Martin McDonagh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Martin McDonagh
McDonagh in 2012
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 Faranan McDonagh (born 26 March 1970) is a talented British-Irish writer and filmmaker. He is famous for his plays and movies that often use dark humor and surprising twists. His work often challenges what people expect from plays and films.

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

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 Broadway in New York.

He won an Oscar for his short film Six Shooter. He has also been nominated for six other Oscars for his feature films. These include In Bruges (2007), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), and The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). He directed the dark comedy film Seven Psychopaths (2012). He also helped produce other films like The Second Death (2000) and The Guard (2011).

Early Life and Family

Martin McDonagh was born in London, England, on 26 March 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. However, Martin and his brother, John Michael McDonagh, who is also a writer and director, stayed in London.

Creative Work

Theatre Plays

Martin McDonagh's first six plays are set in and around County Galway, Ireland. This is where he used to spend his holidays as a child. These plays are divided into two groups, called trilogies.

The first group of plays is set in a small village called Leenane. It includes 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. This group includes The Cripple of Inishmaan (1996), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001), and The Banshees of Inisheer. The third play in this group was never officially published. Martin McDonagh said it "isn't any good," but he might work on it again later. Interestingly, in 2022, he directed a film called The Banshees of Inisherin. It's not clear how much the film is like the unproduced play.

Martin McDonagh's play The Pillowman was his first play not set in Ireland. It takes place in a made-up country where the government has total control. This play first opened in 2003.

His play A Behanding in Spokane was his first one set in the United States. It opened on Broadway in 2010. The main actor, Christopher Walken, was nominated for a Tony Award for his role. He played a man looking for a hand he lost when he was young.

The Leenane Trilogy Plays

The first play in this group is The Beauty Queen of Leenane. It tells the story of a woman and her bossy mother. The woman gets a last chance at love, while her mother faces a difficult end. The play was very popular when it first opened 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 who digs up old bones in a crowded graveyard. He finds the bones of his wife, whom he was once accused of killing. This play also premiered in 1997 and was later shown in London and the US.

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.

The Aran Islands Trilogy Plays

The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy. It's about a teenager with a disability who tries to get a part in a movie called Man of Aran. The play first opened in London in 1997. It was also performed in New York and Los Angeles.

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 performed in New York in 2006 and was nominated for a Tony Award.

The third play, The Banshees of Inisheer, was never fully produced. The film The Banshees of Inisherin, which Martin McDonagh directed in 2022, might be similar to this unproduced play.

Other Notable Plays

The Pillowman This play is about a writer in a country where the government controls everything. He is questioned about the dark short stories he has written, which are like twisted fairy tales. The play won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play in 2004 and was nominated for a Tony Award in 2005.

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 2010.

Hangmen This play follows Harry Wade, who was England's second-best hangman. It 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 briefly came to Broadway in 2020 and returned in 2022. Critics really liked it, with one saying it felt "perfect fit for our unjust times."

A Very Very Very Dark Matter This play is set in Copenhagen and shows a dark secret behind the famous stories of children's author Hans Christian Andersen and writer Charles Dickens. It premiered 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 films. He once mentioned that theatre can be expensive for people to see, which he finds a bit strange for an art form.

Films from the 2000s

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 about a man who meets a strange young person on a train after his wife dies. The film stars Brendan Gleeson.

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, released in 2008, stars Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, and Brendan Gleeson. In Bruges was shown at important film festivals, and McDonagh was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Films from the 2010s

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

McDonagh wrote and directed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017). This drama with dark humor stars Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. It won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Three Billboards won four Golden Globe awards, including Best Screenplay for McDonagh. He was also nominated for Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for this film.

Films from the 2020s

In 2020, it was announced that McDonagh was working on his next film, The Banshees of Inisherin. It stars Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell. Filming was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but started in August 2021. The movie premiered in September 2022. McDonagh won Best Original Screenplay at the 80th Golden Globe Awards for this film. He also received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

Personal Life

Martin McDonagh lives in East London. He has both Irish and British citizenship. He spent a big part 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.

Plays Written

• 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

Film

Short film

• Six Shooter (2004)

Executive producer

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

Awards and Nominations

Actors nominated for Oscars in his films

Images for kids

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  Martin McDonagh in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Martin McDonagh para niños