The Top 10 Irish Actors

Let’s Celebrate Our Favorite Irish Actors for Saint Patrick’s Day!

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, which means that everyone is going to be playing up the old Irish stereotype as an excuse to drink too much and slur the worst version of the accent they can. Well, we at Stars & Popcorn decided to celebrate our heritage a little differently (at least for today) by putting together a list of the Top 10 Irish Actors (working today). There’s been a lot of talent from the emerald isle, and why not? After all the Irish are renowned for their charm, good looks, and sense of humor (hope you ladies are taking note). So, it makes sense that the camera and audiences would love them. Now, not all of these actors were born in Ireland, but I decided to include those that spent more of their childhoods growing up there and marked them with an asterisk*. While everyone might be Irish on Saint Paddy’s Day, these actors get to make that claim every other day as well. So, get ready for some of the best that Ireland has to offer in this week’s Top 10 list!    

10. Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell’s career as an actor has been all over the place. He’s been in action films such as SWAT, Total Recall, and Miami Vice; dramas like In Bruges, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and The New World; and plenty of flops. However, we can’t help coming back to this Irish actor no matter how many bad movies he might be a part of (remember Daredevil?). Perhaps it’s because he seems like the kind of guy who you’d make friends with at the local pub, Farrell has always had this sense of cool about him, even when his movies are crashing and burning. Besides, after his cameo in Scrubs back in the day, it’s hard not to like the guy no matter how hard you might try.  

9. Pierce Brosnan

Of course, we had to include the man responsible for reviving James Bond in the 90’s on our list of Irish actors. Despite the fact that the Bond movies he was in grew more and more ridiculous as time goes on, Goldeneye will always hold a special place in our hearts. Recently, we got a chance to see him really use his Irish accent in The Foreigner where he went toe to toe with Jackie Chan (guess who won that fight), but he’s been in a slew of other movies since his Bond days. While none of them might have been as memorable as 007, you can always count on this Irish actor to add a bit of charm and sophistication to any role he takes on.

8. Brendan Gleeson

Easily one of the most lovable Irish actors on our list, Brendan Gleeson is the patriarch of the Gleeson clan, which has spawned a number of other actors. While his sons have appeared in films like Star Wars and Logan Lucky, their filmography pales in comparison to their father’s. He’s been in some of our favorite movies from Harry Potter to Gangs of New York to The Guard, and always seems to knock it out of the part. In fact, I’m struggling to think of a movie I didn’t like him in. He has a habit of playing tough characters the end up having hearts of gold, and I can’t think of anything more Irish than that.

7. Chris O’Dowd

So far the Irish actors on this list have been ones that tend to be a bit more serious with the roles they take on. Chris O’Dowd is the exact opposite. He found fame with the short-lived series the I.T. Crowd and since then has transitioned to appear in such movies as Bridesmaids and The Cloverfield Paradox. He’s certainly become a rising star over the years, probably thanks to his comedic talents and big, blue, puppy dog eyes. Unlike a lot of the other Irish actors on this list, he’s famous for his accent and tends to hold onto it for most of his roles, which is just fine with me because it somehow makes everything he says just a little bit funnier. Then again, the Irish are known for their laughs.

6. Ruth Negga*

Compared to a lot of the Irish actors on this list, Ruth Negga is a relative newcomer. However, it’s no wonder she was given the Irish Shooting Star at the Berlin Film Festival. She won my heart though in one of my favorite comic book tv series, Preacher, as the firecracker Tulip O’Hare. Of course, she’s recognizable from the series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Warcraft movie as well, but if you haven’t seen her in Preacher, you’re missing out. Now, she might have been born in Ethiopia, but she’s lived in Ireland since she the age of 4 and has an Irish mother, which is good enough for me to include her on this list because she is truly awesome.