Brendan Gleeson is an Irish actor and director who was born on March 29, 1955, in Dublin, Ireland. He attended St Joseph's CBS in Fairview, Dublin and was a part of the school's drama group. Despite going to school for acting, Gleeson took a job as a secondary school teacher of Irish and English at the Catholic Belcamp College in Dublin. He eventually landed small roles around the Dublin and surrounding areas. In 1987, he wrote the first of three plays called "The Birdtable", "Breaking Up", and "Babies and Bathwater". In 1991, Gleeson quit teaching and began pursuing his acting career full time. He landed roles in films such as "Braveheart", "I Went Down", "Gangs of New York", "Cold Mountain", and "28 Days Later". In 2005, Gleeson appeared in the widely successful "Harry Potter" film series as Alastor Moody.

Gleeson's son also appeared in the "Harry Potter" films as Bill Weasley. Gleeson also played Winston Churchill in the film "Into the Storm". Gleeson's portrayal of the historical figure earned him an Emmy Award. He is fluent in Gaelic and promotes the Irish language. Gleeson married his wife Mary in 1982 and had four sons named Domhnall, Brian, Fergus, and Ruairi.