The embodiment of the line "when Irish eyes are smiling, they're up to something bad," Aidan Gillen oozed ruthless charisma and wicked sex appeal in his role as the sexually prolific Stuart Alan Jones in the 1999 British TV series Queer As Folk. Bringing wry humor and understatement to a potentially over-the-top role, Gillen earned a reputation as one of the U.K.'s most compulsively watchable new performers.
Born in Dublin, Gillen got his professional start in the late '80s, appearing in minor film roles. He worked steadily through the 1990s, in film and on television, popping up in such diverse offerings as Circle of Friends (1995), Some Mother's Son (1996), and Jez Butterworth's Mojo (1997). His major breakthrough role was inarguably that of Queer As Folk's Stuart, an arrogant, vain, and thoroughly sexy PR executive who strips countless men of both their clothing and resistance. The success of the controversial miniseries ensured that it -- and its talented actors -- would be back for a second go-round, which followed in 2000. That same year, Gillen found accompanying acclaim on the big screen, in Jamie Thraves' acclaimed directorial debut The Low Down, in which he starred as an amiable but frustrated commercial artist whose life changes when he meets a radiant, ambitious woman.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Shadow Dancer
Actor |
2012 | |||
|
Blitz
Actor |
2010 | |||
|
Identity [TV Series]
Actor |
2010 | |||
|
Treacle Jr.
Actor |
2010 | |||
|
12 Rounds
Actor |
2009 | |||
|
Freefall
Actor |
2009 | |||
|
Wake Wood
Actor |
2009 | |||
|
The Wire: Season 05
Actor |
2008 | |||
|
Blackout
Actor |
2007 | |||
|
The Wire: Season 04
Actor |
2006 | |||
|
The Wire: Season 03
Actor |
2004 | |||
|
Burning the Bed
Actor |
2003 | |||
|
Shanghai Knights
Actor |
2003 | |||
|
The Final Curtain
Actor |
2003 | |||
|
Lorna Doone
Actor |
2001 | |||
|
My Kingdom
Actor |
2001 | |||
|
Queer as Folk: Series 02
Actor |
2000 | |||
|
The Darkling
Actor |
2000 | |||
|
The Low Down
Actor |
2000 | |||
|
Buddy Boy
Actor |
1999 | |||
|
Queer as Folk: Series 01
Actor |
1999 | |||
|
Gold in the Streets
Actor |
1997 | |||
|
Mojo
Actor |
1997 | |||
|
Some Mother's Son
Actor |
1996 | |||
|
Circle of Friends
Actor |
1995 | |||
|
Safe
Actor |
1993 |









