Aidan Quinn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aidan Quinn
Quinn at the premiere of Handsome Harry at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival
Born	(1959-03-08) March 8, 1959 (age 66) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Bracco ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	2

Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor. He started his acting career in 1979 and has been in many movies and TV shows. His first film was Reckless in 1984. Since then, he has acted in over 80 films. Some of his well-known movies include Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), The Mission (1986), Benny & Joon (1993), Legends of the Fall (1994), and Practical Magic (1998).

Aidan Quinn also played Captain Thomas "Tommy" Gregson in the TV show Elementary from 2012 to 2019. He has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work in TV movies. He has also been nominated four times for the Irish Film and Television (IFTA) Award, winning for his role in The Eclipse (2009).

Early Life and Beginnings

Aidan Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were from Ireland. He grew up in different places, including Chicago and Rockford, Illinois in the U.S., and also in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly, in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, worked as a homemaker and in travel. His father, Michael Quinn, was an English literature professor.

When Aidan was 19, he was working as a roofer. It was then that he decided he wanted to become an actor. He trained at the Piven Theatre Workshop to learn acting skills.

Aidan has three brothers and one sister. His older brother, Declan Quinn, is a cinematographer, who works with cameras on films. His younger sister, Marian, is also an actress, director, and writer. His brother Paul, who was an actor and director, passed away in 2015.

A Look at His Career

Aidan Quinn's first important movie role was in Reckless. After that, he had a big role in Desperately Seeking Susan, where he played a character named "Dez." He then starred in a TV movie called An Early Frost, for which he received his first Emmy Award nomination.

He also had a small but memorable role as Robert De Niro's brother in The Mission. In the action-comedy Stakeout, he played an escaped convict named Richard "Stick" Montgomery.

In the 1990s, Aidan Quinn appeared in many popular films. These include Legends of the Fall, Benny & Joon, The Handmaid's Tale, and Practical Magic. He also starred in Michael Collins, a movie about Irish history. He had a small appearance as a ship captain in the movie Frankenstein.

In 2000, he played the famous musician Paul McCartney in the TV drama Two of Us. He also played Kerry Max Cook in the 2005 movie The Exonerated. This film told the true stories of people who were wrongly sentenced and later set free.

In 2006, Quinn played the main character in the NBC drama The Book of Daniel. He received his second Emmy nomination in 2007 for the TV movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Later, he had a cameo role in the French film Sarah's Key (2010), which was set during World War II. He also co-starred in the TV series Elementary as Captain Thomas Gregson.

Personal Life

Elizabeth Bracco and Quinn, 2009

In 1987, Aidan Quinn married Elizabeth Bracco, who was his co-star in the movie Stakeout. Elizabeth is also the sister of actress Lorraine Bracco. They have two daughters named Mia (born 1998) and Ava Eileen (born 1989). Ava appeared as a baby in the movie Avalon, and Mia played a ghost in The Eclipse.

The Quinn family used to live in Englewood, New Jersey. Now, they live in Palisades, Rockland County, New York, and also in Marbletown in the the Catskills / Woodstock area of Ulster County, New York.

Aidan Quinn is a big sports fan. He supports the Chicago Cubs baseball team and the Green Bay Packers football team. He also admires famous athletes like Michael Jordan, Rory McIlroy, and Roger Federer.

Helping Others

Aidan Quinn has used his fame to help different causes. In 2010, he attended a special movie screening to raise money for the International Children's Media Center (ICMC) and The American Ireland Fund (AIF). In 1991, he read a part of a book for MTV's "Books: Feed Your Head" campaign, which encouraged people to read.

He also spoke at the "Night of Too Many Stars" event in 2003, which raised money for The Autism Coalition. He was an honorary board member for the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), an organization that supports autism research.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

• My Favorite Year behind Bologna 1/2 hour in

  Aidan Quinn in My Favorite Year behind Bologna 1/2 hour in (1982)

• An Early Frost

  Aidan Quinn in An Early Frost (1985)

• The Lemon Sisters

  Aidan Quinn in The Lemon Sisters (1990)

• Blink (1993 film)

  Aidan Quinn in Blink (1994)

• The Stars Fell on Henrietta

  Aidan Quinn in The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995)

• Lumière and Company

  Aidan Quinn in Lumière and Company (1995)

• Looking for Richard

  Aidan Quinn in Looking for Richard (1996)

• Commandments (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Commandments (1997)

• In Dreams (film)

  Aidan Quinn in In Dreams (1999)

• Stolen Summer

  Aidan Quinn in Stolen Summer (2002)

• Bobby Jones Stroke of Genius

  Aidan Quinn in Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)

• Shadow of Fear

  Aidan Quinn in Shadow of Fear (2004)

• Proud (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Proud (2004)

• Dark Matter (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Dark Matter (2007)

• 32A

  Aidan Quinn in 32A (2007)

• A Shine of Rainbows

  Aidan Quinn in A Shine of Rainbows (2009)

• Festival of Lights (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Festival of Lights (2010)

• Jonah Hex (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Jonah Hex (2010)

• Across the Line The Exodus of Charlie Wright

  Aidan Quinn in Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright (2010)

• The 5th Quarter

  Aidan Quinn in The 5th Quarter (2010)

• The Pilgrims The Journey to a New World for Autism

  Aidan Quinn in The Pilgrims: The Journey to a New World for Autism (2010)

• The Stand Up

  Aidan Quinn in The Stand Up (2011)

• The Greening of Whitney Brown

  Aidan Quinn in The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)

• Muide Éire

  Aidan Quinn in Muide Éire (2011)

• If I Were You (2012 Canadian film)

  Aidan Quinn in If I Were You (2012)

• The Last Keepers

  Aidan Quinn in The Last Keepers (2013)

• Rushlights (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Rushlights (2013)

• Journey to Sundance

  Aidan Quinn in Journey to Sundance (2014)

• Change in the Air

  Aidan Quinn in Change in the Air (2018)

• Spiked (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Spiked (2021)

• Daughter of the Bride

  Aidan Quinn in Daughter of the Bride (2023)

• Cry from the Sea

  Aidan Quinn in Cry from the Sea (TBA)

• American Dream (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in American Dream (1981)

• Perfect Witness

  Aidan Quinn in Perfect Witness (1989)

• Lies of the Twins

  Aidan Quinn in Lies of the Twins (1991)

• A Private Matter

  Aidan Quinn in A Private Matter (1992)

• Baseball (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in Baseball (1994)

• The Irish in America

  Aidan Quinn in The Irish in America (1995)

• Out of Ireland The Story of Irish Emigration to America

  Aidan Quinn in Out of Ireland: The Story of Irish Emigration to America (1995)

• Forbidden Territory Stanley's Search for Livingstone

  Aidan Quinn in Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone (1997)

• The Prince and the Pauper (2000 film)

  Aidan Quinn in The Prince and the Pauper (2000)

• The Young Messiah (musical)

  Aidan Quinn in The Young Messiah (2000)

• Night Visions (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in Night Visions (2001)

• Benedict Arnold A Question of Honor

  Aidan Quinn in Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003)

• Freedom A History of US

  Aidan Quinn in Freedom: A History of US (2003)

• See You in My Dreams

  Aidan Quinn in See You in My Dreams (2004)

• Plainsong

  Aidan Quinn in Plainsong (2004)

• Cavedweller (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Cavedweller (2004)

• Miracle Run

  Aidan Quinn in Miracle Run (2004)

• The Exonerated

  Aidan Quinn in The Exonerated (2005)

• Empire Falls (miniseries)

  Aidan Quinn in Empire Falls (2005)

• Mayday (2005 film)

  Aidan Quinn in Mayday (2005)

• Law & Order Special Victims Unit

  Aidan Quinn in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2007)

• Canterbury's Law

  Aidan Quinn in Canterbury's Law (2008)

• The Prince of Motor City

  Aidan Quinn in The Prince of Motor City (2008)

• White Collar (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in White Collar (2010)

• Weeds (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in Weeds (2011)

• Prime Suspect (U.S. TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in Prime Suspect (2011)

• The Horses of McBride

  Aidan Quinn in The Horses of McBride (2012)

• Allegiance (film)

  Aidan Quinn in Allegiance (2012)

• From Tee to Green The Story of Irish Golf

  Aidan Quinn in From Tee to Green: The Story of Irish Golf (2014)

• The American Guest

  Aidan Quinn in The American Guest (2019)

• Blue Bloods (TV series)

  Aidan Quinn in Blue Bloods (2024)

• The Man in 605

  Aidan Quinn in The Man in 605 (1979)

• Scheherazade

  Aidan Quinn in Scheherazade

• The Irish Hebrew Lesson

  Aidan Quinn in The Irish Hebrew Lesson

• Trumbo Red, White and Blacklisted

  Aidan Quinn in Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted (2004)

• Conversations in Tusculum

  Aidan Quinn in Conversations in Tusculum (2008)

See also

In Spanish: Aidan Quinn para niños