Gerard McSorley (Irish: Gearóid Mac Somhairle; born 1 January 1950) is an Irish theatre, television and film actor.

Early life

He was born in the

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...

town of

Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...

and, after attending a Christian Brothers school in his hometown, he attended St. Columb's College in Derry. He then attended

Queen's University, Belfast The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...

, where he was taught by

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish Irish poetry, poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. Among his best-known works is ''Death of a Naturalist'' (1966), his first m ...

. He resides in

Gweedore Gweedore ( , officially known by its Irish language name, ) is a Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) district, and parish, located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. It stretches some from Glasserchoo and Bloody For ...

, County Donegal. He is a descendant of John McSorley, who opened

McSorley's Old Ale House McSorley's Old Ale House is the oldest Irish wikt:saloon, saloon in New York City. Opened in the mid-19th century at 15 7th Street (Manhattan), East 7th Street, in what is now the East Village, Manhattan, East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, ...

, the oldest operating pub in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

He spent much of his early career working in theatre, notably at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

in Dublin. After playing Michael Evans in the original West End and Broadway productions of

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...

's play ''

Dancing at Lughnasa ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' is a 1990 play by dramatist Brian Friel set in County Donegal, Ireland in August 1936 in the fictional town of Ballybeg. It is a memory play told from the point of view of the adult Michael Evans, the narrator. He re ...

'' in the early 1990s, McSorley started to attract more TV and movie roles. He has appeared in many Hollywood movies including ''

Braveheart ''Braveheart'' is a 1995 American epic film, epic historical drama, historical war drama film directed and produced by Mel Gibson, who portrays Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against Edward I of Engl ...

'' (in which his character "Cheltham" was decapitated by William Wallace at the battle of Stirling) and ''

In the Name of the Father ''In the Name of the Father'' is a 1993 biographical crime drama film co-written and directed by Jim Sheridan. It is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed fo ...

''. One of his most celebrated performances was his lead role in ''Omagh'', a feature-length television drama depicting the effect of the Omagh bombing on the residents of the town. He is also known for playing the mysterious "Father Todd Unctious" in the Christmas special episode (" A Christmassy Ted") of the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

sitcom ''

Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for British television channel Channel 4. It aired over three seri ...

''. His film credits include '' The Constant Gardener'', and he was also cast as Queenan in ''

The Departed ''The Departed'' is a 2006 crime film, crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both an English-language remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-lif ...

'' but had to pull out (

Martin Sheen Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. His work spans over six decades of television and film, and his accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and ...

took over the role). McSorley most recently played the role of Robert Aske in the Showtime historical drama ''

The Tudors ''The Tudors'' is a historical fiction television series set primarily in 16th-century England, created and written by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime. The series was a collaboration among ...

''. He appeared in the 2010 movie ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

'', directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

and starring

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...

Legal issues

In November 2019, McSorley was arrested for a breach of the peace. He was also charged with damaging property in a cell at

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

Garda Station. A warrant was issued for his arrest the following month after he failed to appear in court.

Filmography

Film

* '' SOS Titanic'' (1979, TV Movie) – Martin Gallagher * ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (1982) – Assistant * ''Withdrawal'' (1982, Short) – Gerry * '' Taffin'' (1988) – Ed * ''

'' (1993) – Detective Pavis * ''

Widows' Peak ''Widows' Peak'' is a 1994 British-Irish mystery film directed by John Irvin and starring Mia Farrow, Joan Plowright, Natasha Richardson, Adrian Dunbar and Jim Broadbent. The film is based on an original screenplay by Hugh Leonard and Tim Ha ...

'' (1994) – Gaffney, Lawyer * ''

Moondance ''Moondance'' is the third studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 27 January 1970 by Warner Bros. Records. After the commercial failure of his first Warner Bros. album '' Astral Weeks'' (1968), Morr ...

'' (1994) – Fr. McGrath * '' Words Upon the Window Pane'' (1994) – Abraham Johnson * '' An Awfully Big Adventure'' (1995) – George * ''

'' (1995) – Cheltham * '' Nothing Personal'' (1995) – Cecil * '' Michael Collins'' (1996) – Cathal Brugha * '' Some Mother's Son'' (1996) – Fr. Daly * '' The Serpent's Kiss'' (1997) – Mr. Galmoy * '' The Butcher Boy'' (1997) – Psychiatrist #2 * ''

The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth and final studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a stan ...

'' (1997) – Harry * ''

'' (1998) – Narrator (voice) * '' Felicia's Journey'' (1999) – Felicia's Father * '' Agnes Browne'' (1999) – Mr. Aherne * '' Angela's Ashes'' (1999) – Father Gregory * '' Ordinary Decent Criminal'' (2000) – Harrison * '' On The Edge'' (2001) – Rachel's Father * ''Do Armed Robbers Have Love Affairs?'' (2001, Short) – Eddy * '' Bloody Sunday'' (2002) – Chief Supt. Lagan * ''The Wayfarer'' (2003, Short) – Nat * '' Dead Bodies'' (2003) – Gordon Ellis * ''

Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin Turley (5 July 1959 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish investigative journalist focusing on organised crime in Ireland, who was murdered in a contract killing believed to have been ordered by a South Dublin-based drug cartel. Bor ...

'' (2003, Nominated for a 2003 Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor) – John Gilligan * ''The Halo Effect'' (2004) – O'Grady * ''

'' (2004, TV Movie, Won a 2004 Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actor) – Michael Gallagher * '' Inside I'm Dancing'' (2004) – Fergus Connolly * '' The Constant Gardener'' (2005) – Sir Kenneth Curtiss * ''Middletown'' (2006, Nominated for a 2007 Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor) – Bill Hunter * '' The Front Line'' (2006) – Detective Insp. Harbison * ''Tell It to the Fishes'' (2006, Short) – Jack * ''

'' (2007) – Robert Aske * ''Hesitation'' (2007, Short) – Paul * '' Anton'' (2008, Nominated for a 2009 Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor) – Detective Lynch * ''Mr Crocodile in the Cupboard'' (2008, Short) – Harry Dunn * ''Rip & the Preacher'' (2008) – Preacher * '' Wide Open Spaces'' (2009) – Hingerty * '' Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne'' (2009) – Michael Byrne * '' Town Creek'' (2009) – Mr. Marshall * ''

'' (2010) – Baron Fitzrobert * '' War Horse'' (2011) – Market Auctioneer * ''Bayonet'' (2012, Short) – Sean O'Brennan * ''In View'' (2016) * ''Lift'' (2016) – Granddad Eddy * ''

Penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

'' (2018) – Murray

TV roles

* '' Play for Tomorrow'' (1982) – John Bingham * '' The Irish R.M.'' (1984) – Thomay Foley * '' Bergerac'' (1985) – Doctor * ''Lapsed Catholics'' (1987) – Mal Nevin * ''The Rockingham Shoot'' (1987) – Garda Casey * ''Act of Betrayal'' (1988) – Brendon * ''The Investigation: Inside a Terrorist Bombing'' (1990) – Paddy Mcllkenny * '' Shakespeare: The Animated Tales'' (1994) – Iago * '' The Hanging Gale'' (1995) – Coulter * '' The Governor'' (1995) – Harry Reynolds * '' Kidnapped'' (1995) – Shuan * ''Runway One'' (1995) – Manning * '' A Christmassy Ted'' (1996) – Father Todd Unctious * ''Making the Cut'' (1998) * ''

Vicious Circle A vicious circle (or cycle) is a complex chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop, with detrimental results. It is a system with no tendency toward equilibrium (social, economic, ecological, etc.), at least in the shor ...

'' (1999) – Crowley * ''Teenage Cics'' (2006) – Principal Scannel * ''Damage'' (2007) – Defence Counsel * ''Striapacha'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) – Robert Aske * '' The Savage Eye'' (2009) – Various

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McSorley, Gerard 1950 births Alumni of Queen's University Belfast Living people Irish male film actors Irish male television actors Male film actors from Northern Ireland Male television actors from Northern Ireland People from Omagh People educated at St Columb's College People educated at Christian Brothers Grammar School, Omagh Actors from County Tyrone