Often, I will watch a movie in theaters, and not even suspect when a character is non-American. Europeans seem to do the American accent so well, I won't even realize it until watching an interview later on. Needless to say, I'm always surprised. So in celebration of Saint Patrick's Day, let's show some praise for a few great actors I bet you didn't know were Irish.
1. Cillian Murphy
Cillian was born in Douglas, a suburb in the Irish city of Cork. He also attended college in Cork Ireland, and even Law school, before eventually dropping out. He's known for playing the villainous Scarecrow in "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight Rises," as well as the oblivious Robert Fischer in Christopher Nolan's "Inception." With his well rehearsed American accent, you would never guess he was an Irish lad.
2. Colin O'Donoghue
Colin O'Donoghue was born and raised in Drogheda, Ireland. He attended The Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. He is most known for playing the villain you can't help but love, Captain Hook, on ABC's popular "Once Upon a Time" series. His last name might give away his Irish background, but with a face like his, it's hard to pay attention to these minor details.
3. Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson is predominantly known for his role in the very current "Taken" movies. He's also been in countless phenomenal films such as "Schindler's List," "Starwars: The Phantom Menace," "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," "Batman Begins" and "Entourage." Oh yeah, and he's Irish. Neeson is from Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
4. Michael Fassbender
Michael is half German and half Irish. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, but raised in Killarney, South West Ireland. He is obviously Erik Lehnsherr, a.k.a. Magneto from the "X-men" movies, but he's also been in movies such as "Inglorious Bastards" and "300," alongside his Scottish neighbor, Gerard Butler.
5. Pierce Brosnan
If you don't know who he is, your mom probably does. He was the James Bond of the '90s. Brosnan was also born in Drogheda Ireland, like O'Donoghue, but was raised in England. He was very popular in the '80s and '90s (Think Stu from "Mrs. Doubtfire"), but is still acting today, in movies like "Mama Mia" and "Remember Me."
One or two of these, if not all, had to surprise you! So, if you're feeling a little festive this week, you now have a solid reference of Irish actors to look out for! With that being said, happy St. Patrick's Day!
