Aidan Quinn Biography

AIDAN QUINN

Date of Birth: March 8, 1959

Quinn's roots reach directly to the Emerald Isle of Ireland. His parents emigrated from there to the States, settling in Chicago, where Aidan was born. His father was still close to his motherland and frequently sent his brood back to the Old Country for extended periods. The Quinn kids even attended high school part of the time in Belfast.

While spending much of his childhood in Ireland, Aidan grew to love the country and learned to speak with the different accents of the Irish people so that he could fit in. During this fanciful and bi-national upbringing, an ambition to be an actor was born.

As a young man, Quinn worked as a carpenter, a hot-tar roofer, a library janitor, a dishwasher, and a bus boy, while simultaneously trying to break into the Dublin theater. When he did get roles, he was impressed by the ease of acting itself, and by the difficulty actors encountered obtaining work.

When he turned 19, Quinn returned to the States and landed a role as a leather-clad toughie in Reckless (1984). The next year he was cast in two more movies. His role in An Early Frost, caused a bit of a stir with his portrayal of a gay man living with AIDS. The second was a sensitive lover in Desperately Seeking Susan, which launched his career.

Until his role as the IRA terrorist Harry Boland in Michael Collins (1996), he had always been given the nice-guy characters. Although he had broken the mold, he was not able to get away from the good guy persona forever. The next few years saw him in a variety of roles.

Quinn has been married to actress Elizabeth Bracco (Lorraine Bracco's sister) since 1987, and the couple has two daughters. Because of the atmosphere of Los Angeles, Quinn chose to raise his family in New York.

Filmography:

Unknown (2011)
The Greening of Whitney Brown (2011)
If I Were You (2011)
The Festival of Light (2010)
The 5th Quarter (2010)
Rushlights (2010)
Elle s'appelait Sarah (2010)
Flipped (2010)
Jonah Hex (2010)
Handsome Harry (2009)
The Eclipse (2009)
A Shine of Rainbows (2009)
Wild Child (2008)
Wild Child (2008)
32A (2007)
Dark Matter (2007)
Nine Lives (2005)
Return to Sender (2004)
Shadow of Fear (2004)
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius (2004)
Song for a Raggy Boy (2004)
Evelyn (2002)
Ocean Warrior (2002)
Stolen Summer (2002)
The Messiah XXI (2000)
Songcatcher (1999)
Wings Against the Wind (1999)
In Dreams (1999)
Music of the Heart (1999)
Songcatcher (1999)
Wings Against the Wind (1999)
Practical Magic (1998)
This Is My Father (1998/I)
The Assignment (1997)
Commandments (1997)
Looking for Richard (1996)
Michael Collins (1996)
Haunted (1995)
The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995)
Lumière et compagnie (1995)
Frankenstein (1994)
Blink (1994)
Legends of the Fall (1994)
Out of Ireland (1994) (voice)
The Irish in America (1997)
Benny & Joon (1993)
The Playboys (1992)
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
Avalon (1990)
The Lemon Sisters (1990)
Stakeout (1987)
The Mission (1986)
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Reckless (1984)