Gabriel Byrne

Description

Gabriel Byrne (born 12 May, 1950) is an Irish actor. <p>Born in Dublin Ireland, the first of six children born to devoutly Roman Catholic parents, Byrne was educated by the Irish Christian Brothers. He attended University College Dublin, where he studied archaeology and linguistics, becoming proficient in Irish. He worked in archaeology when he left UCD but maintained his love of the language, writing the first drama in Irish, Draiocht, on Ireland's national Irish Language television station, TG4 when it began broadcasting in 1996. <p>Byrne discovered his passion for acting later in his life. Before becoming an actor, he did work as everything from an archaeologist to a cook, to a bullfighter to a Spanish schoolteacher. When he finally found acting aged 29, he began his career on stage with the Focus Theatre and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, later joining the Royal Court Theatre and the National Theatre in London. <p>Byrne came to prominence on the final season of the Irish television show The...