Owen McDonnell

Owen McDonnell (born 1974) is an Irish actor best known for playing Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll in RTÉ Television's Single-Handed and Niko Polastri in BBC's Killing Eve.

Owen McDonnell
Born
Owen McDonnell

1974 (age 46–47)
Galway, Ireland
OccupationActor

Early life

McDonnell was born in Galway in Ireland. He attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England, moving to the city in 1996.[1] Before breaking into film and television, McDonnell did a lot of theatre in Ireland and the United Kingdom.[2][3]

Career

McDonnell had a role in the 2003 feature film Conspiracy of Silence.[1] It was RTÉ Television's police drama Single-Handed that was McDonnell's television career break.[2] He starred in all four series of the programme and was nominated for an IFTA Award for the role in 2011.[1] McDonnell was given the lead role of Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll after receiving a call from casting director Maureen Hughes. Appearing onstage in The Lieutenant of Inishmore in Galway Town Hall at the time, McDonnell, alongside two other cast members, left for Dublin to read the script for the original Single-Handed director Colm McCarthy. He was given the lead role a day later.[4]

McDonnell appeared in RTÉ's Wild Decembers,[5] MI5 thriller Spooks on BBC One,[1] crime thriller Silent Witness[6] also on BBC One, and the first two series of sitcom Mount Pleasant on Sky1.[7]

In 2014 McDonnell starred as Inspector Fiachra Greene in the Irish language movie An Bronntanas (The Gift), screened at the Galway Film Fleadh and later put forward as Ireland's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards (2015).[8] The film is edited from the five-episode television series of the same name, screened on TG4 in October and November 2014.[9][10]

In 2015 McDonnell starred in the hit TG4 series An Klondike, a western set in the Klondike gold rush. In 2016 he starred in Wrecking the Rising, about time travelling gobdaws who accidentally kill PH Pearse before the Easter Rising, and in the short film An Béal Bocht based on Flann O'Brien's satirical novel.[11]

In 2018, McDonnell first appeared as Niko Polastri, husband to Sandra Oh's title character in Killing Eve. Upon meeting him at the first script read-throughs, Oh immediately felt that their on-screen relationship would be believable, and would serve as an important grounding force for her character.[12]

Personal life

McDonnell lives in London with his British girlfriend Jill.[2][7]

Filmography
Year(s) Title Role Notes
2003Conspiracy of SilenceNoel
2007–10Single-HandedSergeant Jack DriscollRTÉ
2008An RangerAn Ranger(Short film)
2009Wild DecembersJoseph BrennanRTÉ
2009Spooks (series 8)Vadim RobinovBBC (guest star)
2009Rásaí na GaillimheEamonn O'ConnellTG4
2010RewindBrendan
2011DaybreakHimself (Guest)ITV
2011–12Mount PleasantJackSky1 (series 1 and 2)
2011The Wright StuffHimself (Guest)Channel 5
2012A Year of Greater LoveNeil(TV film)
2012Saving the TitanicThomas Dillon(TV film)
2013A Terrible Beauty...Ned Daly(TV film)
2013Ghost TrainMichael(Short film)
2013Made in BelfastSmith
2013ScéalMorrisTG4 (Short TV film)
2014The QuestionDr. Fialan(Short film)
2014Silent Witness (Series 17)Ryan KelvinBBC (guest star, episode: "Fraternity")
2014An BronntanasInspector Fiachra GreeneTG4 (film and TV series)
2014SwungDavidSigma Films (feature film)
2015–presentAn KlondikeTom ConnollyTG4 (film and TV series)
2016My Mother and Other StrangersMichael CoyneBBC/RTÉ
2017PaulaMcArthurBBC/RTÉ
2018–presentKilling EveNiko PolastriBBC America
2018Women on the VergeSean

References
  1. "The Lisa Richards Agency: Owen McDonnell". lisarichards.ie. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. "Tackling the dark side of life pays off for McDonnell". The Irish Independent. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  3. "Owen McDonnell and Barry Simner on Single-Handed: interview". The Telegraph. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  4. "Owen McDonnell on the Case in 'Single-Handed'". iftn.ie. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  5. "Production starts on Wild Decembers". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 24 November 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  6. "DOCUMENTARY: Dan Snow's History of the Winter Olympics (BBC Two, 9pm)". breakingnews.ie. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  7. "Owen McDonnell Interview Extra". TV Choice Magazine. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  8. Aoife Kelly (14 October 2014). "Irish film 'An Bronntanas' submitted for Foreign Language category at the Oscars 2015". Irish Independent.
  9. "ROSG Productions – An Bronntanas (The Gift)". Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  10. Seán Brosnan (2 October 2014). "IFTN Speaks to 'An Bronntanas' Producer Ciarán Ó Cofaigh". IFTN.
  11. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1711652/
  12. Video on YouTube
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