Aidan Quinn
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| Aidan Quinn | |
| Born | March 8, 1959 (age 48) Rockford, Illinois, USA  |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Bracco (1 September 1987 - present) |
| Notable roles | Dez in Desperately Seeking Susan Benjamin Pearl in Benny & Joon (1993) Paul Cooper in In Dreams (1999) |
Aidan Quinn (Irish: Aodhán Ó Cuinn) (born March 8, 1959 in Rockford, Illinois,) is an Irish American actor.
Aidan Quinn was born in Rockford, Illinois. He was raised in Chicago and Rockford by devoutly Catholic parents [1] as well as in Dublin, Offaly, and other places in Ireland. His father was a professor in literature and his mother a homemaker; he has an older brother, Declan Quinn, who is a noted cinematographer. Aidan Quinn got his start in the Chicago theatre at age 19. He trained at Piven Theatre Workshop [2]. His first significant film role was in Reckless (1984), followed by a breakthrough role in Desperately Seeking Susan as the character "Dez" (the love interest of the character played by Rosanna Arquette). Quinn next starred in the controversial TV movie An Early Frost, about a young lawyer dying of AIDS (it was broadcast on NBC on November 11, 1985) and co-starred such luminaries as Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara and Sylvia Sidney.
Quinn lost a major role when Paramount Pictures dropped the controversial Martin Scorsese movie The Last Temptation of Christ. When Universal Pictures picked up the film, the role went to Willem Dafoe.
Since then, Quinn's roles have been mainly supporting roles in major studio films and leading roles in independent films, including appearances in The Handmaid's Tale (1990), Benny & Joon (1993), Michael Collins (1996), Practical Magic (1998) and Song For a Raggy Boy (2003). Quinn is married to the actress Elizabeth Bracco, sister of actress Lorraine Bracco.
Quinn was nominated in 1986 for an Emmy Award for lead actor in a miniseries or special for his performance in An Early Frost, but he lost to Dustin Hoffman, who won the award for his performance in Death of a Salesman.
In 2006, Quinn starred in the short lived drama The Book of Daniel which ran for 3 weeks on NBC (before being cancelled).
Quinn's latest film Dark Matter debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
[edit] Selected filmography
- Dark Matter (2007)
- The Young Messiah - Messiah XXI (2006) (DVD)
- Empire Falls (2005) (miniseries)
- Nine Lives (2005)
- Bobby Jones: A Stroke of Genius (2004)
- Song for a Raggy Boy (2003)
- Stolen Summer (2002)
- Evelyn (2002)
- Two of Us (2000)
- Songcatcher (2000) (TV)
- Music of the Heart (1999)
- Practical Magic (1998)
- The Assignment (1997)
- Michael Collins (1996)
- Haunted (film) (1995)
- Legends of the Fall (1994)
- Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)
- Blink (1994)
- Benny & Joon (1993)
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
- Avalon (1990)
- The Handmaid's Tale (1990)
- Robinson Crusoe - The true history (1988)
- Stakeout (1987)
- The Mission (1986)
- All My Sons (1986) (TV)
- An Early Frost (1985) (TV)
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
- Reckless (1984)
