- Martin McCann (actor)
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Martin McCann Born 20 July 1983
Belfast, Northern Ireland-[1]Other names Marty McCann Martin "Marty" McCann (born 20 July 1983) is an actor from Northern Ireland.
Contents
Biography
McCann born to Anne McCann, he grew up with a brother and sister in the working-class Divis Flats area of Falls Road in Belfast.[1][2]
He credits his mother with helping him with his success. She pushed him to act and also got him into YouthAction NI's Rainbow Factory, a cross-community drama troop for Catholic and Protestant children and also got to spend time in the United States in the summer as part of an exchange program.[1][2]
His mother found a role for him by checking the local newspapers, and he soon won the stage production part of the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. He also got leads in the productions of Bugsy Malone and The Crucible.[2]
Popular in Northern Ireland for various sketches (including the trendy priest) in the Northern Ireland television comedy series Dry Your Eyes. He had a feature role in a short film by Simon Fitzmaurice called The Sound of People. He followed that up with his feature film debut (as Jimmy Riley) in the romantic drama Closing the Ring (2007) directed by Richard Attenborough.[1] Attenborough cast McCann in the film after seeing him in a stage production of A Clockwork Orange.[3] He also had a role in the film My Boy Jack (as Guardsman Bowe), about Rudyard Kipling and his son who was killed in World War I, with David Haig (Kipling), Daniel Radcliffe (Jack), Kim Cattrall (Caroline "Carrie" Kipling), and Carey Mulligan (Elsie "Bird" Kipling).[1]
McCann plays Corporal R. V. Burgin in the miniseries The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which will air beginning in March 2010.[1] Attenborough called Spielberg and recommended McCann for a part in the miniseries, even sending along scenes from his film for Spielberg to view.[4]
In early 2010 he was shooting in Belfast for the music-comedy Killing Bono, a film released in April 2011 about the life of one of Bono's classmates who tries to make it in the music business, only to have his failures and frustrations magnified by the continued rise of U2. McCann plays the supporting role of Bono. In 2011 McCann completed Terry George's 'Whole Lotta Sole' and is currently working on a twelve part mini series drama chronicaling the building of the Titanic and the story about the ship before it ever took off on its maiden voyage. [5]
In February 2011, Martin won the 2011 Irish Film and Television Academy Award for lead actor in a feature film. McCann was awarded this for his performance as Occi Byrne in Swansong produced by Zanzibar films.[6]
Other
Martin has become Patron of the charity YouthAction Northern Ireland. YouthAction's Rainbow Factory School of Performing Arts is seen as one of the largest, most exciting and innovative youth arts projects with 500 young people taking part in a range workshops and classes. It was with YouthAction's Rainbow Factory that Martin first became involved in drama. (http://www.youthaction.org)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Barter, Pavel (9 December 2007). - "Home Town Boy - Interview". - The Sunday Times.
- ^ a b c Ingle, Roisln (30 June 2007). - "The writing's on the Wall". - Irish Times.
- ^ Dougan, Andy (20 December 2007). - "Attenborough and Spielberg back Martin for Stardom". - Evening Times.
- ^ Home news (9 December 2007): - "Richard: Att A Boy Martin". - News of the World.
- ^ "Martin McCann & Billy Carter among cast for 'Titanic – Blood and Steel'". IFTN. http://iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4284215&tpl=archnews&force=1. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
- ^ "IFTA 2011 Winners Announced". IFTN. http://iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&aid=73&rid=4283650&sr=1&only=1&hl=IFTA+2011+winners&tpl=archnews. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1983 births
- Living people
- Film actors from Northern Ireland
- Television actors from Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland stage actors
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