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Aidan Gillen
Aidan Gillen Official.jpg
Aidan Gillen in 2010
Born
Aidan Murphy

(1968-04-24) 24 April 1968 (age 56)
Dublin, Ireland
Occupation Actor
Years active 1982–present
Spouse(s)
Olivia O'Flanagan
(m. 2001; div. 2015)
Partner(s) Camille O'Sullivan
(2017–present)
Children 2

Aidan Murphy (born 24 April 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (/ˈɡɪlən/), is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award.

On television, he played Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 series Queer as Folk (1999–2000), Tommy Carcetti in the HBO series The Wire (2004–2008), John Boy in the RTÉ series Love/Hate (2010–2011), Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2017), and Aberama Gold in the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2017–2019).

His film roles include CIA operative Bill Wilson in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Dr. Frank Harte in Calvary (2014), Janson in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015) and Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018), Robert in Sing Street (2016), and John Reid in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). He also provided the voice and motion capture for Paul Serene in the 2016 video game Quantum Break.

Early life

Gillen was born in the Drumcondra area of Dublin on 24 April 1968, the youngest of six children born to Patricia (née Gillen) and Denis Murphy. He was educated at St. Vincent's C.B.S. in Dublin's Glasnevin neighbourhood.

Gillen began his acting career as a teenager, joining the National Youth Theatre at the age of fourteen and playing Nick Bottom in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Project Arts Centre when he was sixteen. The name Aidan Murphy was already registered so he began using his mother's maiden name as a stage name. He moved to London in 1987 when he was nineteen.

Career

Gillen played Stuart Alan Jones in the Channel 4 television series Queer as Folk and its sequel, for which he received a British Academy Television Award nomination for Best Actor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his Broadway role in Harold Pinter's play The Caretaker and has also been nominated for an Irish Times Theatre Award for his portrayal of Teach in the Dublin Gate Theatre's 2007 production of David Mamet's American Buffalo.

In 2004, having been spotted by producers in The Caretaker, Gillen was cast as Tommy Carcetti in the HBO series The Wire, for which he received an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role in Television. In 2008, he was named an "Irish cult hero" by the Sunday Tribune. He appeared in the 2009 film 12 Rounds, and in July of that year, he appeared in the one-off BBC2 drama Freefall. He co-starred as Phil Hendrick in the British drama Thorne.

In 2011, Gillen began playing Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish on the HBO series Game of Thrones, for which he received his second Irish Film & Television Award nomination. He appeared in seven seasons, until his character's death in the season 7 finale "The Dragon and the Wolf". He starred as cop killer Barry Weiss in the British crime-thriller Blitz and in the British horror film Wake Wood. Gillen played crime boss John Boy in the acclaimed Irish crime-drama Love/Hate, for which he received his third Irish Film & Television Award nomination and second win.

In 2012, he played CIA operative Bill Wilson (the character's name is from the novelisation; his name is not directly said in the film's script) in The Dark Knight Rises, his first role in a major Hollywood film. Gillen said he enjoyed playing the role, but preferred low-budget lead roles to blockbuster bit-parts. Gillen's character was particularly noted by some Internet circles for his delivery of supposedly awkward dialogue in the film's opening plane scene, especially by users of 4chan's /tv/ board. Thus, he subsequently became the subject of an Internet meme popular among /tv/ users known as "Baneposting", which references the dialogue between Wilson and Tom Hardy's character Bane in said scene. The same year, Gillen also starred in the British spy-drama Shadow Dancer, and was announced as the new host of the music show Other Voices.

He starred in the BBC five-part thriller Mayday in 2013, and the Irish comedy-drama film Calvary the following year. He shared a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination with the cast of Game of Thrones for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Gillen also starred in the short film Ekki Múkk, created for the Valtari Mystery Film Experiment by Icelandic band Sigur Rós, as well as Janson in the second film, The Scorch Trials, and third film, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, in the Maze Runner trilogy.

Gillen played Queen's manager John Reid in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which was released on 2 November 2018. He starred as Aidan in the short film titled I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't, written and directed by Irish actress Laoisa Sexton.

He starred in The History Channel's two-season series Project Blue Book from 2019 to 2020. Gillen played Dr. J. Allen Hynek, a brilliant and underappreciated college professor who is recruited by the U.S. Air Force to spearhead an operation named Project Blue Book. He is joined by his partner Air Force Capt. Michael Quinn as they investigate UFO sightings around the country.

Personal life

Gillen resides in his native Dublin. He met Olivia O'Flanagan when they were teenagers. They have two children: Berry (b. March 1997) and Joe (b. October 2000). They married in 2001 and separated in 2015.

Gillen has been in a relationship with singer Camille O'Sullivan since 2017.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Drip Young Guy Short film
1987 The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne Youth at Liquor Store Credited as Aidan Murphy
1988 The Courier Boy
1995 Circle of Friends Aidan Lynch
1996 Some Mother's Son Gerard Quigley
1997 Mojo Baby
1998 Gold in the Streets Paddy
Amazing Grace Young Man Short film
1999 Buddy Boy Francis
2000 The Second Death Pool Player Short film
The Low Down Frank
2001 My Kingdom Barry Puttnam
Robertson Major William Robertson Short film
2002 The Final Curtain Dave Turner
2003 Photo Finish Joe Wilde
Shanghai Knights Lord Nelson Rathbone
Burning the Bed Stephen Short film
2006 Trouble with ... Conor
2008 Blackout Karl
2009 12 Rounds Miles Jackson
2009 Spunkbubble Dessie Short film
Runners Terry
2010 Treacle Jr. Aidan
2011 Wake Wood Patrick Daley
Blitz Barry Weiss
2012 The Dark Knight Rises CIA Op "CIA Op" in film credits, "Bill Wilson" in the movie's novel
Shadow Dancer Gerry
Ekki Múkk Little One Short film
The Good Man Michael
2013 Scrapper Ray
The Note Lars Short film
Mister John Gerry Devine
Beneath the Harvest Sky Clayton
Song Dan Short film
2014 Calvary Dr. Frank Harte
Still Tom Carver
Song Dan Short film
Ambition Master
2015 You're Ugly Too Will
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Janson
2016 Sing Street Robert
2017 The Lovers Robert
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Goosefat Bill
2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Janson
Bohemian Rhapsody John Reid
2019 I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't Aidan Short film
Rose Plays Julie Peter
2021 Those Who Wish Me Dead Jack Blackwell
2023 Barber Val Barber
Dance First James Joyce

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1982 Wanderly Wagon Shadow
1990 The Play on One Harry Episode: "Killing Time"
1992 An Ungentlemanly Act Marine Wilcox Television film
1993 A Handful of Stars Tony Television film
Belfry Dominic Television film
The Bill Jeff Barratt Episode: "Play the Game"
Screenplay Gypo Episode: "Safe"
1994 In Suspicious Circumstances James Crozier Episode: "To Encourage the Others"
1999–2000 Queer as Folk Stuart Alan Jones 10 episodes
2000 The Darkling Jeff Obold Television film
Lorna Doone Carver Doone Television film
2001 Dice Glenn Taylor 2 episodes
2002 First Communion Day Seamus Television film
2003 Agatha Christie's Poirot Amyas Crale Episode: "Five Little Pigs"
2004–2008 The Wire Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti 35 episodes
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Jimmy Colby Episode: "Vigilante"
The Last Detective Steve Fallon Episode: "Willesden Confidential"
Walk Away and I Stumble Paul Television film
2009 Freefall Gus Television film
2010 Thorne Phil Hendricks 6 episodes
Identity DI John Bloom 6 episodes
2010–2011 Love/Hate John Boy Power 10 episodes
2011–2017 Game of Thrones Petyr Baelish 41 episodes
2011–2013 Other Voices Himself (host)
2013 Mayday Everett Newcombe 5 episodes
2015 Charlie Charles J. Haughey 3 episodes
2017 Urban Myths Timothy Leary Episode: "Cary Grant and Timothy Leary"
2017–2019 Peaky Blinders Aberama Gold 10 episodes
2018 Dave Allen at Peace Dave Allen Television film
2019–2020 Project Blue Book J. Allen Hynek 20 episodes
2021–present Kin Frank Kinsella 16 episodes
2021 Killers of the Cosmos Gumshoe detective (voice) 6 episodes
2021–present Mayor of Kingstown Milo Sunter 20 episodes
2022 That Dirty Black Bag Butler 2 episodes
Chicago Party Aunt Small Man (voice) Episode: "St. Patrick's Day"

Music videos

Year Title Artist Ref.
2012 "Ekki múkk" Sigur Rós
2014 "Valentine" I Draw Slow
2016 "Cameo" Mick Flannery
2019 "When We Go Out" Vinci
2019 "Lived Through This Before" Barry McCormack
2020 "A Hero's Death" Fontaines D.C.
2020 "Distant Shores" Barry McCormack

Audiobooks

Year Title Notes
1994 Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
1995 Felicia's Journey
1995 The Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments
1998 Irish Short Stories
2010 The Poetry of Ireland
2015 The Art of War

Radio

Year Title Notes
2013 The Last Tycoon BBC Radio 4

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Quantum Break Paul Serene Also motion capture
2022 Dying Light 2 Hakon Also motion capture

Stage

Year Title Role Venue(s)
1981 The Do-It-Yourself Frankenstein Outfit Robot Dublin Youth Theatre
1985 Our Day Out Andrews Dublin Youth Theatre
1985 A Midsummer Night's Dream Nick Bottom National Youth Theatre
1988 The Wexford Trilogy: A Hand of Stars Tony Bush Theatre
1989 Juno and the Paycock Soldier Royal National Theatre
1989 Blue Ed Ache / Fred National Theatre Studio
1989 The Long Way Round Albin Royal National Theatre
1989 The Water Engine Bernie Hampstead Theatre
1990 Lovers Meeting Joe Hession Druid Theatre Company
1991 The Patriot Game Pearse Abbey Theatre
1991 The Wexford Trilogy: Belfry Dominic Bush Theatre
1992 Drama at Inish Eddie Twohig Abbey Theatre
1993 The Wexford Trilogy Tony / Dominic Abbey Theatre
1993 Marvin's Room Hank Hampstead Theatre
Comedy Theatre
1994 The ... of the Western World Christopher Mahon Almeida Theatre
1995 Mojo Skinny Royal Court Theatre
2000 The Tempest Ariel Almeida Theatre
2001 Platonov Platonov Almeida Theatre
2003 The Caretaker Mick Roundabout Theatre
2005 Someone Who'll Watch Over Me Edward New Ambassadors Theatre
2007 American Buffalo Teach Gate Theatre
2007 Glengarry Glen Ross Richard Roma Apollo Theatre
2015 The Dead Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
2021–2022 Faith Healer Frank Hardy Abbey Theatre

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Result
2000 Queer as Folk British Academy Television Award for Best Actor Nominated
2000 The Low Down Edinburgh International Film Festival for Best British Newcomer Won
2004 The Caretaker Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
2004 The Caretaker Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
2004 The Caretaker Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play Nominated
2009 The Wire Irish Film and Television Award for Actor in a Lead Role Television Won
2010 Treacle Jr. British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor Nominated
2011 Treacle Jr. Milan International Film Festival Award for Best Actor Won
2012 Love/Hate Irish Film and Television Award for Actor in a Lead Role Television Won
2012 Game of Thrones Irish Film and Television Award for Actor in a Supporting Role Television Nominated
2012 Game of Thrones Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2014 Game of Thrones Irish Film and Television Award for Actor in a Supporting Role Television Nominated
2015 Charlie Irish Film and Television Award for Actor in a Lead Role Television Won
2015 Game of Thrones Empire Hero Award Won
2016 Game of Thrones Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2016 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain Nominated
2017 Quantum Break NAVGTR Award for Supporting Performance in a Drama Won
2018 Maze Runner: The Death Cure Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Villain Nominated

See also

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