Brendan Gleeson: Everything To Know About ‘Harry Potter’ Star Hosting ‘SNL’

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Brendan Gleeson will be gracing the stage at Studio 8H on October 8 as the second host of Saturday Night Live’s Season 48. The veteran actor has been a a mainstay in television and film for over 30 years, but this will be the first time showing off his funny bone on the famed sketch show. It should be a piece of cake for Brendan, as he has mastered his comic timing in movies such as In Bruges and his upcoming one called The Banshees of Inisherin, which is getting rave reviews. He will be accompanied by Willow Smith, who is promoting her new album, Coping Mechanism, as musical guest. Let’s take a deeper dive and learn more about Brendan, below.

1. Where is Brendan from?

Born in Dublin, Ireland on March 29, 1955, Brendan was quick to take to acting by joining the drama clubs in school. After he graduated from University College Dublin, he taught at an elementary school for a while before committing to acting full time in 1991.

2. When did he start landing roles?

After a long successful run with the Passion Machine Theatre company in Dublin, Brendan became well-known in his country in 1992 when he starred in a made-for-TV movie called The Treaty, where he played Irish revolutionary Michael Collins.

From there, his career took off! He landed roles in big Hollywood movies such as Braveheart, Gangs of New York, Cold Mountain, 28 Days Later, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, Lake Placid, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Mission: Impossible 2, and The Village. 

While some of the roles were a bit smaller, that never seemed to bother Brendan. “You know, the cliche is that there’s no small part. That’s not true,” he told GQ in 2019. “Some things are just functional and actually you’re getting in the way, especially on television, if you overdo it, if you try to turn into hamlet or something. Sometimes you just have to open the door. Open the door. Say good morning. Is it a good morning? Who cares.”

Of course, he is well-known for playing the most famous Auror in the modern times of the Wizarding World, Hogwarts professor Alastor ‘Mad Eye’ Moody, in the fourth, fifth and seventh films of the Harry Potter franchise.

3. What awards has he won?

In 2009, Brendan had a powerful performance as Winston Churchill in the movie Into the Storm. The acting was so on point, he walked away with an Emmy that year. He received an Emmy nomination in 2022 for his role in the Stephen Frears comedy series State of the Union.

4. He’s been married for 40 years

Brendan certainly beat the Hollywood odds by staying married for over 40 years! The Irish star walked down the aisle with Mary Weldon in 1982 and they’ve never looked back! The loving couple share four sons together: Domhnall, Fergus, Brian and Rory.

5. Two of his sons are actors too

Brendan’s 39-year-old son Domhnall has starred in many projects with his father, including Harry Potter. In 2015, Domhnall had quite the year, as he played Caleb Smith in Ex Machina, Jim Farrell in Brooklyn, and Captain Andrew Henry in The Revenant. Brian is very successful as well, having acted in Snow White and the Huntsman, Assassin’s Creed and Peaky Blinders.