Biography
An actor known for the depth and intensity of his performances, Aidan Quinn eschewed the typical leading man roles in favor of complex characters in projects he found artistically appealing, rather than commercially attractive. After honing his craft in the theaters of Chicago, Quinn auditioned for and won his first feature film role - the lead in the romantic melodrama "Reckless" (1984). Even as he continued to perform on stage, he added to …
Aidan Quinn SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Moved back and forth between Ireland and Illinois while growing up | ||
| Professional stage debut in Chicago production of "The Man in 605" | ||
1978 | Returned to Chicago at age 19 | |
1983 | Acted in Off-Broadway production of "Fool for Love" | |
1984 | Film acting debut as motorcycle-riding rebel in "Reckless" co-starring Daryl Hannah | |
1985 | Played unwitting projectionist in "Desperately Seeking Susan" | |
1985 | TV-movie debut, playing a gay man infected with the AIDS virus, in NBC's "An Early Frost"; received an Emmy nomination | |
1986 | Put in extrememly brief but authentic appearance in "The Mission" before being murdered by his brother (Robert De Niro) | |
1986 | Stage directing debut at helm of John Turturro's "A Worker's Life" at NYC's Ensemble Studio Theatre | |
1987 | Portrayed Madeleine Stowe's murderous boyfriend in John Badham's "Stakeout" | |
1987 | Starred in the PBS "American Playhouse" production of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" | |
1988 | Had title role in the film "Crusoe" a retelling of Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe" | |
1988 | Played Stanley Kowalski in a Broadway revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire" | |
1990 | Co-starred in Barry Levinson's autobiographical "Avalon"; played character based on Levinson's father | |
1990 | Met Robert Duvall acting in "The Handmaid's Tale" | |
1991 | Acted opposite Tom Berrenger in Hector Babenco's "At Play in the Fields of the Lord" | |
1991 | Played identical twins in USA movie "Lies of the Twins" | |
1992 | Appeared opposite Robin Wright in the Irish-set "The Playboys" | |
1993 | Supported Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson in "Benny & Joon" | |
1994 | Provided voice for Ken Burns' PBS documentary "The History of Baseball" | |
1994 | Re-teamed with Madeleine Stowe for "Blink" | |
1994 | Starred alongside Brad Pitt and Henry Thomas as the sons of Anthony Hopkins in "Legends of the Fall" | |
1995 | Co-starred with Duvall in "The Stars Fell on Henrietta" | |
1996 | Portrayed Harry Boland, friend and romantic rival to "Michael Collins" in Neil Jordan's biopic of the Irish freedom fighter | |
1997 | Played dual role of Carlos the Jackal and the US Navy doppelganger sent to destroy him in "The Assignment" | |
1998 | Cast as the detective investigating a murder who succumbs to Sandra Bullock's charms in "Practical Magic" | |
1999 | Played Meryl Streep's lover in Wes Craven's departure from horror, "Music of the Heart" | |
1999 | Re-teamed with Jordan for the psychological thriller "In Dreams" | |
1999 | Starred in "This Is My Father"; written and directed by brother Paul and shot by brother Declan | |
2002 | Cast in "Stolen Summer"; winner of Project Greenlight's competition partly sponsored by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck | |
2003 | Had lead role of Major Benedict Arnold in the A&E telefilm "Traitor: Benedict Arnold" | |
2004 | Cast opposite Kyra Sedgwick in the drama "Cavedweller"; received an Independent Spirit Award nomination | |
2004 | Had a four-part stint as a tough police lieutenant brought in to clean up the Anti-Crime squad on "Third Watch" (ABC) | |
2005 | Cast in the ensemble "Nine Lives"; Rodrigo García directs a series of vignettes, offering glimpses into the lives of nine women | |
2005 | Cast in the ensemble drama "Empire Falls," the HBO adaptation of Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize winning novel | |
2007 | Cast as Henry Dawes in the HBO Films original movie, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee"; earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie | |
2008 | Cast in the murder drama, "Dark Matter" loosely based on the 1991 University of Iowa shootings | |
2010 | Appeared in the Western action/drama "Jonah Hex" opposite Josh Brolin and Megan Fox | |
2010 | Appeared in the coming-of-age drama "Flipped," based on Wendelin Van Draanen's novel of the same name | |
Awards
1986 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor In a Miniseries or a Special in An Early Frost |
2005 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in Cavedweller |
2007 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee |