These actors have more than the luck of the Irish on their side. These handsome men who hail from Ireland are a talented bunch - which, along with being Irish, was the basic criteria for making this Top 10 list. One other factor these men have in common is that they're currently working in films. Sorry, but no classic movie stars are included in this particular list.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, hot-blooded bad boy Colin Farrell first received attention after starring in
Tigerland for director Joel Schumacher. Other high profile films include:
Minority Report,
Phone Booth,
S.W.A.T.,
Alexander, and
Miami Vice.
Pierce Brosnan was born in County Meath, Ireland, but moved to London at age 11. Brosnan's tackled films of all genres (and he even has his own production company), yet he'll always be associated with one role above all others, that of the suave super-spy Bond, James Bond. Brosnan tackled that iconic character in
GoldenEye,
Tomorrow Never Dies,
The World is Not Enough, and
Die Another Day.
Cillian Murphy has the most beautiful eyes and in person, Murphy's gaze is memorizing. But that's just one of the things that sets this actor apart. Born in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, his starring role in Danny Boyle's thriller
28 Days Later jettisoned him into the public eye. Other major films include:
Intermission,
Breakfast on Pluto and
Red Eye. And did I mention he has beautiful eyes?
Liam Neeson's from Northern Ireland and has been acting in films since the late '70s. Nominated for an Oscar for his starring role in Steven Spielberg's critically acclaimed film
Schindler's List, Neeson's filmography is not only impressive but also eclectic. He's done comedy (
Love Actually), a comic book film (
Batman Begins), historical epics (
Kingdom of Heaven,
Rob Roy) and even tackled the role of a Jedi Knight in
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was born in Dublin and emerged as an actor to keep an eye on when he took on the role of glam rocker Brian Slade in the indie film,
Velvet Goldmine. Meyers sang his way through that Todd Haynes film and then later went on to play rock and roll icon Elvis Presley in a made-for-TV movie about the famous musician's life, which earned him an Emmy nomination.
Another product of Dublin (there must be something in the water), Gabriel Byrne is well-respected and undeniably talented, yet he's never really achieved that A-list status he so justly deserves. Byrne's filmography includes starring roles in
Excalibur,
The Usual Suspects,
End of Days, and
Vanity Fair.
Multi-talented Kenneth Branagh not only stays busy in front of the camera, but also writes, directs and produces feature films. A fan of Shakespeare's work, Branagh has brought
Hamlet,
Much Ado About Nothing,
Henry V, and
Love's Labour's Lost to moviegoers worldwide.
As I'm putting together this list, I've just watched Stephen Rea turn in yet another scene-stealing performance, this time in
V for Vendetta. Rea is more often found in supporting roles than as the lead, but as every actor will tell you, it's not the size of the role that matters. Rea proves that point time and time again.
Ciaran Hinds was born and raised in Northern Ireland and inherited his drive to act from his mother, who was an amateur actress. The 1981 John Boorman movie
Excalibur was Hinds' first major film. Other big movies include
Mary Reilly,
Oscar and Lucinda,
Road to Perdition,
The Phantom of the Opera, and
Veronica Guerin.
Currently dating Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, Stuart Townsend has become part of
The Lord of the Rings trivia as the actor originally cast to play Aragorn in Peter Jackson's trilogy. After rehearsing for the role, Townsend was released just two days before filming began. Depending on who you listen to, Townsend was either let go because they decided the part should be played by someone much older or there were 'creative differences' that couldn't be overcome. Enter Viggo Mortensen and the rest is movie history.
