Colm Meaney

Colm J. Meaney, born on May 30, 1953, is an Irish actor renowned for his portrayal of Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987–1994) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999). He has made guest appearances on numerous TV shows such as Law & Order and The Simpsons, and starred as Thomas C. Durant in Hell on Wheels (2011–2016).
Meaney has also built a successful career in films, with notable roles in Layer Cake, The Damned United, all three film adaptations of Roddy Doyle's The Barrytown Trilogy, and Get Him to the Greek. He played a principal character in The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. In 2017, Meaney earned the Best Actor IFTA for his portrayal of Irish politician Martin McGuinness in the film The Journey. In 2020, he was ranked number 24 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Colm J. Meaney was born in Finglas, Dublin. His journey in acting started at the age of 14 when he began studying acting. After completing secondary school, he enrolled in the Abbey Theatre School of Acting. Meaney became a member of the Irish National Theatre and spent the next eight years working in England. During this time, he toured with various theatre companies, including the 7:84 theatre group founded by John McGrath.


Colm J. Meaney made his first television appearance in 1978 on the BBC One series Z-Cars. He later guest-starred on shows like Remington Steele and Moonlighting before transitioning to a successful film career. His role in The Snapper earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
Meaney's significant television role began with Star Trek: The Next Generation in its 1987 pilot episode, "Encounter at Farpoint", where he initially appeared as an unnamed helm officer. Over time, his character, later named Miles O'Brien, became a recurring one, eventually serving as Transporter Chief. In 1993, Meaney moved to the spin-off series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where he played O'Brien until the show's conclusion in 1999. With 225 total appearances on Star Trek, he is second only to Michael Dorn in terms of most appearances in the franchise.


In addition to his Star Trek roles, Meaney played Colum O'Hara in the 1994 miniseries Scarlett, the sequel to Gone With the Wind. He had a recurring role as Cowen, leader of the Genii, in Stargate Atlantis. Meaney also appeared on shows like Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent and portrayed Bob O'Donnell on the ABC series Men in Trees. His film credits include Die Hard 2, where he played the pilot of the crashed plane Windsor 114.
Meaney is the only actor to appear in all three film adaptations of Roddy Doyle's The Barrytown Trilogy, portraying the father of the Rabbitte family. He has also appeared on stage in productions such as Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the Misbegotten and starred in the British comedy film Three and Out.
In 2009, Meaney co-starred with Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx in Law Abiding Citizen, playing Detective Dunnigan. He also lent his voice to an Irish bartender in a St. Patrick's Day episode of The Simpsons. Meaney's versatility was showcased in films like The Damned United, where he portrayed former Leeds manager Don Revie, and Soldiers of Fortune. He also appeared in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa and portrayed The Horse in the BBC's crime story The Driver. Additionally, Meaney starred as railroad magnate Thomas C. Durant in AMC's drama series Hell on Wheels for five seasons.

Colm J. Meaney married Irish actress Bairbre Dowling in 1977, and they had a daughter named Brenda in 1984. However, the couple divorced in 1994. Meaney later married French costume designer Ines Glorian in March 2007, and their daughter was born in 2005. They currently reside in the Majorcan town of Sóller.
Meaney is known to be a supporter of Sinn Féin.

As of my last update in January 2022, Colm Meaney, the Irish actor known for his versatile roles, has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Here's a brief overview of his filmography:
Films:

1. The Commitments (1991)
2. The Van (1996)
3. Con Air (1997)
4. The Last of the High Kings (1996)
5. This Is My Father (1998)
6. Mystery, Alaska (1999)
7. Layer Cake (2004)
8. Kings (2007)
9. The Damned United (2009)
10. Bel Ami (2012)
11. Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)
12. The Journey (2016)
13. Halal Daddy (2017)
14. Tolkien (2019)
15. Pixie (2020)

References

1.  "Article: Las Vegas 2004: Sunday's Highlights". Star Trek. Archived from the original on 14 August 2004. Retrieved 1 January 2006.
2. ^ "The Holy Family in a Pane of Frosted Glass". A Million Tiny Gods. 2 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2021.[permanent dead link]
3. ^ Clarke, Donald; Brady, Tara (13 June 2020). "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order". The Irish Times.
4. a b c "I had no time for them crying into their pints". The Irish Times. 22 September 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
5. a b Jarlath Regan (10 May 2020). "Colm Meaney". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast) (356 ed.). SoundCloud. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
6. a b Addley, Esther (3 May 2017). "Colm Meaney on playing Martin McGuinness: 'He was born into this'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
7. ^ "10 Shows With The Best Cameos From Star Trek Actors". Screen Rant. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2020.