Aidan Quinn
| Aidan Quinn | |
|---|---|
 Aidan Quinn at the premiere of Handsome Harry at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. |
|
| Born | March 8, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Bracco (September 1, 1987–present; two children) |
Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an Irish-American actor. He made his film debut in 1984 in Reckless. His films include Desperately Seeking Susan, The Mission Stakeout, Benny and Joon, Legends of the Fall, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein and Michael Collins.
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[edit] Early life
Quinn was born in Chicago, Illinois to Irish parents.[1][2] He was brought up as a Roman Catholic[1] and raised in Chicago and Rockford, Illinois, as well as in Dublin and Birr, County Offaly in Ireland. His mother, Teresa, was a homemaker, and his father, Michael Quinn, was a professor of literature.[3] He has three brothers and a sister. His older brother, Declan Quinn, is a noted cinematographer. Though a roofer by trade, Quinn got his start in the Chicago theater at age 19. He trained at the Piven Theatre Workshop.[4]
[edit] Career
His first significant film role was in Reckless, followed by a breakthrough role in Desperately Seeking Susan as the character "Dez" (the love interest of the character played by Rosanna Arquette). He made a short impressive comtribution as Robert De Niros brother in The Mission.He played escaped convict richard stick montgomery in action comedy Stakeout opposite Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez. Quinn next starred in the controversial TV movie An Early Frost, about a young lawyer dying of AIDS (it was broadcast on NBC on November 11, 1985) and co-starred such luminaries as Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Sylvia Sidney. He received his first Emmy Award nomination for the role which allowed him to gain recognition in Hollywood.
In 1988 Quinn lost the role of Jesus Christ when Paramount Pictures dropped the controversial Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ. When Universal Pictures picked up the film, the role went to Willem Dafoe. In the meantime, Quinn starred as protagonist in the film Crusoe, finished in 1989.
During the 1990s Quinn's career grew immensely. He found work alongside such Hollywood stars as Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall, Johnny Depp in Benny & Joon, Robert Duvall in The Handmaid's Tale and John Gielgud in Haunted. He continually starred in films that allowed him to return to his Irish roots, such as Michael Collins, Song for a Raggy Boy, This Is My Father, and Evelyn.He played a small cameo as the captain of a doomed arctic vessel the messy Francis Ford Coppola produced adaptation of Mary Shellys Frankenstein.(1994)
In 2000, Quinn portrayed Paul McCartney in the VH1 television drama, Two of Us. He later met McCartney at a hotel, and they became good friends.[citation needed] Quinn was able to gain his first regular television role as the lead in the short lived and controversial NBC drama The Book of Daniel, in 2006. The show was canceled after the first three weeks of its run, and its last five episodes never aired. In 2007, Quinn received his second Emmy nomination for the television movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
[edit] Personal life
Quinn is married to the actress Elizabeth Bracco, sister of actress Lorraine Bracco. They have two daughters, one diagnosed with autism.[5] The other appeared as a ghost in the supernatural love story film The Eclipse.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Film
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Reckless | Johnny Rourke | |
| 1985 | Desperately Seeking Susan | Dez | |
| 1986 | The Mission | Felipe Mendoza | |
| 1987 | Stakeout | Richard 'Stick' Montgomery | |
| 1989 | Crusoe | Crusoe | |
| 1990 | The Handmaid's Tale | Nick | |
| The Lemon Sisters | Frankie McGuinness | ||
| Avalon | Jules Kaye | ||
| 1991 | At Play in the Fields of the Lord | Martin Quarrier | |
| 1992 | The Playboys | Tom Casey | |
| 1993 | Benny & Joon | Benjamin 'Benny' Pearl | |
| 1994 | Blink | Det. John Hallstrom | |
| Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | Capt. Robert Walton | ||
| Legends of the Fall | Alfred Ludlow | ||
| 1995 | The Stars Fell on Henrietta | Don Day | |
| Haunted | Prof. David Ash | ||
| 1996 | Looking for Richard | Richmond | |
| Michael Collins | Harry Boland | ||
| 1997 | Commandments | Seth Warner | |
| The Assignment | Lt. Cmdr. Annibal Ramirez/Carlos | ||
| 1998 | This Is My Father | Kieran O'Day | |
| Practical Magic | Officer Gary Hallet | Blockbuster Entertainment Award (nominated) | |
| 1999 | In Dreams | Paul Cooper | |
| Music of the Heart | Brian Turner | ||
| 2000 | Songcatcher | Tom Bledsoe | Sundance Film Festival Award (won) |
| 2002 | Stolen Summer | Joe O'Malley | |
| Evelyn | Nick Barron | ||
| 2003 | Song for a Raggy Boy | William Franklin | |
| 2004 | Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius | Harry Vardon | |
| Shadow of Fear | Detective Scofield | ||
| Return to Sender (alternate title: Convicted) | Frank Nitzche | IFTA Awards (nominated-4Xs) | |
| Proud | Commodore Alfred Lind | ||
| 2005 | Nine Lives | Henry | Gotham Awards (nominated) |
| 2007 | Dark Matter | Reiser | |
| 32A | Frank Brennan | ||
| 2008 | Wild Child | Gerry | |
| 2009 | A Shine of Rainbows | Alec | |
| The Eclipse | Nicholas Holden | ||
| The 5th Quarter | Steven Abbate | ||
| Handsome Harry | Porter | ||
| 2010 | Flipped | Richard | |
| Jonah Hex | President Ulysses S. Grant | ||
| Sarah's Key | William Rainsferd | ||
| Across the Line: The Exodus of Charlie Wright | Charlie Wright | ||
| The Stand Up | Sandy Hardwick | ||
| 2011 | Unknown | Martin B. |
[edit] Television
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tauber, Michelle (April 9, 2004). "Aidan Quinn: The quiet man". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/aidan-quinn-the-quiet-man-559329.html. Retrieved May 25, 2010. "Quinn never abandoned his own religion, though, however much he despised its authorities. Quinn is, just, more American than Irish."
- ^ Aidan Quinn Biography – Biography.com
- ^ Fischer, Paul. "Aidan Quinn". Cranky Critic. http://www.crankycritic.com/qa/pf_articles/aidanquinn.html. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
- ^ Piven Theatre Workshop – Alumni of the Workshop
- ^ The Mighty Quinn
[edit] External links
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