Ciarán Hinds is a TV heavyweight who has starred in the likes of Game of Thrones, Rome and The Terror, but his latest role saw him act opposite his real life wife in saucy scenes!
As well as intimidating the heck out of us as gangster Eamon Cunningham in Kin, he’s also able to voice cute children’s characters. For proof, listen to the character of Pabbie in Frozen.
Speaking of Kin, fans shouldn’t expect any good news from Ciarán on a series 3… Here’s everything you need to know about Ciarán Hinds, his famous wife, the daughter who has followed in her parents footsteps, and why he’s turning down more roles these days.
Who plays John Franklin in the cast of The Terror?
Ciarán Hinds portrays the character of John Franklin in The Terror. The series originally aired in the UK on BBC Two during lockdown, but is now streaming on ITVX (from Thursday, June 20, 2024).
The supernatural, semi-historical, horror anthology series was inspired by a real life tragedy – the true story of an ill-fated Arctic expedition.
In the first of 10 episodes, the crew of a 19th century Royal Naval expedition were sent on a dangerous mission to find the Arctic’s treacherous Northwest Passage. After troubles at sea, the crew mates were forced to spend a long winter trapped in the ice.
As the tale continued, one of the teams accidentally shot an Inuit man after mistaking him for a polar bear. But, as they raced to his aid, they made a terrifying discovery…
Readers, a word of advice. Don’t get too attached to the cast of The Terror (which includes Matthew McNulty, Paul Ready, Ian Hart, and Jared Harris). The characters aren’t destined for long lives…
What is Ciarán Hinds famous for? What’s he been in?
Ciarán Hinds has been on our screens for nearly five decades, ever since he first appeared in the 1977 series Out of the Past. But he is arguably most famous for his role as Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones.
He was only in five episodes, from 2013 to 2015, but certainly made his mark on the series.
His other big TV roles include Gaius Julius Caesar in the series Rome, DCI James Langton in Above Suspicion, and Michael Maguire in Shetland.
In 2021, Ciarán portrayed Eamon Cunningham in series 1 of Kin, the story of a fictional Dublin family embroiled in gangland war. And a year later, in 2022, he did something completely different.
Ciarán currently plays Tom Sheridan in the comedy The Dry, about a woman trying to stay sober after years of debauchery. In the series, Ciarán Hinds even starred opposite his own wife (see more below).
The Belfast-born actor is also famous for his role as Aberforth Dumbledore in the 2011 film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
Ciarán often plays villainous roles in feature films such as The Sum of All Fears, Road to Perdition, Munich and There Will Be Blood. He’s also appeared in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Justice League, First Man and is the voice of Pabbie in Frozen!
Actor has ‘made the decision to work less’
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Ciarán revealed he’s been turning work down having made the decision to act less.
He said: “I’ve made a decision to work less. Every time I’m booked on to a job, I have to convince myself that I have the ability to do it – I don’t have an innate confidence. And, as I get older, the doubts multiply. Your brain’s not working as fast as it used to, nor your ability to learn new things. I don’t want to say yes and then not be fit for it. You have to be honest with yourself.”
Will there be a series 3 of Kin?
Although Ciarán Hinds was only in series 1 of Kin in 2021 (no spoilers here about why), it doesn’t stop people asking him about a possible series 3.
Series 2 aired on BBC in 2023, with one of the most shocking TV endings ever. But, so far, no word on another series.
Despite the show’s acclaim, rumours have continued to rumble that Kin might not return for a third run due to the main cast being very much in demand.
Sinan Sicimoglu, who portrayed the pawn shop owner in season two, revealed to the Irish Sun: “It’s the end of the Kinsellas, because all the main actors signed three-year contracts in 2020 to appear in Kin, but it’s now 2024 and those contract have run out.”
Who is the wife of Ciarán Hinds?
Ciarán Hinds is married to Vietnamese-born actress and designer, Hélène Patarot. They met in 1987 while both performing in Peter Brook’s production of The Mahabharata. More than 30 years later, the pair live in both Paris, and London.
The actor recently revealed his shock when his wife landed a raunchy role – as his mistress in The Dry! It was the first time they’d acted together since they first met.
In the scenes, Ciarán and Hélène are caught having sex in a laneway. And, even though they are married on real life, they had an intimacy co-ordinator drafted in to ensure they were both comfortable with the scene!
Talking to the Irish Sun, Ciaran said: “The producers went through her agent without asking me, which was very professional. It was fun because myself and Hélène haven’t worked together since we first met, doing theatre 40 years ago.”
He added: “To be honest, it took about two minutes to shoot and there was no big deal. My dear wife could hardly do the scene for laughing.
“We did have an intimacy co-ordinator. I asked her for some instructions, which were helpful, then we decided to get on with the shoot – which shows two people behind a skip and then them running out confused.”
He also revealed that the intimacy co-ordinator has also worked with his daughter…
Who is Ciarán Hinds’ daughter?
Ciarán Hinds and wife Hélène have a daughter called Aoife Josee Patarot-Hinds (working name Aoife Hinds). The 33-year-old is also an actress, and has been on our screens since 2018.
She famously played Paul Mescal’s girlfriend Helen in Normal People, before going on to play Princess Mary in Anne Boleyn, and Gaby Chadwell in The Long Call.
Other notable roles include Mae Chung in Derry Girls, and Ellie in Katherine Kelly thriller Cheat. This year, she played Rebecca in the Billie Piper film Scoop.
Talking to The Guardian about his family life, he recently said: “Hélène and I are two individuals in a union, but our work always takes us to different places. Now our daughter, Aoife, is an actor and is moving around. The moments when we all come together are very precious.”
How old is Ciarán Hinds? Where is he from?
Ciarán Hinds was born on February 09, 1953, in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
He is currently 71 years of age.
The actor was one of five children and the only son of his doctor father, Gerry, and schoolteacher and amateur actress mother, Moya. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Speaking to the The Guardian: “There was some trepidation at home about me becoming an actor, so I studied law at Queen’s University Belfast. One of my tutors was someone I’d been in a school production of Macbeth with years before. He could tell I was in no way interested in law and suggested I study theatre. I got a grant and went to RADA, and my parents were supportive.”
Read more: The Terror: Horror with a cast including Tobias Menzies and Ciarán Hinds
The Terror streams on ITVX from Thursday, June 20, 2024.
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