Gerard McSorley

Irish actor Gerard McSorley began his career as a player at Ireland's Abbey Theater, giving a strong performance in "Dancing at Lughnasa," which would win a Tony after moving to Broadway. With a strong screen and stage presence, McSorley is often cast in roles of authority on either side of the law. Turning to the screen in 1979, he built a reputation for himself with small parts in "Braveheart" and Neil Jordan's "Michael Collins" before being cast as Friar Daly in "Some Mother's Son" in 1996. After reprising his role for the film adaptation of "Dancing at Lughnasa" in 1998, McSorley appeared in "Angela's Ashes" and "Ordinary Decent Criminal." Despite these strong performances, it wasn't until 2003 that McSorley appeared in a major leading role, as John Gilligan in the thriller "Veronica Guerin," directed by Joel Schumacher. McSorley earned an IFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The following year he was awarded the IFTA award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Michael Gallagher in "Omagh," about the aftermath of the I.R.A. bombing. Continuing strong into the '00s, he played Sir Kenneth Curtiss, a villain with a change of heart in the Oscar-winning "The Constant Gardener," and Bill Hunter in "Middletown." His subsequent American projects include the series "The Tudors" and Ridley Scott's "Robin Hood."