Irish Artists in Hollywood - Barry Keoghan
Whether you know him from his stellar performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, his chilling cameo as the Joker in The Batman, or simply as Sabrina Carpenter’s ex-boyfriend, Barry Keoghan’s impact on Hollywood in recent years is unprecedented. Where did it all start?
Hailing from Summerhill in Dublin, Keoghan and his brother, Eric, were placed into foster care after facing several issues at home, including his mother’s death. Barry was only twelve-years-old. Eventually, being raised by his grandmother, Keoghan began chasing a life in performance. He would often sneak into cinemas to catch the popular showings. He enrolled into The Factory, a television and film school made to nurture young acting talents. This led him into roles in many Irish productions, including Fair City and Love/Hate.
After appearing in Christopher Nolan’s 2017 war epic, Dunkirk, Barry Keoghan garnered much recognition. However, it was his performance in The Killing of the Sacred Deer which really cast him into the limelight as one of Ireland’s next stars on the big screen. Since then, Keoghan has had his most notable appearances in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, a cultural phenomenon Saltburn, and The Batman, where he became the most recent actor to take on the difficult role of the clown prince of crime, The Joker.
Over the last two years, Barry Keoghan has been nominated for several major awards in the acting sphere, including BAFTAS, Golden Globes, and the most coveted of all, an Academy Award. In 2023, he won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin. He was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, along with the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role. In 2024, he was nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs for his portrayal of Oliver Quick in Saltburn. In such a short time, Keoghan has evidently built up quite the reputation amongst the Hollywood high-ups. One can only imagine that this pattern will continue, and more awards will come Keoghan’s way.
In the meantime, Keoghan has a plethora of exciting roles awaiting. Ringo Starr has confirmed that Keoghan is set to portray him in the upcoming Beatles biopic, alongside Joseph Quinn, Harris Dickinson, and fellow Irishman, Paul Mescal. He is also set to be in the Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man alongside Cillian Murphy and company. Finally, he is rumoured to star in the film adaptation of Don Winslow’s novella, Crime 101. Each of these motion pictures will undoubtedly add to his already stellar resume and thrust him further into the Hollywood good books.
The rise of Barry Keoghan as one of Ireland’s prominents artists in Hollywood has been an admirable rags-to-riches story, making him a relatable and root-for-able figure. We greatly look forward to seeing where his career takes him, and what memorable roles he has in store in the future.
Written By Micah Switzer
