Summary
- Colm Meaney played Chief Miles O'Brien for 12 years in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, showcasing his considerable acting talent and delivering memorable performances.
- Meaney's role as Charlie Kelly's father in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia highlighted his dry delivery and comedic skills, proving that he was perfectly cast in the long-running sitcom.
- Colm Meaney's performances in films like Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, The Damned United, and Layer Cake showcased his versatility, with his strong physicality and comedic timing stealing the limelight from other legendary actors.
Colm Meaney became a household name in the US for his role as Chief Miles O'Brien in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it's just one of the actor's many great film and TV roles. Born in Finglas, Dublin, Ireland in 1958, Colm Meaney studied acting from the age of 14 before joining the Irish National Theatre. After cutting his teeth in touring theater and UK TV shows like Z-Cars, Colm Meaney moved to New York in the mid-1980s, intending to pursue a career in Hollywood.
In 1987, Meaney became a recurring member of the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast as a nameless conn officer on the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D. This character became transporter Chief Miles O'Brien, who was spun off into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1993. While Colm Meaney's commitments to DS9 meant that he was unable to make guest appearances on other TV shows, he continued to make movies both in Hollywood and his native Ireland throughout his time on the show. Colm Meaney's fellow DS9 actors weren't allowed to pursue other jobs, so it's fortunate for film and TV fans that he was the exception to that clause.
DS9's Chief O'Brien Called Out A Problematic Star Trek Blind Spot
Star Trek is all about inclusion and diversity, but it doesn't always get it right, as DS9's Chief O'Brien actor Colm Meaney once pointed out.
10 Shelley Kelly in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny season 15 episodes 6 and 7
Colm Meaney played the father of Charlie Kelly (Charlie Day) in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 15, episodes 6 and 7. The identity of Charlie's father had been a long-running mystery in the sitcom, which was finally answered when the Gang went to Ireland. Colm Meaney was great in the role of Charlie's cheese-loving, rat-bashing dad, and his dry delivery of some of the more outlandish gags proved that he was perfectly cast in the long-running sitcom.
Sadly, Shelley Kelly was killed off, forcing the Gang to carry his corpse up a mountain as per his final wishes. It was a ludicrous storyline that brought out the best in Charlie Day, who showed off his sitcom namesake's more vulnerable side. Perhaps working alongside Colm Meaney had unlocked something in Kelly, who gave his all in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's season 15 finale.
9 Pat Farrell in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013)
Released September 28, 2013 (USA)
Years before his guest role in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Colm Meaney appeared alongside another beloved comedy icon. Colm Meaney played fired DJ Pat Farrell in Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. The disgruntled DJ held the staff of North Norfolk Digital radio station hostage until he was reinstated to his old slot on the schedules. Colm Meaney's physicality and gift for comic timing makes Pat Farrell a perfect foil for Steve Coogan's weasly Alan Partridge, who sees the life-threatening situation as a means to revitalize his career. At times, Meaney's performance is so commanding that he steals the limelight from a genuine comedy legend.