Colm J. Meaney (; ga, Colm Ó Maonaigh; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor known for playing Miles O'Brien in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994) and ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'' (1993–1999). He has guest-starred on many TV shows including '' Law & Order'' and ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...

'', and starred as Thomas Durant on '' Hell on Wheels'' (2011–2016). He has also had a career in films, appearing in '' Layer Cake'', ''

The Damned United ''The Damned United'' is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling 2006 novel '' The Damned Utd'' – a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of ...

'', all three film adaptations of Roddy Doyle's '' The Barrytown Trilogy'', and in '' Get Him to the Greek''. He was a principal character in the film ''

The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain ''The Englishman who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain'' is a 1995 romantic comedy film with a story by Ifor David Monger and Ivor Monger, written and directed by Christopher Monger. It was entered into the 19th Moscow International Film ...

''. In 2017, Meaney won the Best Actor

IFTA Ifta is a former municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it has been part of the town Treffurt Treffurt () is a small town in the western region of the Wartburgkreis district which belongs to the ...

for his portrayal of Irish politician Martin McGuinness in the film '' The Journey''. In 2020, he was listed at number 24 on ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Early life

Meaney was born in Finglas,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. He began studying acting at age 14, and he entered the Abbey Theatre School of Acting after secondary school. He became a member of the

Irish National Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the pu ...

and worked for the next eight years in England, touring with several theatre companies, including the 7:84 theatre group founded by John McGrath.

Career

Meaney's first television appearance was in ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it deb ...

'' on BBC 1, in 1978. He guest-starred on shows such as '' Remington Steele'' and ''

Moonlighting Moonlighting may refer to: * Side job, a job taken in addition to one's primary employment Entertainment * ''Moonlighting'' (film), a 1982 drama film by Jerzy Skolimowski * ''Moonlighting'' (TV series), 1985–1989 American television series, s ...

'' before embarking on a successful film career; he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his role in '' The Snapper''. Meaney first appeared on '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' in its 1987 pilot episode, "

Encounter at Farpoint "Encounter at Farpoint" is the pilot episode and series premiere of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', which premiered in syndication on September 28, 1987. It was written by D. C. Fontana a ...

", as an unnamed helm officer. His character became a frequently recurring one, and was given the name of Miles O'Brien as he became more prominent in the crew as Transporter Chief. In 1993, Meaney left ''The Next Generation'' for a main role in its spin-off ''

'' and remained on that show until its final episode, in 1999. With 225 total appearances on ''Star Trek'', he has made more appearances on the franchise than any other actor except Michael Dorn. Meaney played Colum O'Hara in the 1994 miniseries '' Scarlett'', the sequel to '' Gone With the Wind''. He has played a minor recurring role as Cowen, leader of the Genii on the Sci-Fi Channel (now Syfy) series '' Stargate Atlantis'', guest-starred on ''Law & Order'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and appeared as Bob O'Donnell on the ABC show '' Men in Trees''. Meaney can also be seen in the film ''

Die Hard 2 ''Die Hard 2'' (also known by its tagline ''Die Harder'')The film's onscreen title is ''Die Hard 2'', as also given at the initial home-video release'official website The film's original advertising used "Die Harder" as a tagline, and many rele ...

'', playing the pilot for the plane Windsor 114 that was later crashed by Colonel Stuart. He was the only actor to appear in all three film adaptations of Roddy Doyle's '' The Barrytown Trilogy,'' wherein he played the father of the Rabbitte family. Due to rights issues, the family name was changed from film to film. His stage appearances include the Old Vic production of

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

's ''

A Moon for the Misbegotten ''A Moon for the Misbegotten'' is a play in four acts by Eugene O'Neill. The play is a sequel to O'Neill's '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', with the Jim Tyrone character as an older version of Jamie Tyrone. He began drafting the play late in 1 ...

''. Meaney starred in British comedy film ''

Three and Out ''Three and Out'' is a 2008 British black comedy film directed by Jonathan Gershfield and starring Mackenzie Crook, Colm Meaney, Gemma Arterton, Imelda Staunton, and Kerry Katona. It premiered in London on the 21 April 2008 and was released in t ...

'' released in the UK on 25 April 2008. In July of the same year An Post (the Irish Post Office) issued a postage stamp showing Meaney as Joe Mullen in the film ''

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

''. In 2009, Meaney co-starred with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx in ''

Law Abiding Citizen ''Law Abiding Citizen'' is a 2009 American vigilante action thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray, written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler (who also co-produced). The film takes place in Philadelphia, telling the stor ...

'', playing Detective Dunnigan. In March 2009, Meaney voiced an Irish bartender on the St. Patrick's Day episode of ''The Simpsons'', " In the Name of the Grandfather". In the same month the film ''

'' was released, a mostly fictional retelling of the 44-day period in which

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Engli ...

was

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

of Leeds United. Meaney played the former Leeds manager

Don Revie Donald George Revie OBE (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an England international footballer and manager, best known for his successful spell with Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, which immediately preceded his appointment as England mana ...

. He also co-starred in '' Soldiers of Fortune'' with Christian Slater and Ving Rhames. In 2013, Meaney co-starred with

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, whi ...

in '' Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa''. In 2014, he appeared as The Horse in the BBC's three-part crime story, '' The Driver''. For five seasons he portrayed railroad magnate Thomas Durant on AMC's drama series '' Hell on Wheels''.

Personal life

Meaney married Irish actress

Bairbre Dowling Bairbre Dowling (born Barbara Patricia Dowling; 27 March 1953 – 20 January 2016) was an Irish actress. She appeared in films, frequently on the American stage and on US TV as well as in Irish productions. Early life Dowling was born in Dubl ...

in 1977. Their daughter Brenda was born in 1984. The couple divorced in 1994. He married French costume designer Ines Glorian in March 2007. Their daughter was born in 2005. They live in the Majorcan town of Sóller. Meaney is a supporter of

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( , ; en, " eOurselves") is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Gr ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Meaney, Colm 1953 births People from Glasnevin Ballygall 20th-century Irish male actors 21st-century Irish male actors Irish expatriates in the United States Irish male film actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Abbey Theatre Living people People educated at O'Connell School