Aidan Gillen

Aidan Murphy, better known as Aidan Gillen, is an Irish actor recognized for receiving three Irish Film & Television Awards and nominations for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, and a Tony Award. With an active career start in 1981, Gillen's acting flies across television, film, and members of the theater. He portrayed prominent TV characters such as Stuart Alan Jones in Queer as Folk, Tommy Carcetti in The Wire, John Boy in Love/Hate, Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish in Game of Thrones, and Aberama Gold in Peaky Blinders. He also appeared in various films, including roles in The Dark Knight Rises, Calvary, Maze Runner series, Sing Street, and Bohemian Rhapsody. He brought characters to life in video games as well, like Paul Serene in Quantum Break. Gillen nurtured a passion for acting as a teenager, joining the National Youth Theatre at fourteen. He took on the role of Nick Bottom in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream when he was 16. He adopted his mother's maiden name as his stage name, Gillen, as the name Aidan Murphy was already registered in his profession.

Continuing his career into adulthood, Gillen earned recognition for his performance as Stuart Alan Jones in Queer as Folk, which led to a British Academy Television Award nomination. His role in Harold Pinter's Broadway play The Caretaker landed him a Tony Award nomination. He further proved his acting prowess as the villain in Shanghai Knights and the remarkable role of Tommy Carcetti in HBO series The Wire, which earned him an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actor. Gillen played Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish in the highly acclaimed TV series Game of Thrones, bagging him another Irish Film & Television Award nomination. Besides acting, he hosted music show Other Voices and performed in the short film Ekki Múkk. In the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, Gillen took on the role of Queen's manager, John Reid, followed by his performance as Aidan in a short film I Didn't...I Wasn't...I Amn't. He was a part of History Channel's series Project Blue Book and BBC's crime drama Kin, portraying a member of an Irish crime family.