Gabriel Byrne
Wild Geese Nineteenth Anniversary
Celtic New Year Ball Honoreefor
Outstanding Contribution to
Irish Culture
The Wild Geese is very pleased to honor acclaimed Irish actor Gabriel Byrne with its 2000 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO IRISH CULTURE.
Often referred to as a "brooding Irishman" type of actor, Byrne has appeared in a wide variety of roles on stage and screen that have amply shared his enormously gifts as a performer. He has appeared as a 1930's gangster in Miller's Crossing, his first star making role, when he was 40 years old. His first important and noticeable appearance in American was in the title role of the historical miniseries, Christopher Columbus. In Siesta, he appeared opposite his former wife Ellen Barkin, playing a Spanish trapeze artist. This film was followed by appearances in Lionheart, A Soldier's Tale, and Dark Obsession. He was Winona Ryder's love interest, the Professor, in Little Women, and in The Usual Suspects, Byrne played a crooked ex-cop, just a few of the many personas he has taken on with such brilliance and skill.
Most recently, Byrnes was nominated for a BEST ACTOR TONY AWARD for his searing portrayal of alcoholic farm owner, James Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's complex and wordy saga, A Moon for the Misbegotten. He has further broadened his professional skills by developing his own production company, Plurabelle Films, named after Annia Livia Plurabelle, housed in Culver City, California, producing an English stage production about the Birmingham Six, co-producing In the Name of the Father, about the Guildford Four (which received five Oscar nominations), and making his directorial debut in the 1996 film The Lark in the Clear Air, which he also wrote and produced. Gabriel is also the producer of the soon-to-be-released Mad About Mambo, as well as the National Geographic special, When Ireland Starved, a documentary about the Irish Famine of 1845.
He has starred in such films at The Man in the Iron Mask, playing D'Artagnan, opposite such luminaries as Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu, Leonardo DiCaprio, and John Malkovich. In the supernatural thriller Stigmata, he portrayed a Jesuit priest investigating demonic possession, and in the apocalyptic End of Days, he actually got to portray Satan, opposite Arnold Scharzenegger.
Gabriel is the oldest of six children born to a Guinness barrel maker and a nurse. Before he made it this side of the pond, Gabriel began his acting career in Ireland, after having taught Spanish for three years in an all girls' school. He also qualified to teach Irish. When Gabriel was twelve years old he was packed off to a seminary in England, with the intent of becoming a priest. After his numerous brief jobs such as short order cook and "teddy-bear-eye installer," Gabriel won a scholarship to University College Dublin, where he studied language, phonetics, and archeology, where he actually was employed on several digs.
Gabriel had dabbled in amateur theatrics, and later joined a company that included director Jim Sheridan and actor Liam Neeson. He officially began his acting career as a stage actor with THE FOCUS THEATRE and THE ABBEY THEATRE in Dublin, later joining THE ROYAL COURT and THE NATIONAL THEATRE in London. He first appeared on TV in the Irish program, The Riordans, and later on to a spin-off called Bracken. This lead to his first role in a feature film, that of Uther Pendragon in John Boorman's sensuous Excaliber.
After that he went on to star in many European films by such directors as Costa-Gravas, Michael Mann, Ken Russell, Ken Loach, and Wim Wenders. It was American film debut in 1989 in the critically acclaimed film, Miller's Crossing, by the Coen Brothers, that made Gabriel Byrne, in the role of gangster Tom Reagan, a movie star. Other exemplary starring film roles include Cool World with Brad Pitt; Point of No Return opposite Bridget Fonda, and Dead Man with Johnny Depp. He also played opposite Academy Award winning actor Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects, in the role of crooked ex-cop Dean Keaton, which won him wide critical acclaim.
Adding to his extraordinary skills as actor, producer and director, Gabriel has also made his mark as a screenwriter. His credits include Miramax Films' The Last of the High Kings, and the Irish Gaelic language film, Magic, directed by Aine O'Connor.
Gabriel's memoir, PICTURES IN MY HEAD, published in 1998, was written as a gift for his children, daughter Romy and son Jack. Intent on good parenting and strong family ties, he has said this about their Irish roots: "It is very, very important that I take them back to Ireland every year. It's so easy to get caught up in the mass culture here. It's important that they know they have another tradition and a heritage that is a gift to them."
Gabriel Byrne's talents and gifts have extended beyond the world of entertainment, in his support of a heart trauma hospital in the West of Ireland. His obvious love of his family and Irish background, shared with millions worldwide, is indeed a gift to enjoy and and The Wild Geese is indeed honored to give recognition to this remarkable man.
"Gabriel is a beautiful man. He epitomizes for me the Modern European Man: dynamic, a great potential for hard work, for fun, for introspection, and he's a wonderful father, actor, and writer. He makes me sick." - LIAM NEESON
The Wild Geese, Inc.
P.O. Box 4384
Greenwich, CT 06831
info@wildgeeseonline.com