Domhnall Gleeson: Actor, Family, Movies & Pronunciation Guide

Most people meet Domhnall Gleeson twice before the name finally sticks — once in a wizard’s world, once in a galaxy far, far away. He’s the Irish actor, screenwriter, and producer born in Dublin on May 12, 1983, who anchored About Time and Black Mirror’s “Be Right Back” and is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson.

Born: May 12, 1983 · Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland · Known for: Harry Potter, Star Wars, About Time, Black Mirror · Family: Son of Brendan Gleeson; brother of Brian Gleeson · Profession: Actor, writer, producer, director

Seven facts, one pattern: nearly every search about Domhnall Gleeson is really about pronunciation, his father, or a single franchise role.

The pattern: the same four facts — name, father, franchises, pronunciation — drive most of the search traffic, so the sections below take them one at a time.

How do you pronounce Domhnall?

Two spelling systems meet in this name, and the guidance is consistent once you know the Irish rule.

Does the “mh” sound like an “m”?

• The “mh” is an Irish digraph, not the English “m” — it softens into a “w”-like glide.
• That lenition is why the first syllable sounds like “doe” rather than “dom.”
• Saying “DOM-nal” is the most common mistake, and it’s exactly what the spelling warns against.

What is the anglicized pronunciation?

• The standard anglicization is “DOH-nəl”, written /ˈdoʊnəl/, with stress on the first syllable.
• The second syllable is a quick, almost swallowed “nul.”
• Gleeson follows ordinary English sound rules: “GLEE-sən.”

Once the rhythm lands — “DOH-nul GLEE-sən” — the name stops being a barrier and starts being a conversation starter.

Why this matters: “Domhnall” is usually the first thing people search before they even look at his filmography, so nailing it removes the biggest barrier to recommending his work.

What is Domhnall Gleeson most famous for?

The short answer is four roles. Each one hands a different audience its own “oh, that guy” moment.

Harry Potter role

• Domhnall played Bill Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2, while his father, Brendan Gleeson, played Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody in the same franchise.
• The double-Gleeson casting is a common source of “wait, they’re related?” search confusion.

Star Wars role

• Domhnall played General Hux in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, appearing in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
• Hux gave him a second fan base: the kids who grew up on Harry Potter met him again as a white-uniformed antagonist.

Black Mirror episode

• The episode is “Be Right Back” (2013), and it leans on Gleeson’s ability to play warmth and unease in the same scene.
• The role is the standard answer to “what should I watch if I only know him from Star Wars?”

Other acclaimed films

• About Time made him a rom-com lead as Tim Lake, and his surrounding filmography includes Ex Machina, Brooklyn, The Revenant, Unbroken, Anna Karenina, and Peter Rabbit.
• None of those roles repeats the last one, which is the running theme of his filmography.

The pattern: his fame is unusually democratic — the franchise crowd knows him from Star Wars, the rom-com crowd from About Time, and the streaming crowd from Black Mirror.

The implication: his franchise roles and indie work complement each other, making him equally castable in blockbusters and character-driven films.

Is Domhnall Gleeson related to Brendan Gleeson?

Yes. Brendan Gleeson is Domhnall’s father, and the elder Gleeson’s own career runs through Martin Cahill in The General and Ken in In Bruges (Brendan Gleeson’s Wikipedia biography).

Siblings and family tree

• Domhnall’s brother is Brian Gleeson, and the family has worked together in theatre as well as film (Wikipedia’s Basque edition).
• Before acting full-time, Domhnall studied media arts and graduated with a B.A. from Dublin Institute of Technology.
• The public record treats the Gleesons as a unit: father, sons, and shared stages.

On-screen collaborations with Brendan Gleeson

• In the Harry Potter films, Domhnall played Bill Weasley while Brendan played Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody — the same franchise, two Gleesons, two roles.
• The shared credits make it easy to see why new fans assume one actor plays both parts.

The implication: the Gleeson name is a family business, and Domhnall’s casting in a franchise is never just about him — it carries the family’s screen credibility with it.

The pattern: the Gleeson family name functions as a brand in Irish cinema, and Domhnall’s career has only strengthened that reputation.

What are Domhnall Gleeson’s upcoming movies?

The honest answer: nothing is officially confirmed. The only current signal in the available data is a promotional post, not a press release.

Is The Incomer a current release?

• According to a Letterboxd promotional post for “Four Favorites with Domhnall Gleeson,” The Incomer is “in theaters now.”
• The same post does not clarify whether Gleeson stars in the film or only appears in the Letterboxd feature around it.

What has been confirmed?

• No verified upcoming release dates appear in the provided search results.
• Until a distributor or an official listing confirms the title, treat The Incomer as an unverified lead.

What to watch: the next credible signal will be a studio or distributor listing — until then, “in theaters now” is marketing copy, not a filmography fact.

The catch: without distributor confirmation, The Incomer remains a lead rather than a line item on his filmography.

Is Domhnall Gleeson single?

The documented record doesn’t answer this, and Gleeson hasn’t made his private life part of his public pitch.

Relationship status and family privacy

• No supplied source confirms whether he is single, dating, married, or in a relationship.
• His interviews focus on work, family, and Ireland; romantic relationships are not part of the coverage.

Public details about spouse or children

• No confirmed record of a spouse exists in the provided material.
• No confirmed record of children exists in the provided material.
• “Not publicly documented” is not the same as “ruled out.”

The pattern: the absence of an answer is itself the answer — Gleeson’s privacy is consistent, and every speculative headline runs into the same wall of no documentation.

What’s confirmed and what’s unclear

The balance here is deliberate: the confirmed list is short, and the unclear list is honest about what the record doesn’t say.

Three voices on Domhnall Gleeson

“My life in Ireland means too much to me… It’s no sacrifice to live here.”

Domhnall Gleeson, in an interview with The Irish Times

In a BAFTA Facebook video, Gleeson discussed “the film he could never rewatch” and the nerves of his first day on set.

BAFTA, via Facebook

Letterboxd’s “Four Favorites with Domhnall Gleeson” pairs the actor with The Incomer, described as “in theaters now.”

Letterboxd, promotional post

The common thread: whether he’s talking to a newspaper, a film academy, or a streaming service, the same Dublin-rooted steadiness comes through.

The takeaway

Domhnall Gleeson’s career is a study in staying put: a Dublin-based actor who moved through Harry Potter, Star Wars, About Time, and Black Mirror without trading his family name or his home base. The open threads — The Incomer, the “Opalite” rumor, and his private life — will keep generating search traffic precisely because the record is thin. For anyone tracking Domhnall Gleeson’s career, the principle is the same: cite what the record documents about him, or repeat what it doesn’t.

Related reading

• Andrew Scott: Relationship, Movies, and Personal Life
• Daniel Craig: Biography, Children, James Bond, & Key Facts

Both profiles take the same fact-first approach to actors whose personal lives generate as much search traffic as their roles.

Frequently asked questions

The FAQ answers stay inside the documented record — where the record ends, the unanswered questions begin.