Sean Power | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1 November 1974 |
| Occupation | Actor Stage director |
| Years active | 1993– |
| Website | http://www.theseanpower.com |
Sean Power is a Canadian actor, writer, and director. Known primarily for his role as Marty, in which he starred opposite Jack Dee in the BBC comedy series Lead Balloon .
Born to an Irish father and Italian mother, Power was raised in Canada, the U.S and Ireland. His family moved frequently every few years due to his father's work commitments, living in Chicago, Edmonton, Dublin, Ottawa, Montreal, New York settling eventually in Toronto, Ontario where he attended Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute. After Power's final year of high school he attended [1] The National Theatre School of Canada. [2] He trained there three years under the guidance of Pierre Lefebvre, Perry Schneiderman, Brigit Panet, Dame Peggy Ashcroft, George F. Walker, and Robert Lepage. [3] [4]
In high school, Power was active in the theatre, playing Felix in the publicly staged production of The Odd Couple in association with TVO. He was a recipient of a Sears Ontario Drama Festival Award for directing and acting in the two hander Babel Rap by John Lazarus, while simultaneously directing a performance art piece ‘Journey’ by fellow student Ian Rye. The next year Power's improv troupe competed in the regional finals of the Canadian Improv Games in Ottawa, where they came second. During this time, Power was a member of the Young Actors Performance Troupe that performed in community centers and nursing homes a variety of vaudevillian cabarets and contemporary youth plays.
Upon graduating from NTSC, Power was unable to secure an interview for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and so instead he ‘crashed’ the auditions. Power had his professional theatrical debut playing Demetrius in Joe Dowling's adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream on the mainstage of the Stratford Festival in Canada, acting alongside fellow NTSC alumni, Colm Feore. [2] [5] and Ted Dykstra. Power also performed that year in Albert Millard’s production of Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid with William Hutt. From 1993 onward, Power focused the development and production of new Canadian works, starring in Anne Szumigalski's productions ‘Z’ (25th Street Theatre), MollyWood (Lovers and Madmen) by Christopher Richards, Three Penny Epic Cabaret (Theatre Passe-Maurille/Bald Ego) by Adam Nashman.
Power landed the eponymous role of ‘’Stuck‘’ [6] in David Rubinoff's one-man show based on the beat poets. [7] The play Stuck brought Power to HERE theatre in New York where he soon moved to the Lower East Side and subsequently developed a solid working relationship with Ellen Stewart of La MaMa. [2] While at La MaMa, Power starred in a number of productions, most notably the original and remount of Jews And Jesus by Oren Safdie. Also under Ellen Stewart he wrote and directed Lady/Speak/Easy, [8] set in Harlem, and based on the life and music of Billie Holiday. The cast included musicians Bemshi Shearer (as Lady Day), bass player Theo Wilson (son of Billie's piano player Teddy Wilson), Jeremy Pelt on Trumpet, Ed Swanston (ex- piano for Louis Armstrong), Kalil Madi (ex-drummer for Billie Holiday) and Michael 'Smallchange' Johnson(Lemon Bucket), who was also musical director. During this time in New York, Power played the title role in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s production of The Shadow of A Gunman, and starred in The Irish Arts production’s Celtic Tiger Me Arse directed by Neal Jones, Rinty and Paddywack; and played Murph in the Second Stage production of The Indian Wants the Bronx, and Prince Hal in the Gorilla Repertory Theatre Company’s production of Henry IV parts 1 and 2. Through his work with the Irish Repertory Theatre, Power was offered the role of Juror number 7 in the Irish premiere of 12 Angry Men by Lane Productions in Dublin, the play ran for 18 months. This was followed by the lead role in another Lane production of 44 Sycamore by Bernard Farrell, which ran for 12 months. Power's Irish production company Big Papa then co-produced Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love at The New Theatre.
Power had his West End debut in Bill Kenright's 2005 production of the Tennessee Williams play The Night of the Iguana alongside Woody Harrelson. Initially playing Hank, Power then shared the role of Shannon with Harrelson, and the two alternated midweek over the last three months of the run. As part of the centenary productions of Terence Rattigan in 2011, Power played Mark Walters in In Praise of Love at the Royal & Derngate theatre in Northampton. In 2015, Power returned to the West End to perform juror 7 with Tom Conti, Robert Vaughn and Jeff Fahey in Bill Kenright's production of Twelve Angry Men at the Garrick Theatre. [9] [10] [11]
Among Power's first television roles were in Life with Mikey and Joe's Wedding. [12] In 2004 Power played the role of series regular Warren on the controversial RTÉ series The Big Bow Wow. After one season the show was canceled and then 2005 Power was hired to play Garth O’Hara in the RTÉ Soap Opera Fair City. Power was cast as Frankie in the Irish coming-of-age film Cowboys and Angels. Power was then cast as John in Gilles MacKinnon's Tara Road, which filmed in Cape Town, Dublin and London. In 2005 Power was asked to read for a new comedy series for the BBC written by and starring Jack Dee. Lead Balloon, initially started on BBC4 and then moved to BBC2 where it ran from 2006–2011, with Power playing Marty, the sardonic writing partner of failed comedian Rick Spleen (Jack Dee). [13] During this time Power also had guest leads on the British television series Moving Wallpaper, Holby City, Doctors, Taking the Flak, and Wild West. During this time Power filmed his first feature film in Played, a series of three with the actor and writer Mick Rossi. [14] [15] [16] Played was produced by John Daly, with an all-star cast and indie film budget, it was originally intended to be a short. The film was shot without the use of a scripted screenplay and the director (Sean Stanek) allowed the actors to improvise a majority of dialogue as he shot the scenes. The film was shot on location in London and Los Angeles and took three years to complete. Rossi then offered Power the role of Rudy in the robbery film 2:22, then in 2012 Power starred along Rossi in the psychological thriller A Kiss and A Promise' as the character Charlie Matthews". [17] [18] During this time Power also appeared in minor role with Anthony Hopkins in Fernando Meirelles interrelationship film 360. [19]
In 2011 Power returned to Dublin to film Honeymoon for One with Nicollette Sheridan. [20] In late 2012, Power starred alongside Ryan Sampson, Kate Miles and Diane Morgan as Colby Brown in the mock reality/hidden camera show E4's The Work Experience. Each episode, partially scripted and improvised was shot in real time for 3 consecutive work days in a fictitious London PR firm. Each week, new interns were brought in believing they were participating in a documentary programme. At the end of filming The Work Experience, Power was cast as the vampire hunter Peter Vincent in 20th Century Fox's reboot Fright Night 2 filmed on location in Transylvania and Bucharest, Romania. This was followed by Steve Barker ‘s popular zombie film The Rezort alongside Dougray Scott and Martin McCann. Following The Rezort, Power was cast as a lead role alongside actors Billy Boyd, Alice Lowe, and Eline Powell in the Lennox Brothers debut feature Stoner Express (a.k.a. AmstarDam), a marijuana-fuelled fairytale shot in Amsterdam and London. In the film notorious author and cannabis smuggler Howard Marks played himself, this was his last film before he died in 2016. [21] In 2016, Power created, directed and shot 10 episodes of Chinese Girls in London, [22] a short format comedy series with an all-Chinese cast. The show was optioned by Roughcut Tv Productions with the pilot episode to be shown on BBC 3 in late 2017. During this time, Power was cast as Mitch, in Mick Jackson’s Bafta-nominated Denial, followed up by Lt Brett Biggle in Brad Pitt’s satirical war film, War Machine. In 2017 Power was reunited with Woody Harrelson working on his directorial debut Lost in London. The film was the first ever, to be shot in a single take, with one camera and streamed live to audiences in over 500 American theatres. Power followed this up with a role in Mark Strong’s series Deep State, which was filmed through late 2017 and released at the end of 2018. In 2019, Sean teamed up with Irish production company Wytao Film's William Morgan and Vincent Walsh to shoot the award winning comedy Double Denim. In early 2020 he was cast as Bradley in Anna Paquin's series "Flack".
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. Harrelson first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom Cheers (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series from five nominations. He reprised his role in the acclaimed spinoff series Frasier in 1999 for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series nomination.
Stuart Townsend is an Irish actor. He portrayed Lestat de Lioncourt in the film adaptation of Anne Rice's Queen of the Damned (2002), and Dorian Gray in Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). In 2007, he directed the film Battle in Seattle.
Aidan Murphy, better known as Aidan Gillen, is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award.
Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's The Wire (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's The Affair (2014–2019), the latter of which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama nomination, Ebenezer Scrooge’s nephew Fred in A Christmas Carol, and Charles, Prince of Wales, in the Netflix drama The Crown (2022–2023), the latter of which earned him another Golden Globe Award nomination.
Sean Hughes was a British-born Irish comedian, writer and actor. He starred in his own Channel 4 television show Sean's Show and was one of the regular team captains on the BBC Two musical panel game Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
Lachy Hulme is an Australian actor and screenwriter. He has written several films and has appeared in a number of Australian and US film and television productions.
Niamh Cusack is an Irish actress. Born to a family with deep roots in the performing arts, she has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal National Theatre, and many others. Her most notable television role was as Dr. Kate Rowan in the UK series Heartbeat (1992–1995). Other TV and film credits include Always and Everyone (1999–2002), The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1995), The Closer You Get (2000), Agatha Christie's Marple, Midsomer Murders (2008), A Touch of Frost (2010), In Love with Alma Cogan (2011), Testament of Youth (2014), Departure (2015), Chick Lit, The Ghoul (2016), The Virtues (2019), Death in Paradise (2021), The Tower (2023). She has been nominated at IFTA for her performance in Too Good to be True (2004).
Ciarán Hinds is an Irish actor from Belfast. Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989), Persuasion (1995), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Road to Perdition (2002), The Sum of All Fears (2002), Munich (2005), Amazing Grace (2007), There Will Be Blood (2007), Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Silence (2016), First Man (2018) and Belfast (2021). He was nominated for an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Belfast.
Rita Gemma Craven is an Irish actress. She is best known for her role as Joan Parker, the frigid wife of Arthur, in the BBC TV drama Pennies From Heaven (1978).
John Crowley is an Irish film and theatre director. He is best known for the films Brooklyn (2015) and his debut feature, Intermission (2003), for which he won an Irish Film and Television Award for Best Director. He is a brother of the designer Bob Crowley.
Robert Sheehan is an Irish actor. He is best known for television roles such as Nathan Young in Misfits, Darren Treacy in Love/Hate, and Klaus Hargreeves in The Umbrella Academy, as well as film roles such as Tom Natsworthy in Mortal Engines and Simon Lewis in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Bríd Brennan is an Irish actress who is known for her film, TV and theatre work. She originated the role of Agnes in the Brian Friel play Dancing at Lughnasa, for which she won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She is also a three-time Olivier Award nominee; for Rutherford and Son (1995), The Little Foxes (2002) and The Ferryman (2018).
Genevieve O'Reilly is an Irish-born Australian actress. She is known for her work in the Star Wars franchise as young Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and the Disney+ series Andor and Ahsoka. She is also known for her career in films, with credits including the 2004 film Avatar, the 2009 period drama The Young Victoria, and the 2010 romantic movie Forget Me Not. In 2016, O'Reilly appeared in the role of Tarzan's mother in The Legend of Tarzan.
Katie McGrath is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series Merlin (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series Dracula (2013–2014), Saskia in the TV series Secret Bridesmaids Business, and Sarah Bennett in the first season of the horror anthology series Slasher (2016), and for her role as Lena Luthor on the superhero series Supergirl (2016–2021). Her film roles include Lady Thelma Furness in the drama film W.E. and Jules Daly in the Christmas movie A Princess for Christmas (2011), Zara Young in the science fiction adventure film Jurassic World (2015), and Elsa in the epic fantasy film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017).
Jack Gleeson is an Irish actor who is best known for his role as Joffrey Baratheon on the HBO television series Game of Thrones (2011–2014). Following this role, Gleeson took a hiatus from acting, but has since taken part in independent theatre and the 2020 BBC miniseries Out of Her Mind. He appeared in the Irish thriller film In the Land of Saints and Sinners.
Damien Molony is an Irish actor. He is best known for his television roles as Hal Yorke in BBC Three's Being Human, DC Albert Flight in the BBC's Ripper Street, DS Jack Weston in Channel 5's Suspects, Jon in Channel 4's GameFace and Dylan in Sky One Original comedy Brassic.
Laurence Kinlan is an Irish actor in films, television series and on theatre stage. He is best known for playing the role of Elmo in RTÉ's crime drama Love/Hate.
Louisa Clare Harland is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Orla McCool in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls (2018–2022) and the titular character of the Disney+ series Renegade Nell (2024).
Danielle Galligan is an Irish actress, theatre maker, and poet. On television, she is known for her roles in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone (2021–2023) and the RTÉ series Obituary (2023). Her films include Lakelands (2022).
Ruth McCabe is an Irish stage, screen and voice actress known from Clones, County Monaghan. She is known for starring as Kay Curley in Stephen Frears'The Snapper, Christy Brown's paramour Mary in My Left Foot, and Wyn Ryan, sister of Dr. Sam Ryan, in three seasons of Silent Witness. She originated the role of Kay McCoy, proprietor of McCoy's bar in RTÉ's soap opera Fair City.