Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson (pronounced DOH-nəl) is an Irish actor, screenwriter, and producer, born on May 12, 1983, in Dublin. He is the son of acclaimed actor Brendan Gleeson. Gleeson studied media arts at the Dublin Institute of Technology, where he began making short films. His early career included writing and directing several shorts, which led to a Tony Award nomination in 2006 for his Broadway debut in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He gained wider recognition playing Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter film series (2010–2011), and his filmography spans over 40 films and numerous television appearances. Gleeson's notable roles include the romantic lead in About Time (2013), the anxious programmer in Ex Machina (2014), the frontiersman in The Revenant (2015), and General Armitage Hux in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). He also appeared in Brooklyn (2015), Peter Rabbit (2018), and the HBO series Run (2020). In 2023, he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his role in The Patient and starred in the miniseries White House Plumbers. In 2025, he took the lead in The Paper, a spinoff of The Office. He also voiced the lead in the short film Retirement Plan, which received an Academy Award nomination in 2026. Known for his versatility and understated intensity, Gleeson continues to balance independent dramas with blockbuster franchises, earning a reputation as one of Ireland's most compelling contemporary actors.[edit]

Domhnall Gleeson's fanbase is a quiet, diffuse constellation rather than a roaring tribe. There is no formal fandom name, no Potterheads-style moniker, and his Instagram following, at roughly 17,500, reflects a low-key, cinephile-driven appreciation. His fans cluster around his varied work: Harry Potter devotees who know him as Bill Weasley, Star Wars enthusiasts who recognize General Hux, and those who discovered him through the tear-jerking About Time. They organize no billboard campaigns, no coordinated streaming pushes; their rituals are modest, like the playful 'Domhnall Summer' joke that emerged in 2026 as he dominated screens with The Paper Season 2 and The Incomer. Gleeson himself leaned into the gag, and his self-aware Instagram handle, 'I am the real Domhnall Gleeson', has become a charming inside nod.

In 2026, his portrayal of Ned in The Paper turned him into an unlikely folk hero for journalists, a cultural moment that resonated deeply with working reporters. That same year, he became the center of the entertainment conversation, with outlets declaring it 'the summer of Domhnall Gleeson.'

Yet for all this, iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated Domhnall Gleeson but he does not currently hold a placement in the published rankings. He remains outside the Global Top 1,000 and any Top-100 scope list, a character actor whose fame is felt in niches rather than measured in global metrics.[edit]

Domhnall Gleeson is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, and the pair appeared together in the Harry Potter films, Domhnall as Bill Weasley and Brendan as Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody. He studied media arts at the Dublin Institute of Technology, where he began making short films, and earned a Tony Award nomination in 2006 for his Broadway debut in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. His filmography includes the romantic lead in About Time (2013), the anxious programmer in Ex Machina (2014), and General Hux in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He also wrote and directed several short films early in his career.

In 2026, Gleeson's portrayal of Ned in The Paper turned him into a folk hero for journalists, a cultural moment he acknowledged in a Variety interview, noting 'the sad aspect to it', that reporters saw themselves so vividly in his character. That same summer, his simultaneous releases, including The Paper Season 2 and The Incomer, prompted media to declare it 'the summer of Domhnall Gleeson,' a phenomenon he publicly joked about. His Instagram handle, which states 'I am the real Domhnall Gleeson,' is a self-aware nod to impersonator accounts, and he has shared affectionate posts about his hometown, Malahide.[edit]