Barry Keoghan (/ˈkjoʊɡən/ KYOH-gən; born 18 October 1992) is an Irish actor. His accolades include a BAFTA Award, along with nominations for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number 27 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.
Barry Keoghan | |
|---|---|
 Keoghan in 2024 | |
| Born | 18 October 1992 Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Partner | Alyson Kierans (2021–2023) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Frank Stapleton (cousin) |
| Awards | Full list |
Keoghan's breakthrough came with supporting roles in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and Yorgos Lanthimos's The Killing of a Sacred Deer (both 2017). His career progressed with roles in the Irish crime film Calm with Horses (2019), the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals (2021), Martin McDonagh's The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), the psychological drama Saltburn (2023), and Steven Knight's Peaky Blinders' spin-off film: The Immortal Man (2026). For his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin, he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
On television, Keoghan appeared in the RTÉ drama Love/Hate (2013), the HBO miniseries Chernobyl (2019), the final season of the Netflix reboot Top Boy (2023), and in the Apple TV+ miniseries Masters of the Air (2024).
Early life
Keoghan was born on 18 October 1992, and grew up in Summerhill, Dublin, Ireland. His mother experienced drug addiction and died when he was 12. With his brother Eric, he spent seven years in foster care, in 13 foster homes, before being raised by their grandmother, aunt, and older sister Gemma.
As a child, Keoghan appeared in school plays in the O'Connell School on Dublin's North Richmond Street but was banned for "messing about". He attributes his film education to sneaking into films with friends at Cineworld, Parnell Street, from which he was eventually barred. After appearing in Between the Canals (2010), Keoghan studied acting at The Factory (now Bow Street Academy), a local Dublin drama school. He remembers "not even having €2.20 to get the bus to The Factory" at that time.
Career
2011–2018: Early roles and breakthrough
Keoghan began his acting career in 2010, when he answered a casting notice in a Sheriff Street shop window for the crime film Between the Canals (2010), directed by Mark O'Connor. He also starred in O'Connor's Stalker (2012). At the age of 18, he appeared in the Irish soap opera Fair City. In 2013, Keoghan appeared as Wayne on Love/Hate. The role earned Keoghan recognition in Ireland, and he went on to feature in '71 (2014) and Mammal and Trespass Against Us (2016).
Keoghan appeared in two films in 2017. He featured as George Mills in Dunkirk and starred as Martin Lang in The Killing of a Sacred Deer alongside Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman. He won the Irish Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The following year, he appeared in Black '47 as Hobson, an English soldier stationed in Ireland during the Great Famine. He also starred in American Animals the same year. He portrayed Spencer Reinhart in the film, based on a real-life theft of rare books from a university library. In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter described Keoghan as "the next big thing" for his film work in the previous three years.
2019–present: Career progression
In 2019, he appeared in the HBO miniseries Chernobyl. and in an episode of Living With Lucy. His work in Calm With Horses was shown in the premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. In February 2020, Keoghan left the main series production of Y: The Last Man, in which he had cast lead character Yorick Brown. In 2019, he was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. In 2021, Keoghan played Druig in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals, and appeared in The Green Knight.
Keoghan appeared in Matt Reeves's film The Batman (2022), credited as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner", a character subsequently confirmed to be the Joker. Three weeks after the film's release, Warner Bros. released a deleted scene featuring Keoghan's Joker and Robert Pattinson's Batman. Keoghan received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination, and won BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in the 2022 film The Banshees of Inisherin, written and directed by Martin McDonagh.
In 2023, Keoghan played the lead role of Oliver Quick in Emerald Fennell's psychological thriller Saltburn, alongside Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Alison Oliver, Richard E. Grant, and Carey Mulligan. Keoghan received critical acclaim for his performance, and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor. The following year he appeared in Andrea Arnold's Bird, which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Due to scheduling conflicts, he had to drop out of a villain role in Gladiator II. Keoghan was cast as Ringo Starr in a series of four interconnected but separate biopics about the Beatles from filmmaker Sam Mendes. The films are scheduled to be released in April 2028.
Keoghan is a brand ambassador for the Dior luxury brand and Barretstown.
Personal life
Keoghan is an amateur boxer. He is a supporter of Manchester United and appeared in the club's promotional campaign for the 2024–25 season kit with his second cousin, former United player Frank Stapleton. In March 2022, Keoghan was announced as the new ambassador for the Barretstown children's charity. He helped open the charity's new Aladina Studio funded by the Spanish Aladina Foundation. In March 2024, British luxury fashion house Burberry named Keoghan as its brand ambassador.
In April 2022, Keoghan was arrested in Dublin for public intoxication. He was later released without charge and issued with a fixed charged notice.
In September 2021, Keoghan began dating Alyson Kierans, a dental nurse and orthodontic therapist. The birth of their son was announced in August 2022. Their relationship ended in mid-2023.
In late 2023, Keoghan began a relationship with American singer Sabrina Carpenter, appearing in the music video for her song "Please Please Please". The pair split in 2024. Following the breakup, Keoghan claimed to be receiving threats from fanatic Carpenter fans, including threats directed at himself, his grandmother, and his then two-year-old son. Keoghan also alleged some fans went as far to stand outside the home in which his son and ex-girlfriend were living.
In November 2024, Keoghan expressed in an interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast (S3 EP7) having to have a thick skin to deal with online hate. In a subsequent March 2026 interview with SiriusXM, he stated that he avoids online platforms and the public because of harsh criticisms of both himself and his looks. It bothers him that his son may read these things later in life.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Stand Up | Stand up Bully | Short film | |||
| Between the Canals | Aido | |||||
| 2012 | Stalker | Tommy | ||||
| King of the Travellers | Young Dublin Lad | |||||
| 2013 | Wasted | Ben | Short film | |||
| Life's a Breeze | Pizza Guy | |||||
| Stay | Sean Meehan | |||||
| 2014 | '71 | Sean Bannon | ||||
| Standby | Crusty | |||||
| North | Aaron | Short film | ||||
| 2015 | Norfolk | Boy | ||||
| Traders | Ken | |||||
| The Break | Sean | Short film | ||||
| 2016 | Mammal | Joe | ||||
| Trespass Against Us | Windows | |||||
| Candy Floss | Shane | Short film | ||||
| 2017 | Light Thereafter | Pavel | ||||
| The Killing of a Sacred Deer | Martin Lang | |||||
| Dunkirk | George Mills | |||||
| 2018 | American Animals | Spencer Reinhard | ||||
| Black '47 | Hobson | |||||
| 2019 | Calm With Horses | Dymphna | ||||
| 2021 | The Green Knight | Scavenger | ||||
| Eternals | Druig | |||||
| 2022 | The Batman | Joker | Cameo | |||
| The Banshees of Inisherin | Dominic Kearney | |||||
| 2023 | Saltburn | Oliver Quick | ||||
| 2024 | Bird | Bug | ||||
| Bring Them Down | Jack | |||||
| 2025 | Hurry Up Tomorrow | Lee | ||||
| 2026 | Crime 101 | Ormon | ||||
| Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man | Duke Shelby | |||||
| 2028 | The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event † | Ringo Starr | Filming | |||
| TBA | Butterfly Jam † | TBA | Post-production | |||
| ||||||
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Fair City | Dave Donoghue | 3 episodes | |
| 2013 | Jack Taylor: Priest | Hoodie 1 | Television film | |
| Love/Hate | Wayne | 6 episodes | ||
| 2016 | Rebellion | Cormac McDevitt | 4 episodes | |
| 2019 | Chernobyl | Pavel | Miniseries; 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | Top Boy | Jonny | 3 episodes | |
| 2024 | Masters of the Air | Lt. Curtis Biddick | Miniseries; 3 episodes |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Please Please Please" | Sabrina Carpenter |
| "Bug" | Fontaines D.C. |
Accolades
Keoghan has received various accolades, including a BAFTA Film Award and nominations for an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.