Born: March 29, 1955 in Dublin, Ireland

Brendan Gleeson not only portrays a Hogwarts professor on the big screen, but has real life experience in the area, as he was once a practicing educator in the UK. Born in Dublin, Mr. Gleeson became fascinated with performing while studying the great Irish playwrights. He later graduated from the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. After starting to gain some small notoriety, Brendan soon caught the eye of the public with his performance as Hamish in Mel Gibson's multi-Oscar winning epic Braveheart. Brendan Gleeson has gone on to star in some notable films by some of Hollywood's best filmmakers: Martin Scorsese's (AI), and M. Night Shyamalan's (The Village). He also won several awards for his lead role in John Boorman's film, (The General). Early on, Brendan starred in a film called (The Tailor of Panama) with a young actor named Daniel Radcliffe. In recent years Gleeson has won much acclaim and critical praise for his performances in Cold Mountain, Kingdom of Heaven and Troy. After joining the cast as the mysterious Alastor "Mad Eye" Moody in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Brendan Gleeson portrayed the long time auror in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.