Brendan O'Carroll
Irish actor and comedian (born 1955)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brendan O'Carroll (born 17 September 1955) is an Irish actor, comedian, director, producer and writer. He is best known for portraying foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown on stage and in the BBC and RTÉ television sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys.[2] In 2015, O'Carroll was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Irish television.
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- Actor
- comedian
- director
- producer
- writer
Brendan O'Carroll | |
|---|---|
O'Carroll in 2015 | |
| Born | 17 September 1955 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1991–present[1] |
| Known for | Agnes Brown in Mrs. Brown's Boys and All Round to Mrs. Brown's |
| Spouse |
|
| Children | 4, including Fiona and Danny |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Eilish O'Carroll (sister) |
Early life
The youngest of 11 children, O'Carroll was born in Finglas, Dublin on 17 September 1955.[3] His mother, Maureen, was a Labour Party TD and his father, Gerard O'Carroll, was a carpenter. His father died in 1962 when O'Carroll was seven, and Brendan's mother raised their eleven children with little money.[citation needed] He attended Saint Gabriel's National School and left at the age of 12. He had a string of occupations; these included being a waiter and a milkman.[4]
Career
Early career
Having become well known as a comedy guest on The Late Late Show, O'Carroll released four stand-up videos, titled How's your Raspberry Ripple, How's your Jolly Roger, How's your Snowballs and How's your Wibbly Wobbly Wonder.[5][6] O'Carroll wrote the screenplay to Sparrow's Trap, a boxing film.[6] The film, which had Stephen Rea cast in the lead role, ran into financing difficulties midway through the shoot when the distributor withdrew and it was abandoned. Incurring debts of over €1 million, O'Carroll became bankrupt and the film has never been produced.[7][8][9] O'Carroll presented a quiz show, called Hot Milk and Pepper, on RTÉ One, with long-term collaborator Gerry Browne.[7][8]
Mrs. Brown's Boys
In 1992, O'Carroll performed a short radio play titled Mrs. Brown's Boys and shortly afterwards he wrote four books titled The Mammy, The Granny, The Chisellers and The Scrapper.[4] In 1999, a film named Agnes Browne, starring Anjelica Huston, was released, based on his book "The Mammy". O'Carroll also co-wrote the screenplay. He then decided to put together his own family theatre company, Mrs. Browne's Boys, and dressed up as a woman to play his part, as the actress he had originally hired didn't show up.[4][3]
From 1999 to 2010, he wrote and performed in five plays. Since 2011, the stage shows have been re-toured across the UK. In 2011, his plays were adapted into a television sitcom (with the name "Browne" shortened to "Brown"). So far, from 2011, 28 episodes have aired, across three series, several Christmas-special episodes and a one-off live episode that aired in 2016 on RTÉ One and BBC One. Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie was released on 27 June 2014, and was a significant success in the UK, staying at number one in the box office for two consecutive weeks. However, the film had negative reviews; one saying it was not just unfunny but "close to anti-funny". O'Carroll's wife, his sister Eilish, his son Danny, and his daughter Fiona all appear or have appeared on episodes of Mrs. Brown's Boys.[10]
Personal life
O'Carroll was married to Doreen Dowdall from 1977 until their divorce in 1999. They had four children; their first, Brendan Jr., died shortly after birth in 1976. The surviving children are Fiona, Danny and Eric. In 2005, he married actress Jennifer Gibney; the couple live in Davenport, Florida, US.[11][12]
O'Carroll has dyslexia, a condition also shared by his sons.[13]
Family history
O'Carroll's paternal grandfather Peter O'Carroll, a father of seven and a prominent republican, was shot dead on 16 October 1920 at his home in Manor Street, Dublin. Two of his sons were Irish Republican Army volunteers. The incident was investigated in the television series Who Do You Think You Are?[14][15] In March 2016, O'Carroll appeared in the BBC2 documentary Brendan O'Carroll – My Family at War, which explored the involvement of three of his uncles in the Easter Rising.[16][17]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Film | Character(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Van | Weslie |
| 1999 | Agnes Browne | Seamus |
| 1999 | Angela's Ashes | Man in pub |
| 2002 | Mrs Brown's Boys | Agnes Brown |
| 2003 | Mrs Brown's Boys: The Last Wedding | |
| 2004 | Mrs Brown's Boys: Believe It Or Not | |
| 2005 | Good Mourning Mrs Brown | |
| 2006 | Mrs Brown's Boys: Triple Trouble | |
| 2007 | How Now Mrs. Brown | |
| 2008 | Mrs Brown's Boys: The Seven Year Itch | |
| 2014 | Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie | Agnes Brown and Mr. Wang |
| 2022 | A Madea Homecoming | Agnes Brown |
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–1998 | Brendan O'Carroll's Hot Milk and Pepper | Host |
| 2004 | Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere | Gypsy Joe |
| 2009 | The Fattest Man in Britain | Fr O'Flaherty |
| 2011–present | Mrs. Brown's Boys | Agnes Brown |
| 2013 | The Security Men | Jimmy |
| 2014 | Who Do You Think You Are? | Himself: Series 11, Episode 4 |
| 2017–2020 | All Round to Mrs. Brown's | Agnes Brown |
| 2018 | For Facts Sake | Host |
| 2022 | The Walk-In | Uncle Ronnie |
| 2026 | Shedites | Jimmy |
Stage
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000, 2004, 2006, 2011–2012 | Mrs Brown's Last Wedding | Agnes Brown |
| 2002–2003, 2011, 2017 | Good Mourning Mrs Brown | |
| 2004–2005, 2012, 2023–2024 | Mrs Brown Rides Again | |
| 2007, 2013–2014, 2018 | For The Love of Mrs Brown | |
| 2009–2010, 2015 | How Now Mrs Brown Cow | |
| 2019 | D'Musical | |
| 2021–2022, 2024 | D'Live Show |
