Famous Irish T V & Movie Producers

Born to an Irish mother and an Ethiopian father, Ruth Negga didn’t look back after grabbing a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for the Best Newcomer, with her performance in the play Duck. She also played both Ophelia and Prince Hamlet in two different productions of the play.

London-born Irish actor and writer Sharon Horgan is best known for her BAFTA-winning and Emmy-nominated writing for the series Catastrophe. She has also won awards for her acting in the sitcom Pulling and established the production company Merman. She is the sister of former rugby player Shane Horgan.

Though born in the US, Patrick McGoohan moved to the US with his family as a child and later became one of Britain’s best-known actors. Fans loved him as John Drake in Danger Man and as Number Six in The Prisoner. He is also known for his Emmy-winning performance in the series Columbo.

Irish IT expert and entrepreneur Walter O'Brien produced the CBS action-drama TV series Scorpion, which was inspired by his life. It is believed he established Scorpion Computer Services at age 13 and had an IQ of 197 as a child, though many such claims by him remain unproved.

Initially an electrician who worked at a Zimbabwean safari park, Liam Cunningham changed his luck by applying for an acting school after coming across an ad. The Irish actor is known for his signature stare and thick Irish accent and became internationally renowned as Davos Seaworth in Game of Thrones.

Apart from being a comedian, Brendan O'Carroll is also a fine writer. Best known as Agnes Brown from the sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys, he later played the role in various spin-offs and a couple of movies too. He has also penned several books and screenplays.

Best known for his long stints as a presenter of shows such as GMTV, This Morning, and Sky News Sunrise, Irish journalist Eamonn Holmes has also campaigned for animal welfare and Alzheimer’s awareness. He has also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and hosted game shows such as The Rich List.

The son of director Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola is best known for his Academy Award-nominated screenplay of Moonrise Kingdom. He faced the camera for the first time as an 8-year-old in his father’s The Godfather: Part II. He has also directed music videos for artists such as Green Day and Daft Punk.

Irish author, director, and broadcaster Conor Woodman is best known for hosting the TV show Around the World in 80 Trades. Starting his career as a financial analyst, he eventually became an investigative journalist. With time, he branched out into film-making as well. Also a fiction writer, he is planning to launch a novel series soon.

Born in England, to an American father and an Irish mother, Jamie Bamber grew up in both England and France. The LAMDA alumnus is best known as Lee Adama from Battlestar Galactica and has also played major roles in series such as Law & Order: UK and movies such as Pulse 2: Afterlife.

Initially a bassist and vocalist for the Irish rock band The Frames, John Carney later gained fame as the executive producer of the rom-com anthology Modern Love. His award-winning music drama Once was filmed on a budget of 100,000 Euros on 2 digital camcorders but grossed $7 million in its first 3 months.

Best known for her iconic bestselling debut novel PS, I Love You, which was made into a hit movie later, Irish author Cecelia Ahern has won many accolades, including the British Book Award. The daughter of former Irish PM Bertie Ahern, Cecelia has also produced the sitcom Samantha Who?

Born to legendary Irish comedian Brendan O'Carroll, Danny O'Carroll was no stranger to entertainment as a child. He is best known to audiences as Buster Brady from the series Mrs. Brown's Boys and its theatrical and movie versions. Having dropped out of school due to dyslexia, he now supports childhood illness charities.

Born to a minister father and a doctor mother, Daragh O Malley started appearing in plays as a student and won recitation prizes, too. Best known as Patrick Harper from the series Sharpe, he also gained accolades for his appearance as Big Daddy in a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Pat Shortt is best known for his award-winning performance as Josie in the Irish film Garage. He started his career as part of the duo D'Unbelievables with fellow comedian Jon Kenny. He is also one of the few actors from Ireland to be featured on an Irish postage stamp.

Best remembered as the producer of the James Bond flick Thunderball, Irish director-producer Kevin McClory had a long-drawn legal battle with the author of the James Bond novel series Ian Fleming. Previously part of the British Merchant Navy, he was once stranded on a raft at sea and narrowly escaped death.

Apart from launching a pirate radio station at age 16, Riyadh Khalaf also became a successful YouTuber pretty early. A prominent LGBTQ+ advocate, he has been part of queer-centric documentaries and has penned a book on LGBTQ issues. He won season 15 of Celebrity MasterChef and has appeared on podcasts, too.

Anna Nolan created ripples as a lesbian former nun in the first season of Big Brother, where she ended up as the runner-up. The popular TV personality later hosted shows such as The Great Irish Bake Off and The Afternoon Show. She also led the production company Coco Television as its development head.

Best known as part of the British-Irish pop group Liberty X, Tony Lundon has also hosted the quiz show TOAST. While he failed to make it to the winning group of the show Popstars, he and the other runners-up ended up forming Liberty. He later performed solo and launched a production company too.

A police detective who worked with the drug unit, Irish actor Kieran O'Reilly is best known to international audiences as White Hair from the popular series Vikings. Interestingly, he made his acting debut playing an undercover policeman in Love/Hate. He also sings for the rock trio Hail the Ghost.

Irish animator and voice actor Nora Twomey is best known for co-founding the animation studio Cartoon Saloon. She also directed the Oscar-nominated animated films The Secret of Kells and The Breadwinner. A school drop-out, she initially worked in a factory, before studying fine art and then animation.

Apart from being a journalist and author, Nuala O'Faolain had also taught English literature. Best known for her 2 bestselling autobiographies, Are You Somebody? and Almost There, she was a true-blue feminist who often spoke about the rigid dogmas she faced while growing up in Catholic Ireland.

Better known as the younger brother of Hollywood sensation Maureen O'Hara, Irish actor and producer Charles B. Fitzsimons later moved to the US. Initially an attorney, he also became the youngest in his country to get a law degree. He also led the Producers Guild of America as its executive director.

Stage actor/director Lumsden Hare had his first stint as an actor on stage at age 19 and gradually mastered character roles in plays of George Bernard Shaw. Known for plays such as What Every Woman Knows, he later stepped into films and mostly played the roles of priests, doctors, or aristocrats.

Remembered for his long-term association with the Abbey Theatre and for films such as Scrooge, Irish actor Michael J. Dolan later also took over the management of the former. He was also known for his appearances in plays by Teresa Deevy, such as The King of Spain's Daughter.

Irish director, screenwriter, and actor Herbert Brenon initially worked as a Broadway call boy and also performed in vaudeville with his wife before he became a sensation in the silent-film era. While shooting for Neptune’s Daughter, one of his best-known films, he was injured in a water tank explosion.

The award-winning writer-director of the Irish drama film Patrick's Day, Terry McMahon also acted in the movie. He has also appeared in films such as Batman Begins and has lectured on cinema at institutes such as Trinity College. He is also known for his viral speech This is Our Ireland.

Though born to a lawyer father and an activist mother, Shelah Richards was interested in the arts since the very beginning. An actor and director, known for projects such as Return to Glennascaul, she later directed series such as The Riordans and also led the RTE as its drama director.

Ria Mooney scripted history when she became the woman to serve the Abbey Theatre as a producer. A fine actor, she was known for her roles in projects such as This Other Eden and Riders to the Sea. Starting her acting career as a child, she later studied art too.

Spending her initial days playing the violin and teaching at the drama school at the Abbey Theatre, Neasa N had also worked as a civil servant before her marriage. She later became a noted radio personality, renowned for her drama performances in English and Irish. She also recited poetry on radio.