Editing Colm Meaney (section)

==Career==
===Stage===
[[File:Abbey Theatre exterior.jpg|thumb|Meaney started his career acting in numerous productions with the [[Abbey Theatre]] from 1971-1980.]]

In 1971, Meaney joined the company of the [[National Theatre of Ireland]], appearing in 24 productions over the next nine years. Credits from this period include [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[The Winter's Tale]]'', [[W. B. Yeats]]' ''[[Oedipus Rex|King Oedipus]]'', [[George Bernard Shaw]]'s ''[[Saint Joan (play)|Saint Joan]]'', [[Dion Boucicault]]'s ''[[Arrah-na-Pogue]]'', and [[Seán O'Casey|Sean O'Casey]]'s ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]''.<ref name="Abbey" /> For much of this period, Meaney split his time between [[Dublin]] and [[London]], touring the UK with several theatre companies, including the [[7:84]] theatre group founded by [[John McGrath (playwright)|John McGrath]].<ref name="IrishmanAbroad">{{cite podcast|date=10 May 2020|title=Colm Meaney|url=https://soundcloud.com/an-irishman-abroad/colm-meaney-episode-356|author=Jarlath Regan|edition=356|work=[[An Irishman Abroad]]|publisher=[[SoundCloud]]|access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> Meaney made his [[Off West End|Off-West End]] debut in 1975, appearing in McGrath's plays ''Fish in the Sea'' at the [[Half Moon Theatre]]<ref>"Fish in the Sea (1975)." Stages of Half Moon. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.stagesofhalfmoon.org.uk/productions/soft-or-a-girl/.</ref> and ''Yobbo Nowt'' at the [[Shaw Theatre]]. The following year he appeared in a stage adaptation of [[Lin Biao|Lin Piao]]'s ''History of the Tenth Struggle'' at the [[Institute of Contemporary Arts]]. Meaney made his American stage debut in 1982 at the [[Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival]], where he would remain a summer company member until 1985. Credits from this period include [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'', [[J. M. Synge]]'s ''[[The Playboy of the Western World]]'', [[Dylan Thomas]]' ''[[A Child's Christmas in Wales]]'', [[C. P. Taylor]]'s ''[[And a Nightingale Sang]]'', and the American premiere of ''[[The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (play)|The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby]]''.<ref>Christon, Lawrence. "STAGE REVIEWS : REGIONAL THEATER HAS A NEW LOOK." Los Angeles Times, August 8, 1985. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-08-ca-3569-story.html.</ref> The play is an 8½ hour-long stage adaptation of the [[Charles Dickens]]’ [[Nicholas Nickleby|novel of the same name]], performed in two parts. The production was a critical and commercial success, later transferring to [[Merle Reskin Theatre]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. 

Meaney made his Off-Broadway debut in 1984, appearing as Kevin in [[Hugh Leonard]]'s ''The Poker Sessions'' at [[Rattlestick Playwrights Theater|Theater Off Park]].<ref>Gussow, Mel. "Stage: Hugh Leonard's 'Poker Session' Revived." ''The New York Times'', October 21, 1984. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/21/theater/stage-hugh-leonard-s-poker-session-revived.html.</ref> In 1986 he relocated from [[New York City]] to [[Los Angeles]]. That same year he starred in [[Sławomir Mrożek]]'s ''Alpha'',<ref>Sullivan, Dan. "STAGE REVIEW : ‘ALPHA’: AN IRONY WITH WRINKLES." ''Los Angeles Times'', September 26, 1986. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-26-ca-9137-story.html.</ref> [[Harold Pinter]]'s ''[[The Birthday Party (play)|The Birthday Party]]'',<ref>Christon, Lawrence. "Another 'Birthday' for Director Mandell." ''Los Angeles Times'', February 16, 1986. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-16-ca-8498-story.html.</ref> and [[Peter Sheridan]]'s ''Diary of a Hunger Strike'',<ref>Koehler, Robert. "Playwright of Irish Greek Tragedy." Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1986. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-29-ca-1465-story.html.</ref> all at the [[Los Angeles Theatre Center]]. Meaney's performance in the later earned him a [[Drama-Logue Award]] nomination for Best Actor in a Play. In 1987, Meaney appeared as Mick Ross in the American premiere of [[Hugh Whitemore]]'s ''[[Breaking the Code]]'' at the [[Kennedy Center]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>Richards, David. "Code Unsolved Enigma." ''The Washington Post'', October 5, 1987. Accessed March 21, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1987/10/05/code-unsolved-enigma/53f97080-6bfc-4abd-be68-ed5b2ffff3b5/.</ref> Later that same year the production transferred to the [[Neil Simon Theatre]] on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. From 1992 to 1993 Meaney appeared in a multi-city tour of [[Tom Stoppard]]'s ''[[Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (play)|Every Good Boy Deserves Favour]]'', directed by his ''[[Star Trek]]'' co-star [[Patrick Stewart]]. Tour venues included Orange County Symphony in [[Garden Grove, California|Garden Grove, CA]]; [[The Chicago Theatre]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]], and The Fox Theatre in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]. In 1999 Meaney starred in [[Peter Parnell]]'s stage adaptation of [[John Irving]]'s ''[[The Cider House Rules]]'' at the [[Atlantic Theater Company]]. Meaney won an [[Obie Award]] for his performance. 

Meaney made his [[West End theatre|West End]] debut as Phil Hogan in the 2006 revival of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[A Moon for the Misbegotten]]'' at [[The Old Vic]]. Directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]], the cast also featured [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Eve Best]]. For his performance, Meaney was nominated for the [[Olivier Award]] for [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role|Best Performance in a Supporting Role]]. The following year the production transferred to the [[Brooks Atkinson Theatre]] on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]]. Meaney would later return to Broadway in the 2018 revival of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[The Iceman Cometh]]'' at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Directed by [[George C. Wolfe]], the cast featured [[Denzel Washington]], [[Bill Irwin]], [[David Morse]], [[Tammy Blanchard]], and [[Austin Butler]]. In 2023, after more than a 40-year absence, Meaney returned to the Irish stage in [[Landmark Productions]] revival of the [[Enda Walsh]] play ''Bedbound'' at the [[Galway International Arts Festival]]. Starring opposite his daughter [[Brenda Meaney]], the production later transferred to an additional engagement at the [[Olympia Theatre, Dublin]].<ref>Hayes, Katy. "Bedbound Review: Colm Meaney and Daughter Brenda Are Inspired Casting in Tale of Celtic Tiger Hubris." ''Irish Independent'', July 19, 2023.https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/theatre-arts/bedbound-review-colm-meaney-and-daughter-brenda-are-inspired-casting-in-tale-of-celtic-tiger-hubris/a805730622.html</ref>

===Television and film===
[[File:Alaimo, Shimerman and Meany.jpg|thumb|left|Meaney ''(right)'' with ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' co-stars [[Marc Alaimo]] ''(left)'' and [[Armin Shimerman]] ''(middle)'']]

Meaney's first television appearance was in ''[[Z-Cars]]'' on [[BBC One]], in 1978. He guest-starred on shows such as ''[[Remington Steele]]'' and ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]'' before embarking on a successful film career; he received a [[Golden Globe]] nomination for Best Actor for his role in ''[[The Snapper (film)|The Snapper]]''.<ref name="Addley">{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/03/colm-meaney-the-journey-martin-mcguinness-interview |title=Colm Meaney on playing Martin McGuinness: 'He was born into this' |last=Addley |first=Esther |date=3 May 2017 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226174522/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/may/03/colm-meaney-the-journey-martin-mcguinness-interview|archive-date=26 February 2020|access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>

Meaney first appeared on ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' in its 1987 pilot episode, "[[Encounter at Farpoint]]", as an unnamed helm officer. His character became a frequently recurring one, and was given the name of [[Miles O'Brien (Star Trek)|Miles O'Brien]] as he became more prominent in the crew as Transporter Chief. In 1993, Meaney left ''The Next Generation'' for a main role in its spin-off ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' and remained on that show until its final episode, in 1999. With 225 total appearances on ''Star Trek'', he is second to [[Michael Dorn]] with the most appearances on the franchise.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Seibold |first1=Witney|title=Which Star Trek Actor Appeared In The Most Episodes?|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/992646/which-star-trek-actor-appeared-in-the-most-episodes/ |website=Slashfilm|date=2 September 2022 |access-date=10 September 2024}}</ref>

Meaney played Colum O'Hara in the 1994 miniseries ''[[Scarlett (TV miniseries)|Scarlett]]'', the sequel to ''[[Gone with the Wind (novel)|Gone With the Wind]]''. He has played a minor recurring role as Cowen,<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2019 |title=10 Shows With The Best Cameos From Star Trek Actors |url=https://screenrant.com/cameos-star-trek-actors/ |access-date=21 July 2020 |website=[[Screen Rant]]}}</ref> leader of the [[Genii (Stargate)|Genii]] on the series ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/stargate-atlantis/191790|title=Stargate Atlantis on Sci Fi|publisher=TV Guide|access-date=9 December 2009}}</ref> guest-starred on ''Law & Order'', ''[[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]]'' and appeared as Bob O'Donnell on the ABC show ''[[Men in Trees]]''. Meaney appeared in the film ''[[Die Hard 2]]'', playing the pilot of the plane Windsor 114 that was later crashed by Colonel Stuart.<ref>{{cite web |title=Die Hard 2 (1990) - Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099423/fullcredits |website=IMDB |access-date=10 September 2024}}</ref>

He was the only actor to appear in all three film adaptations of [[Roddy Doyle]]'s ''[[The Barrytown Trilogy]]'', as the father of the Rabbitte family. His stage appearances include the Old Vic production of [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[A Moon for the Misbegotten]]''. Meaney starred in the British comedy film ''[[Three and Out]]'' (released in the UK on 25 April 2008). In July of the same year [[An Post]] (the Irish Post Office<ref>[http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/History+and+Heritage/History/ An Post—the Irish Post Office] An Post (retrieved 28 May 2018)</ref>) issued a postage stamp showing Meaney as Joe Mullen in the film ''[[Kings (2007 film)|Kings]]''.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Warren|first=Brian|title=That Was the Year That Was–2008 (part 1)|journal=The Revealer|volume=58|issue=4|page=63|publisher=Éire Philatelic Association|location=Seminole, FL|date=Spring 2009|issn=0484-6125}}</ref><!-- access-date=19 March 2009 -->

In 2009, Meaney co-starred with [[Gerard Butler]] and [[Jamie Foxx]] in ''[[Law Abiding Citizen]]'', playing Detective Dunnigan. In March 2009, Meaney voiced an Irish bartender on the St. Patrick's Day episode of ''The Simpsons'', "[[In the Name of the Grandfather]]". In the same month the film ''[[The Damned United]]'' was released, a mostly fictional retelling of the 44-day period in which [[Brian Clough]] was manager of [[Leeds United F.C.]] Meaney played former Leeds manager [[Don Revie]]. He co-starred in ''[[Soldiers of Fortune (2012 film)|Soldiers of Fortune]]''. In 2013, Meaney co-starred in ''[[Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa]]''. In 2014, he appeared as The Horse in the BBC's three-part crime story ''[[The Driver (TV series)|The Driver]]''. For five seasons he portrayed railroad magnate [[Thomas C. Durant]] on [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]]'s drama series ''[[Hell on Wheels (TV series)|Hell on Wheels]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview: Colm Meaney talks about Hell on Wheels|url=https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/08/interview-colm-meaney-talks-about-hell-on-wheels/|website=Flickering Myth|access-date=7 May 2017|date=16 August 2015}}</ref>