Martin McDonagh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martin McDonagh
McDonagh in 2022
Born	Martin Faranan McDonagh (1970-03-26) 26 March 1970 (age 55) Camberwell, London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom Ireland
Occupation	Playwright screenwriter producer film director
Years active	1996–present
Partner(s)	Phoebe Waller-Bridge (2017–present)
Relatives	John Michael McDonagh (brother)
Awards	Full list

Martin McDonagh (born 26 March 1970) is a talented writer and director from both Britain and Ireland. He is famous for his plays and films that often mix funny moments with serious or dark themes. His stories sometimes make you think about how theatre is usually done.

Martin McDonagh has won many important awards for his work. These include an Academy Award, six BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Olivier Awards. He has also been nominated for five Tony Awards.

Some of his well-known plays are The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Cripple of Inishmaan, The Lonesome West, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman, A Behanding in Spokane, and Hangmen. Many of these plays have been shown in famous theatres like the West End in London and on Broadway in New York.

He won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for his short movie Six Shooter. He has also been nominated for six other Academy Awards for his feature films. These include In Bruges (2008), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). He also directed the movie Seven Psychopaths (2012).

Life and Career

Early Life

Martin McDonagh was born in Camberwell, London, on March 26, 1970. His parents were from Ireland. His mother was from County Sligo, and his father was from County Galway. In 1992, his parents moved back to Galway, Ireland. Martin and his brother, John Michael McDonagh, who is also a writer and director, stayed in London.

Theatre Work

Martin McDonagh's first six plays are divided into two groups, called trilogies. They are all set in or around County Galway, Ireland, where he used to spend his holidays.

The first group of plays is set in Leenaun, a small village on the west coast of Ireland. These plays are The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1996), A Skull in Connemara (1997), and The Lonesome West (1997).

His second group of plays is set on the Aran Islands, which are off the coast of County Galway. These plays include The Cripple of Inishmaan (1996), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001), and The Banshees of Inisheer. The third play, The Banshees of Inisheer, was never officially published. Martin McDonagh said it "isn't any good," but he hoped to work on it again later. In 2022, he directed a film called The Banshees of Inisherin. It's not clear how much the film is like the unproduced play.

In 1999, he received an award called the V Europe Prize Theatrical Realities.

Martin McDonagh's first play not set in Ireland was The Pillowman. It takes place in a made-up country where the government controls everything. This play first opened at the Royal National Theatre in 2003.

A Behanding in Spokane was Martin McDonagh's first play set in the United States. It opened on Broadway in March 2010. The main actor, Christopher Walken, was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his role as a killer searching for his lost hand.

McDonagh also wrote two award-winning radio plays, including The Tale of the Wolf and the Woodcutter.

In 2010, it was announced that he was working on a new musical with the musician Tom Waits and director Robert Wilson.

The Leenane Trilogy

The first play in this group is The Beauty Queen of Leenane. It tells the story of a difficult relationship between a woman and her bossy mother. The woman gets one last chance at love, while her mother faces a sad ending. The play was very popular when it opened in Galway in 1996. It later moved to Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play.

The second play, A Skull in Connemara, is about a man in Connemara who digs up skeletons in a crowded graveyard. He finds the bones of his wife, whom he was once accused of killing. This play first opened in Galway in 1997.

The last play in this group is The Lonesome West. It's about two brothers who argue a lot after their father dies in what seems like an accident. This play was also shown on Broadway in 1999 and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play.

The Aran Islands Trilogy

The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy about a disabled teenager. He tries to get a part in a movie called Man of Aran. The play opened in London in 1997.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore is the next play in this group. It was written after a sad event in 1993 where two children were killed. It's a dark comedy about a very angry leader of a small group who finds out his favorite cat has been killed. This play was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 2006.

The third play, The Banshees of Inisheer, was not produced. The film The Banshees of Inisherin, which Martin McDonagh directed in 2022, has a similar name. It's not clear how much the film's story is like the unproduced play.

Other Plays

The Pillowman This play is about a writer in a country where the government controls everything. He is questioned about the stories he has written, which are like dark fairy tales. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2004.

A Behanding in Spokane This play is about a character named Carmichael who has been looking for his missing left hand for 25 years. The play opened on Broadway in March 2010.

Hangmen This play follows Harry Wade, who was England's second-best hangman. The story takes place after hanging was stopped in Great Britain in 1965. The play first opened in London in 2015 and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2016. It also had a short run on Broadway in 2020 and returned in 2022. Critics really liked it.

A Very Very Very Dark Matter This play is set in Copenhagen and explores the dark secrets behind the stories of children's author Hans Christian Andersen and writer Charles Dickens. It opened in London in 2018.

Film Work

Martin McDonagh has said he enjoys writing films more than plays. He feels a lot of respect for the history of movies. He once mentioned that theatre can be expensive for people to see.

2000s Films

In 2006, Martin McDonagh won an Academy Award for his short film Six Shooter (2004). This was the first film he wrote and directed. It's a dark comedy starring Brendan Gleeson. In the film, Gleeson's character meets a strange young man on a train after his wife dies.

McDonagh then made a deal to direct In Bruges, a full-length film he wrote. It's about two Irish hitmen who hide in the city of Bruges in Belgium after a job goes wrong. The film came out in 2008 and starred Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, and Brendan Gleeson. McDonagh was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for this film.

2010s Films

McDonagh in 2012

In 2008, McDonagh mentioned he had other film scripts ready. One of them was Seven Psychopaths. This film was released in North America in October 2012. It starred Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, and Tom Waits.

McDonagh also wrote and directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). This drama-comedy starred Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. It won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Three Billboards won four awards at the Golden Globes, including Best Screenplay for McDonagh. He also received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for the film.

2020s Films

In 2020, it was announced that McDonagh was working on his next film, The Banshees of Inisherin. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell were cast in the main roles. Filming started in August 2021 and finished in October 2021. The movie first showed at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in September 2022. It won Best Original Screenplay at the 80th Golden Globe Awards, and the film also won Best Comedy/Musical. McDonagh received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for this film.

His film Wild Horse Nine began filming on Easter Island in March 2025.

Personal Life

Martin McDonagh lives in East London. He has both Irish and British citizenship. He spent a lot of his childhood in County Galway, Ireland. Since 2017, he has been in a relationship with the actress and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge. He is also a vegetarian.

Works

Plays

• The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1996)
• The Cripple of Inishmaan (1996)
• A Skull in Connemara (1997)
• The Lonesome West (1997)
• The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001)
• The Banshees of Inisheer (unproduced)
• The Pillowman (2003)
• A Behanding in Spokane (2010)
• Hangmen (2015)
• A Very Very Very Dark Matter (2018)

Filmography

Films he Directed and Wrote

Short film

• Six Shooter (2004)

Executive producer

• The Second Death (2000)
• The Guard (2011)

Awards and Nominations

Martin McDonagh's films have won many awards. Here's a summary of some of the major awards his films have received:

Actors who won or were nominated for Academy Awards in his films: Martin McDonagh has directed actors who have been recognized with Academy Award nominations and wins for their performances.

See also

In Spanish: Martin McDonagh para niños

• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain
• List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Ireland
• List of European Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of Golden Globe winners