Andrew Connolly (born 30 November 1965) is an Irish stage and screen actor and director.

Biography

Connolly was born in

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 ...

, Ireland in 1965 and was raised in the

Finglas Finglas (; ) is a northwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It lies close to Junction 5 of the M50 motorway, and the N2 road. Nearby suburbs include Glasnevin and Ballymun; Dublin Airport is to the north. Finglas lies mainly in the p ...

and

Ringsend Ringsend () is a Southside (Dublin), southside inner suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the sou ...

areas. At sixteen years old he left school for a seven-month stint in the Merchant Navy, and later served eighteen months of "torture" in the Irish Navy before returning to Dublin, where he became involved in the Dublin Youth Theater. Connolly began his screen career with a recurring role in the

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

television series ''Inside'' in 1985, with his first film role coming three years later opposite

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

in ''The Courier''. Connolly received roles in several high-profile projects in the 1990s, including the film adaptation of the

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of his novels have ...

novel ''

Patriot Games ''Patriot Games'' is a thriller novel, written by Tom Clancy and published in July 1987. '' Without Remorse'', released six years later, is an indirect prequel, and it is chronologically the first book featuring Jack Ryan, the main character in ...

'' in 1993, and he received a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of an abusive soldier in 1995's ''Guiltrip''. In 1997, Connolly, his wife (actress Karen Woodley), and their two children relocated to Los Angeles. He had roles in several acclaimed television series, including '' Lost'', '' Heroes'', and ''

The Closer ''The Closer'' is an American television police procedural starring Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Los Angeles Police Department deputy chief. A CIA-trained interrogator originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brenda has a reputation as a cl ...

''. He wrote and directed the short film ''Flush'' in 2003, and made his feature film directoral debut with 2008's ''Quest for the Meaning of Life ''. Connolly's most recent role was as ex-con Paddy Bishop in ''

Fair City ''Fair City'' is an Irish television soap opera which has been broadcast on RTÉ One since 1989. Produced by the public service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), it first aired on Monday, 18 September 1989. It has won several awa ...

''.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Andrew 1965 births Living people Male actors from Dublin (city) Irish male film actors Irish male television actors Irish expatriates in the United States Expatriate male actors in the United States Irish Naval Service personnel Irish male soap opera actors