Domhnall Gleeson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Domhnall Gleeson
Gleeson at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Domhnall Gleeson (1983-05-12) 12 May 1983 (age 42) Dublin, Ireland
Education	Dublin Institute of Technology (BA)
Occupation	Actor screenwriter
Years active	2001–present
Spouse(s)	Juliette Bonass ​ (m. 2023)​
Parent(s)	Brendan Gleeson (father)
Relatives	Brian Gleeson (brother)

Domhnall Gleeson (born 12 May 1983) is an Irish actor and screenwriter. He is the son of famous actor Brendan Gleeson. Domhnall studied media arts at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

He started his career by directing and writing short films. In 2006, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the play The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He became well-known for playing Bill Weasley in the last two Harry Potter movies (2010–2011).

Gleeson has starred in many popular films. These include the romantic comedy About Time (2013) and the sci-fi movie Ex Machina (2014). He also played General Hux in the Star Wars movies (2015–2019). In 2023, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the TV series The Patient.

Early Life and Education

Domhnall Gleeson was born on May 12, 1983, in Dublin, Ireland. He grew up in Malahide, County Dublin. He is the oldest son of Mary Weldon and actor Brendan Gleeson.

He has three brothers: Fergus, Brian (who is also an actor), and Rory. Domhnall went to Malahide Community School. There, he acted in school plays like Grease and King Lear. After school, he earned a degree in Media Arts from the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Acting Career

Starting Out in Theatre and Film (2001–2009)

After college, Gleeson began directing and writing for movies and plays. His first TV appearance was in the British show Rebel Heart in 2001. In 2004, he made his film debut in the short film Six Shooter. His father also starred in this film, which won an Academy Award.

In 2006, Gleeson starred in the movie Studs alongside his father. He also appeared in the TV comedy series The Last Furlong. At age 23, he acted in the Broadway play The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His role earned him a Tony Award nomination. Later, he played Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations at the Gate Theatre in Dublin.

In 2008, Gleeson starred in the TV comedy show Your Bad Self. In 2009, he was cast as Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. His father, Brendan, played Alastor Moody in the same series. Domhnall was at first unsure about acting with his father. But he later changed his mind.

Becoming a Well-Known Actor (2010–2014)

Domhnall Gleeson at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival

In 2010, Gleeson appeared in the romantic film Never Let Me Go. He also played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. The second part of the film, Part 2, came out in July 2011. Playing Bill Weasley helped him become known to many more people.

He also had a role in the film True Grit. His short comedy film, Noreen, which starred his father and brother, was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2010, he played musician Bob Geldof in the TV film When Harvey Met Bob. Gleeson won an Ifta Award for this role in 2011.

In 2012, Gleeson starred in the drama Shadow Dancer. He also played Kostya Levin in the historical romance Anna Karenina. His last film of 2012 was the science fiction movie Dredd.

In 2013, Gleeson appeared in "Be Right Back", an episode of the science-fiction series Black Mirror. He played a man who returns as an android clone. Later that year, he starred in About Time. This romantic comedy was about a young man who uses time travel.

In 2014, Gleeson played Jon in Frank. He also had a small role in the Irish drama Calvary. His last film of 2014 was Unbroken, a war film directed by Angelina Jolie. For this role, he lost a lot of weight.

Major Film Roles and TV Success (2015–Present)

Gleeson at a premiere for Brooklyn in September 2015

In 2015, Gleeson was in four films that received Oscar nominations. His first was the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina. He played a programmer who tests a robot with artificial intelligence. He also appeared in the romantic drama Brooklyn.

In December 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released. Gleeson played the strict General Hux, a commander of the First Order. He also co-starred in the western The Revenant with Leonardo DiCaprio.

In 2016, Gleeson narrated the BBC Two nature series Earth's Greatest Spectacles. In 2017, he played a CIA agent in American Made. He also played Winnie-the-Pooh creator A. A. Milne in Goodbye Christopher Robin. He returned as General Hux in Star Wars: The Last Jedi in December 2017.

In 2018, Gleeson co-starred in A Futile and Stupid Gesture. He also played Thomas McGregor in Peter Rabbit, a movie based on the famous character. The film was very successful, earning over $350 million worldwide. He also starred with his brother and father in the short film Psychic.

In 2019, Gleeson returned as General Hux in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This was the final film in the nine-movie series. He also reprised his role as Thomas McGregor in Peter Rabbit 2 in 2021.

Since 2020, Gleeson has taken on more TV roles. In 2020, he co-starred in the HBO comedy thriller series Run. In 2021, he starred in Frank of Ireland, an Irish comedy series he co-created with his brother.

Gleeson returned to theatre in 2021 in the play Medicine. He received praise for his performance. In 2022, he starred in the psychological thriller series The Patient. He received Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations for this role. In 2023, he played John Dean in the political miniseries White House Plumbers.

In 2023, Gleeson also starred in Hozier's music video for "De Selby (Part 2)". He voiced Lawrence in James Acaster's podcast Springleaf. In 2024, he starred in the TV series Alice & Jack. He is also set to appear in the upcoming films Echo Valley and Fountain of Youth.

Personal Life

Gleeson lives in Ballsbridge, Dublin. He and his father, Brendan, both love the English football team Aston Villa. He once called their 2015 FA Cup semifinal win "one of the great days of my life".

In 2023, Gleeson married Irish producer Juliette Bonass. They met in college and have worked together on projects like Your Bad Self and Immatürity for Charity.

Domhnall Gleeson is also an ambassador for St. Francis Hospice in Dublin. He and his father support the hospice because their grandparents received care there. In 2013, Gleeson created comedy sketches called Immatürity For Charity to raise money for the hospice.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	Six Shooter	Cashier	Short film
2005	Boy Eats Girl	Bernard
	Stars	Brian (voice)	Short film
2006	Studs	Trampis
2009	Perrier's Bounty	Clifford
	Corduroy	Mahon	Short film
2010	Never Let Me Go	Rodney
	Sensation	Donal Duggan
	Noreen	None	Short film; writer/director
	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1	Bill Weasley
	True Grit	Moon
2011	Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2	Bill Weasley
2012	Shadow Dancer	Connor McVeigh
	Dredd	Clan Techie
	Anna Karenina	Konstantin Levin
2013	About Time	Tim Lake
2014	Frank	Jon Burroughs
	Calvary	Freddie Joyce
	Unbroken	Russell Allen Phillips
	Ex Machina	Caleb Smith
2015	Brooklyn	Jim Farrell
	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	General Hux
	The Revenant	Andrew Henry
2016	The Tale of Thomas Burberry	Thomas Burberry	Short film
2017	American Made	Monty Schafer
	Mother!	Oldest Son
	Crash Pad	Stensland
	Goodbye Christopher Robin	A. A. Milne	Lead role
	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	General Armitage Hux
2018	A Futile and Stupid Gesture	Henry Beard
	Peter Rabbit	Mr. Jeremy Fisher (voice) / Thomas McGregor
	The Little Stranger	Dr. Faraday
2019	The Kitchen	Gabriel O’Malley
	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	General Hux
2021	Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway	Thomas McGregor
2025	Fountain of Youth	Owen Carver
	Echo Valley	Jackie
TBA	Bucking Fastard	Timothy	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Rebel Heart	Byrne	1 episode
2005	The Last Furlong	Sean Flanagan	3 episodes
2009	A Dog Year	Anthony Armstrong	Television film
2010	Your Bad Self	Various	6 episodes; also writer
	When Harvey Met Bob	Bob Geldof	Television film
2012	Immatürity for Charity	Various	Fundraiser
2013	Black Mirror	Ash Starmer	Episode: "Be Right Back"
2016	Earth's Greatest Spectacles	Narrator (voice)	3 episodes
2017	Catastrophe	Dan	2 episodes
2018	Psychic	Shergar	Television short film
2019	Star Wars Resistance	General Armitage Hux (voice)	2 episodes; archive audio
2020	Run	Billy Johnson	7 episodes
2021	Frank of Ireland	Doofus MacGiollagan	6 episodes; also writer and producer
2022	The Patient	Sam Fortner	Miniseries
2023	White House Plumbers	John Dean
2024	Alice & Jack	Jack
2025	The Paper	TBA	Main role
	The Scarecrows’ Wedding	Harry O’Hay (voice)	Upcoming animated film

Stage

Audio

Music videos

• "De Selby (Part 2)" - Hozier

Video games

Theme park attractions

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Domhnall Gleeson para niños