Colm J. Meaney (born May 30, 1953) is an acclaimed Irish actor. Born in Dublin, Meaney discovered his passion for acting in his youth and later honed his craft at the Abbey Theatre School before joining the National Theatre of Ireland. He achieved global recognition for his iconic portrayal of Chief Miles O'Brien within the Star Trek franchise, seamlessly transitioning the character from Star Trek: The Next Generation to a leading role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine across a staggering 225 total episodes. Beyond science fiction, Meaney is deeply revered for starring as the quintessential working-class father in all three film adaptations of Roddy Doyle’s beloved Barrytown Trilogy: The Commitments, The Snapper (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination), and The Van. A highly versatile character actor, his prolific Hollywood filmography includes memorable roles in major blockbusters such as Die Hard 2, The Last of the Mohicans, Con Air, and Layer Cake. On the small screen, he delivered powerhouse performances as the ruthless railroad tycoon Thomas C. Durant in AMC's Western series Hell on Wheels and the crime boss Finn Wallace in Gangs of London. An accomplished stage veteran of Broadway and the West End, Meaney was honored with the prestigious Irish Film & Television Academy’s (IFTA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. He continues to remain a vibrant force in the industry, starring in high-profile projects such as the Netflix feature adaptation Remarkably Bright Creatures and the crime drama series The Yank, which reunited him on screen with fellow Star Trek alumnus Kate Mulgrew.

Filmography

• 2026Remarkably Bright Creatures — Ethan Mack
• 2025Bring Them Down — Ray
• 2025Re-Creation — Ian Bailey
• Safe Harbor — Kieran Walsh
• 2025The Legend of the Happy Worker
• 2024Duchess — Frank Monaghan
• 2024No Way Up — Brandon
• 2024The Ballad of Davy Crockett — Caleb
• 2024The Problem with People — Ciáran
• 2023In the Land of Saints and Sinners — Robert McQue
• 2023Marlowe — Bernie Ohls
• Scary Tales of New York — Storyteller
• The Santa Stories — The No Man/ Bill
• 2023There's Always Hope — Jonathan
• 2023Unwelcome — Colm “Daddy” Whelan
• 2022Confession — Father Peter
• 2022Save the Cinema — Martyn
• The Serpent Queen — Francis I of France
• 2022Three Day Millionaire — Mr. Barr, Executive Producer
• Fúria
• 2021The Monkey — MacDonell
• Gangs of London — Finn Wallace
• 2020Pixie — Dermot O'Brien
• 2020The Banker — Patrick Barker
• The Singapore Grip — Major Brendan Archer
• 2019Seberg — Frank Ellroy
• 2019The Last Right — Detective Donall Crowley
• 2019Tolkien — Father Francis Morgan
• 2018National Theatre Live: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof — Big Daddy
• 2017Halal Daddy — Martin Logan
• 2017The Journey — Martin McGuinness
• Will — James Burbage
• 2016Norm of the North — Grandfather (voice)
• 2016Pelé: Birth of a Legend — George Raynor, Coach George Raynor
• 2016The Secrets of Emily Blair — Father Avital
• 2015A Dangerous Arrangement — Leslie
• Childhood's End — Wainwright
• 2015I Am Your Father — Narrator (voice)
• 2014Star Trek: The Next Generation - All Good Things... — Miles O'Brien
• 2014The Devil's Hand — Elder Beacon
• The Driver — The Horse
• 2014The Yank — Fintan McGuire
• 2013A Belfast Story — Detective
• 2013Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa — Patt Farrell
• 2013Free Birds — Myles Standish (voice)
• 2013One Chance — Roland Potts
• 2013Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Best of Both Worlds — Chief Miles O'Brien (archive footage)
• 2012Bel Ami — Monsieur Rousset
• 2012Soldiers of Fortune — Mason
• 2012The Cold Light of Day — Bandler
• Hell on Wheels — Thomas 'Doc' Durant
• 2011The Conspirator — David Hunter
• 2011The Flight of the Swan — Giannopoulos
• 2011The Hot Potato — Harry
• 2011The Perfect Stranger — Mark O'Reilly
• 2011Whole Lotta Sole — Detective Weller
• 2010Alleged — H.L. Mencken
• 2010Get Him to the Greek — Jonathan Snow
• 2010Parked — Fred Daly
• Alice — King of Hearts
• 2009Law Abiding Citizen — Detective Dunnigan
• Mercy
• 2009The Damned United — Don Revie
• 2009The Race — Frank Kensay
• ZOS: Zone of Separation — George Titac
• 2008Three and Out — Tommy Cassidy
• 2008Unnatural Causes — Trevor Jones
• 2007Kings — Joe Mullan
• 2006A Lobster Tale — Cody
• 2006Caved In: Prehistoric Terror — Vincent
• Covert One: The Hades Factor — Peter Howell
• 2006Five Fingers — Gavin
• Men in Trees — Bob O'Donnell
• The Unit — Charge D'Affaires
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Shelley Kelly
• 2005Jack Charlton: The Irish Years — Self, Presenter
• 2005Turning Green — Tom
• 2004Bad Apple — Gibbons
• 2004Battle of the Brave — Benjamin Franklin
• 2004Blueberry — Jimmy McClure
• 2004Layer Cake — Gene
• Stargate Atlantis — Cowen
• The Murdoch Mysteries — Inspector Brackenreid
• 2004The Murdoch Mysteries: Except the Dying — Inspector Brackenreid
• 2004The Murdoch Mysteries: Poor Tom Is Cold — Inspector Brackenreid
• 2003Intermission — Jerry Lynch
• 2003The Boys & Girl from County Clare — Jimmy
• 2002Backflash — Gin O'Malley
• 2002How Harry Became a Tree — Harry
• 2002King of Texas — Mr. Tumlinson
• 2002Random Passage — Thomas Hutchings
• Random Passage
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent — Harold Garrett
• 1999Chapter Zero — Frank Lazaras
• 1999Four Days — Fury
• 1999Mystery, Alaska — Mayor Scott Pitcher
• The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns — Seamus Muldoon
• 1999This Is My Father — Seamus
• 1998Claire Dolan — Roland Cain
• 1998Money Kings — Al Sheehan
• 1998Monument Ave. — Jackie O'Hara
• 1998October 22 — Steve
• 1998Owd Bob — Keith Moore
• 1997Con Air — Agent Duncan Malloy
• 1996The Last of the High Kings — Jim Davern
• 1996The Van — Larry
• 1995Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - The Way of the Warrior — Miles O'Brien
• 1995The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain — Morgan the Goat
• Gargoyles — Mr. Dugan (voice)
• Scarlett — Father Colum O'Hara
• 1994The Road to Wellville — Dr. Lionel Badger
• 1994War of the Buttons — Geronimo's Dad
• Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman — Jake Slicker
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Miles O'Brien
• 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Emissary — Miles O'Brien
• 1993The Snapper — Dessie Curley
• 1992Far and Away — Kelly
• 1992Into the West — Barreller
• 1992The Last of the Mohicans — Major Ambrose
• 1992Under Siege — Daumer
• Brooklyn Bridge
• 1991The Commitments — Jimmy Rabbitte, Sr.
• 1990Come See the Paradise — Gerry McGurn
• 1990Dick Tracy — Cop at Tess'
• 1990Die Hard 2 — Windsor Plane - Pilot
• Law & Order — Wyatt Landon
• 1989Perfect Witness — Meagher
• The Simpsons — Tom O'Flanagan (voice)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation — Miles O'Brien
• 1987The Dead — Mr. Bergin
• 1987The Gambler: The Legend Continues — Tinkerer
• 1986Omega Syndrome — Sean
• MacGyver — Irwin Malcolm
• Moonlighting — Keterina Suitor (as Colm Meany)
• Screen Two — Dessie Curley
• Tales from the Darkside — Constable
• 1982Easter 2016 — Kevin Murphy
• 1981Nailed — Younger Protestant
• Strangers — Peter Smolett
• Hal
• Shelter Me
• The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes — Jack
• The Panic — J. Pierpont Morgan

Appearances as themselves (11)

• Back to Barrytown — Self / Narrator
• 2018What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — Self
• The Cowboy — Self
• 2011Muide Éire — Self
• 2003Deep Space Nine: Ending an Era — Self
• 1996Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond — Self
• 1996The Making of Star Trek Deep Space Nine Trials And Tribble-ations — Self
• 1995The New Explorers: The Science of Star Trek — Self
• 1994Journey's End - The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation — Self
• 1993Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Behind the Scenes — Himself
• The Late Late Show — Self