The ruggedly handsome Irish actor Chris O’Dowd has become quite a fixture in the American film industry. The star of British comedy series, The IT Crowd, made his breakthrough in American cinema with 2011’s hit comedy Bridesmaids and has gone on to land roles in other movies like the rom-com Friends with Kids, Judd Apatow’sThis is 40 and the critically acclaimed Irish drama, Calvary. Born on October 9, 1979, the Irishman currently stars in the Irish sitcom Moone Boy that he created and co-writes. O’Dowd, in 2014, appeared in his debut performance on Broadway in a production of Of Mice and Men, alongside American actor James Franco.
With a towering height of 6’3”, Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland born and raised O’Dowd played under 16 football for his county when he was younger. The youngest of five siblings, O’Dowd always felt older for his age because of his lanky figure which he made use of by playing sports. He attended the University College Dublin where he pursued politics and later the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He had his first child with his wife, television writer Dawn O’Porter, in February 2015. The pair has been married since 2012.
In his breakthrough series, The IT Crowd, O’Dowd stars as the lanky techie Roy Trenneman who works for the London based fictional Reynholm Industries alongside partner-in-crime, Maurice Moss and the head of the IT department, Jen Barber. The Graham Linehan series, which ran for seven years on Channel 4, shot O’Dowd to national fame and recognition. Before The IT Crowd fame, he received critical acclaim and an IFTA Award nomination for the Irish medical drama, The Clinic. In 2005, he had a role in the black comedy, Festival, which won him a Scottish BAFTA Award. After roles in American comedies, Dinner for Schmucks, and Gulliver’s Travels, he appeared in a recurring role in the HBO series Girls. His breakthrough role in American cinema is considered to be in the box office hit comedy Bridesmaids starring Kristen Wiig.
He was awarded the IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor and was considered for a Screen Actors Guild Award for the performance. He had a starring role in Friends with Kids in 2011 and appeared in This is 40 and Thor: The Dark World. He portrayed Jack Brennan in the critically acclaimed Irish drama movie Calvary in 2014. He presently has a starring role in the sitcom, Moone Boy, which premieres on Sky. He is also the creator and co-writer of the series and stars alongside actors David Rawle, DiedreO’Kane and Peter McDonald among others. In 2015, he will be starring in the Stephen Frears directed biopic, Icon, and will be making an appearance in Tim Burton’s upcoming fantasy film, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children which is set for a March 2016 release. O’Dowd has also received accolades for his performance on stage. In 2012, he made his Australian debut stage appearance in the musical, The Sapphires. In 2014, he began starring in the Broadway production of Of Mice and Men alongside American actor James Franco and actress Leighton Meester. The performance received nominations for the Tony Award for Best Actor and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor.
O’Dowd has also become a published writer with the release of his book, Moone Boy: The Blunder Years, in 2015. The book is based on his hit series.
Chris O’Dowd has emerged as an international phenomenon with his acclaimed roles in film, television and stage. The actor is celebrated for his comic roles but his other roles have also begun to receive widespread praise. O’Dowd maintains an active presence in social media on his official Twitter account, @BigBoyler, which is presently being followed by 637K followers.