhnall Gleeson
The second of the Gleeson clan to appear on the list, Domhnall is the eldest son of Brendan Gleeson and he has quickly shown that acting talent runs in the family. Starring in “Harry Potter,” “Frank” and “Calvary,” it’s set to be a massive year for Domhnall with a leading role in “Brooklyn” the big-screen adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel, and a starring role in the upcoming “Star Wars” movies.
10. Fionnula Flanagan
Political activist and actress Fionnula Flanagan has starred in such films as “Some Mother’s Son,” “The Others,” “Waking Ned Devine,” and “The Guard,” and is known as a lover of James Joyce, playing six of his female characters in the film “James Joyce's Women” (1985).
11. Aidan Turner
One of the younger actors on the list, 32-year-old Aidan Turner is known for playing Kili in Peter Jackson’s three-part epic, “The Hobbit.” Other roles include recent TV success as Ross Poldark in “Poldark” and a stint with Irish TV show “The Clinic.”
12. Alison Doody
Although she may not have as many films to her name as some of the other actors on the list, Alison Doody starred in one of the most successful film franchise of all time - Indiana Jones. Doody is known as Nazi-sympathising archaeologist Elsa Schneider, in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” (1989).
13. Andrew Scott
One of TV’s best baddies, Andrew Scott plays the insane and brilliant Jim Moriarty, main adversary of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. Appearing in “The Stag”, and “Pride,” he will also star in next year’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass.”
14. Sarah Bolger
Star of Jim Sheridan’s “In America,” and “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” 24-year old Sarah is the youngest of Dublin’s favorite actors but already has some hefty films under her belt. She won an Irish Film and Television Award for her portrayal of Mary Tudor in “The Tudors.”
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