Domhnall Gleeson: From Harry Potter to His Latest Roles

Domhnall Gleeson has been a familiar face in major films for more than a decade. He has appeared in some of the biggest franchises of modern cinema while also building a career through independent films and television dramas

From Bill Weasley in Harry Potter to General Hux in Star Wars and Tim Lake in About Time, Gleeson has shown that he can move between very different kinds of characters.

In 2026, interest in Domhnall Gleeson has increased again because of his current work.

His role as Ned Sampson in The Paper has brought him to a new television audience.

The second season of the Peacock comedy is currently streaming and continues to place Gleeson at the centre of its newsroom story.

At the same time, his recent film work has encouraged audiences to revisit older performances.

Some are discovering him through The Paper and then going back to watch About Time, Ex Machina, Brooklyn, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

So who is Domhnall Gleeson and how did he become one of Ireland’s most recognizable actors?

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Who Is Domhnall Gleeson?

Domhnall Gleeson is an Irish actor and writer from Dublin, Ireland. He was born on May 12, 1983, which makes him 43 years old in 2026.¹

He comes from a well-known acting family. His father is acclaimed Irish actor Brendan Gleeson. His brother Brian Gleeson is also an actor.

Despite growing up around the entertainment industry, Domhnall initially did not immediately plan to follow the same career path. Gleeson studied Media Arts at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

His early professional work included theatre and smaller screen roles. He later began gaining attention through Irish productions before moving into larger international projects.

His first film appearance came in the 2004 short film Six Shooter. The film was written and directed by Martin McDonagh and starred Brendan Gleeson. It went on to win the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

Gleeson’s career then developed steadily. He appeared in films such as Never Let Me Go, True Grit and Anna Karenina before landing one of his most recognizable roles as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter series.

Why Are People Searching for Domhnall Gleeson Again?

The current interest in Domhnall Gleeson is closely connected to the number of recognizable projects attached to his name. Someone may discover him through The Paper and then realize he was Bill Weasley in Harry Potter.

Another viewer may know him as General Hux from Star Wars but discover that he played the romantic lead in About Time.

Fans of science fiction may know him from Ex Machina. Others may recognize him from Brooklyn, The Revenant or The Patient. This makes his career particularly easy to revisit.

His recent television exposure has effectively created a path back through his older work. As audiences see him in a new role they often search his name and discover just how varied his filmography is.

#tiff red carpet Domhnall Gleeson ’s way 😄💙#BuckingFastard pic.twitter.com/HIxuGpxc1T

— Domhnall Gleeson Haven (@DomhnallGHaven) September 16, 2026

Quick Facts

Domhnall Gleeson and Harry Potter

One of the biggest early steps in Gleeson’s career came when he joined the Harry Potter franchise.²

He played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2. Bill is the eldest Weasley brother and is involved with the Order of the Phoenix. He also becomes the partner of Fleur Delacour.

Although Bill is not one of the central characters throughout the entire franchise, being part of the final two films gave Gleeson exposure to a worldwide audience.

The Harry Potter connection remains important to his career because the franchise continues to attract new generations of viewers. When people revisit the films today they often recognize actors who later became major stars.

Gleeson is one of those actors. His role as Bill Weasley was also quite different from many of the characters that followed.

Rather than being defined by one particular acting style, he used the opportunity to become part of a much broader film career.

Domhnall Gleeson in About Time

One of Gleeson’s most beloved performances came in Richard Curtis’s 2013 romantic comedy About Time.

He played Tim Lake, a young man who discovers that the men in his family have the ability to travel through time. Instead of using the ability to change history on a grand scale, Tim mainly uses it to improve his personal life.

Rachel McAdams played Mary, Tim’s love interest. The film became important to Gleeson’s career because it showed that he could carry a romantic comedy without relying on the traditional image of a movie star.

Tim is awkward, emotional and often uncertain. Gleeson gives the character a natural quality that makes his journey relatable.

Years after its release, About Time remains one of the films most closely associated with Gleeson. It also helped demonstrate the range that would become a major feature of his career.

Domhnall Gleeson in Ex Machina

In 2015, Gleeson starred in Alex Garland’s science-fiction thriller Ex Machina. He played Caleb Smith, a programmer who is invited to the isolated home of a wealthy technology entrepreneur played by Oscar Isaac.

Caleb is asked to participate in an experiment involving an advanced artificial intelligence named Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. The film is much darker and more psychologically demanding than About Time.

Gleeson’s performance works because Caleb begins as an ordinary and curious young programmer. As the experiment develops, his understanding of the people around him becomes increasingly uncertain.

Ex Machina also showed that Gleeson could work effectively in smaller, dialogue-heavy productions where character performance is more important than spectacle.

The film remains one of his most discussed projects. It also helped establish him as an actor who could handle complicated science-fiction stories without being defined solely by franchise cinema.

Domhnall Gleeson and Star Wars

Another major chapter in Gleeson’s career began with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. He played General Armitage Hux, a high-ranking officer of the First Order.

Hux was very different from Tim Lake in About Time or Caleb in Ex Machina. He was intense, ambitious and deeply committed to the First Order. Gleeson returned as Hux in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The role gave him the opportunity to work within one of cinema’s most recognizable franchises. It also demonstrated his ability to play a character who could be serious while still having a theatrical edge.

His connection to the franchise has continued even outside the films. In 2026, Gleeson discussed his experience visiting the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction.

The experience included performers recognizing him as General Hux, showing how strongly the character remains connected to the franchise.

Domhnall Gleeson in Brooklyn

Gleeson also appeared in the acclaimed 2015 period drama Brooklyn.³

The film starred Saoirse Ronan as Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who moves to New York. Gleeson played Jim Farrell. Unlike General Hux, Jim is a much quieter and more grounded character.

Brooklyn became another example of Gleeson’s ability to disappear into different types of roles. His work alongside Ronan also connected him with another important Irish film production.

The film received multiple Academy Award nominations and became a major success with critics and audiences.

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The Revenant and Other Film Roles

Gleeson’s 2015 run was particularly notable because he appeared in several major films within a relatively short period.

He played Andrew Henry in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.

The film was a large-scale survival drama set in the American wilderness. It was physically demanding and visually very different from the intimate stories that Gleeson had previously worked on.

His filmography continued to expand after that. He appeared in American Made, mother!, Goodbye Christopher Robin, Peter Rabbit, The Little Stranger and The Kitchen.

He also returned as Thomas McGregor in Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.

Domhnall Gleeson in Goodbye Christopher Robin

One of Gleeson’s notable dramatic performances came in 2017 when he played author A. A. Milne in Goodbye Christopher Robin. The film explored Milne’s relationship with his family and the creation of the Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

Gleeson prepared extensively for the role and studied Milne’s voice and personality. The performance required him to portray a complicated figure whose public success was connected to private struggles.

The film showed once again that Gleeson was comfortable taking on historical figures rather than simply playing variations of the same character.

Domhnall Gleeson on Television

Although Gleeson became internationally known through film, television has become an increasingly important part of his career.

He appeared in the acclaimed Black Mirror episode “Be Right Back” in 2013. He later starred in the comedy series Run, the Irish comedy Frank of Ireland and the psychological drama The Patient.

In The Patient, Gleeson played Sam Fortner opposite Steve Carell. His performance was darker and more intense than many of his earlier comedy and romance roles.

He later appeared as John Dean in HBO’s White House Plumbers. The limited series focused on the Watergate scandal and featured Gleeson alongside Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux.

These television roles helped establish Gleeson as an actor who could work across both limited series and longer-running shows.

Domhnall Gleeson in The Paper

One of the biggest reasons Domhnall Gleeson is attracting attention in 2026 is The Paper. The comedy is connected to the world of the American version of The Office.

Gleeson plays Ned Sampson, the editor of the struggling Toledo Truth Teller newspaper. Ned is an idealistic character who wants to rebuild the newspaper and restore its importance.

The role gives Gleeson a very different kind of leading character. Instead of playing a villain like General Hux or a troubled figure like Caleb Smith, he plays a determined newsroom leader in a workplace comedy.

The second season is currently streaming and has expanded Ned’s story. Season two focuses partly on the growing relationship between Ned and reporter Mare Pritti, played by Chelsea Frei.

The Guardian has also highlighted Gleeson’s role as the new editor who tries to return the struggling newspaper to its former success. This current role has helped introduce Gleeson to viewers who may not have followed his film career closely.

Domhnall Gleeson in The Incomer

Another important recent project is The Incomer. The 2026 British film was directed by Louis Paxton and stars Gleeson as Daniel.

The story takes place on a remote Scottish island where Daniel arrives to deal with two isolated siblings. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and later became part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival programme.

The film is another example of Gleeson’s interest in unusual material. Rather than another conventional Hollywood production, The Incomer places him in a strange and often darkly comic story.

The Guardian described Gleeson as the relatively grounded presence surrounded by the film’s unusual characters.

Fountain of Youth and Echo Valley

Gleeson’s recent film work has also included larger productions. In Fountain of Youth, directed by Guy Ritchie, he appeared alongside John Krasinski and Natalie Portman.

The adventure film follows estranged siblings searching for the legendary Fountain of Youth. Apple lists Gleeson among the film’s main cast.

He also appeared in Echo Valley alongside Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney. These projects highlight the variety of Gleeson’s recent career.

He has moved between comedy, adventure, psychological drama and darker character roles rather than staying in one particular genre.

An interview with The Times described this period of his career as a contrast between the adventurous Fountain of Youth and the darker role he played in Echo Valley.

Domhnall Gleeson’s Acting Style and Career Range

One of Gleeson’s most noticeable career traits is his willingness to change his screen persona.

He has played:

• A romantic lead in About Time
• A Weasley family member in Harry Potter
• A First Order general in Star Wars
• A programmer in Ex Machina
• A supporting character in The Revenant
• A historical writer in Goodbye Christopher Robin
• A psychologically complex character in The Patient
• A newspaper editor in The Paper
• A council worker in The Incomer

These roles do not follow one simple formula. That variety may be one reason older films featuring Gleeson continue to receive attention whenever he appears in a new project.

Domhnall Gleeson and His Family

Domhnall Gleeson is the eldest son of actor Brendan Gleeson.

Brendan Gleeson is known for films including Braveheart, Gangs of New York, In Bruges, The Guard and the Harry Potter series. He played Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody in the Wizarding World films.

Domhnall and Brendan therefore appeared in the same franchise. Their professional connection has been part of public interest in Domhnall’s career for many years.

Domhnall’s brother Brian Gleeson is also an actor. The family has therefore developed a strong presence in Irish film and television.

Domhnall has spoken openly about the privilege of being the son of a successful actor. At the same time he has built a career that extends well beyond his family connection.

Domhnall Gleeson Personal Life

Gleeson generally keeps his personal life private. His long-term relationship with producer Juliette Bonass has received media attention.

Bonass has worked as a film producer and has collaborated with Gleeson on earlier creative projects. Reports about their relationship have appeared for years but Gleeson has generally avoided making his private life a major part of his public image.

For many fans, his professional work remains the main reason for following him.

What Is Domhnall Gleeson Doing Now in 2026?

As of September 2026, Gleeson is appearing as Ned Sampson in the second season of The Paper.

The season is currently streaming and continues the story of the Toledo Truth Teller newsroom. He is also associated with The Incomer, the 2026 film that gives him another leading role.

His recent filmography also includes Fountain of Youth and Echo Valley. Together these projects show that Gleeson remains active across both film and television.

His current work is also helping audiences rediscover older titles such as About Time, Ex Machina, Brooklyn, Harry Potter and Star Wars.

 

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FAQ’s

How old is Domhnall Gleeson in 2026?

Domhnall Gleeson was born on May 12, 1983. He is 43 years old in 2026.

Where is Domhnall Gleeson from?

Domhnall Gleeson is from Dublin, Ireland. He has built an international acting career while remaining closely connected to Irish film and theatre.

What is Domhnall Gleeson best known for?

He is widely known for playing Bill Weasley in Harry Potter, General Hux in Star Wars, Tim Lake in About Time and Caleb Smith in Ex Machina.

Is Domhnall Gleeson in The Paper?

Yes. Gleeson plays Ned Sampson in The Paper. The series is connected to the world of The Office and follows the staff of the Toledo Truth Teller newspaper. Season two is currently streaming in 2026.

What character does Domhnall Gleeson play in The Incomer?

Gleeson plays Daniel in The Incomer. The 2026 British film is directed by Louis Paxton and is set on a remote Scottish island.

Conclusion

Domhnall Gleeson’s career is a good example of how an actor can move between blockbuster franchises, independent films, television dramas and comedy without becoming tied to one type of character.

He first gained international recognition through Harry Potter. He then became widely known for About Time, Ex Machina, Brooklyn, The Revenant and the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

For viewers discovering Domhnall Gleeson through his current projects, there is a long list of older performances waiting to be revisited. That is perhaps the most interesting part of his current popularity.

A new role does not simply introduce audiences to Gleeson. It often sends them back through a career that already includes some of the most recognizable films and franchises of the past two decades.

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