Owen McDonnell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Owen McDonnell
McDonnell at the British Library in 2022
Born	1974 (age 50–51) Galway, Ireland
Occupation	Actor

Owen McDonnell is an Irish actor, born in 1974. He is well-known for his parts in popular TV shows. These include the RTÉ drama Single-Handed (from 2007 to 2010), the TG4 Western An Klondike (from 2015 to 2017), and the BBC spy thriller Killing Eve (from 2018 to 2022).

Owen McDonnell's Early Life and Training

McDonnell was born in Galway, a city in Ireland. He moved to London, England, in 1996. There, he studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Before he started working in movies and television, Owen performed a lot in plays. He acted in many theatre productions across Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Owen McDonnell's Acting Career Highlights

McDonnell had a role in the 2003 movie called Conspiracy of Silence. His big break in television came with the RTÉ Television police drama Single-Handed. He played the main character, Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll, in all four seasons of the show. For this role, he was even nominated for an IFTA Award in 2011.

How Owen McDonnell Got His Big Break

Owen was offered the lead role in Single-Handed after a casting director named Maureen Hughes called him. At the time, he was performing in a play called The Lieutenant of Inishmore in Galway. McDonnell and two other actors went to Dublin to read the script for the show's first director, Colm McCarthy. He was given the main role just one day later.

Other TV Shows and Movies

McDonnell also appeared in other RTÉ shows like Wild Decembers. He was in the MI5 thriller Spooks on BBC One and the crime thriller Silent Witness, also on BBC One. He also acted in the first two seasons of the sitcom Mount Pleasant on Sky1.

In 2014, McDonnell starred as Inspector Fiachra Greene in the Irish language movie An Bronntanas (which means "The Gift"). This film was shown at the Galway Film Fleadh. It was later chosen to represent Ireland for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. The movie was made from a five-episode TV series with the same name, which aired on TG4 in late 2014.

In 2015, McDonnell starred in the popular TG4 series An Klondike. This show is a Western, set during the Klondike gold rush. In 2016, he appeared in Wrecking the Rising. He also acted in the short film An Béal Bocht, which was based on a funny book by Flann O'Brien.

Owen McDonnell in Killing Eve

In 2018, McDonnell first appeared as Niko Polastri in Killing Eve. He played the husband of the main character, played by Sandra Oh. When Sandra Oh met Owen at the first script reading, she immediately felt that their on-screen relationship would feel real. She believed it would be an important part of her character's story.

Owen McDonnell's Personal Life

Owen McDonnell lives in London with his British girlfriend, Jill.

Owen McDonnell's Filmography