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What you need to know about Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan and his remarkable journey

The Banshees of Inisherin star has had several big roles

Ahad Sanwari
Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
January 27, 2023
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Barry Keoghan has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the 2022-23 movie circuit thanks to his standout performance in dark tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin.

The 30-year-old picked up his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, joining three of his fellow cast members with acting nods and is one of nine total mentions for the film. Check out the trailer below!

WATCH: The Banshees of Inisherin Trailer

While he is a new face to many, the Irish performer has been steadily working for over a decade and has starred in several big-budget productions.

MORE: 2023 Oscars nominations: The complete list of nominees

Read on to learn more about Barry Keoghan's life, from a challenging childhood to his steady but remarkable rise to fame.

Childhood

The future star and his brother Eric spent a majority of their years in the foster care system, having lived in as many as 13 different foster homes in Ireland throughout their young lives.

After years of struggling with addiction, their mother died when Barry was just 12 — a trauma he opened up about on the Irish The Late Late Show.

"I have great memories of her, very proud of her" - Barry Keoghan | The Late Late Show | RTÉ One

Barry opened up about the pain of losing his mother when he was 12

"Every family was good to us," he said. "As a kid, you don't know what's happening. You get attached and then boom, you move over here, and you move over [again]."

They were then raised by their grandmother and aunt, with Barry's first shot at acting coming via a casting notice on a shop window which he'd answered at 18 for a small crime film.

Career

Barry built a name for himself in Ireland through steady acting work in film and TV, with his major breakthrough coming in 2017.

He played supporting roles in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed war epic Dunkirk and the psychological thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

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barry keoghan sacred deer

The Irish star got one of his first major roles in The Killing of a Sacred Deer

The latter saw him star opposite Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, earning praise for his performance and a few critics circle honors.

After more work on the screen, he had another big year in 2021 with the release of Marvel's star-studded Eternals opposite Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, and Richard Madden.

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The superhero film proved to be another global box office success, and he followed it up with minor appearances in The Green Knight and The Batman.

View post on Instagram
 

The Marvel movie proved to be a big push for his profile

Barry then reunited with Colin for The Banshees of Inisherin, earning significant acclaim for his performance as the troubled son of the local policeman and a slew of award nominations.

Personal Life

Away from the spotlight, the actor has shown a marked interest in fashion and philanthropy, but spends a majority of time honing his skills as an amateur boxer.

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Barry has also been in a relationship with dentist Alyson Kierans since September 2021 and in August of last year, they announced the birth of their first child, a son named Brando after screen icon Marlon Brando.

barry keoghan son girlfriend

Barry is also a dad to a son named Brando

He even dedicated his Oscar nomination to his son, sharing a photograph of the nominees on social media and writing: "That [one's] for you Brando. Daddy loves you."

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