Aidan Quinn, who grew up in a middle-class family, went on to become a Hollywood actor. The dynamic actor has distinguished himself in the industry by catering to a variety of roles thanks to his innate knack for acting. In addition to playing the good guy in films such as ‘Avalon’ and ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ he also played a wanted fugitive in his film ‘Assignment.’ The actor prefers to blend in with some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, like Brad Pitt, Liam Neeson, Johny Depp, and Pierce Brosnan, in films such as ‘Legend of the Fall,’ ‘Michael Collins,’ and ‘Evelyn.’ His forte has become portraying intellectual and sympathetic individuals. Before discovering his passion for acting, the actor worked as a roofer. After trying his luck in Dublin’s theaters, he relocated to Chicago when he realized that work was scarce in the city. He began taking acting classes at the ‘Piven Theatre Workshop.’ His roles as a gay lawyer in the NBC drama ‘An Early Frost’ and a guy on death row in the film ‘The Exoneration’ are just two examples of his diversity. Despite his preference for supporting roles, this actor has a long list of credits to his name. His net worth is believed to be $9 million, based on his nearly 30-year acting career. Aidan is also affiliated with the charity ‘Age UK,’ which assists the aged across the United Kingdom.
Childhood and Adolescence
Aidan was one of five children born to Teresa and Michael Quinn, an Irish couple who had immigrated to the United States. He was born on March 8, 1959, in the state of Illinois. Father Michael taught English literature while Teresa worked as an accountant for a travel business.
Aidan and his four siblings used to travel back and forth between Illinois, Chicago, and their parents’ hometowns in Dublin and County Offaly as children.
Aidan’s professional life
Aidan moved back to Dublin when he was 13 years old, despite the fact that his family had moved to Birr when he was only 13 years old. He discovered his interest for performing while working as a roofer in the city during his late teens.
In 1978, he relocated from Dublin to Chicago and began training at the ‘Piven Theatre Workshop.’ He made his stage debut in the play ‘The Man in 605.’
Quinn’s earlier stage performances include ‘Scheherazade’ and ‘The Irish Hebrew Lesson,’ before making his New York debut in 1983 with the off-Broadway musical ‘Fool for Love,’ directed by American playwright Sam Shepard.
Aidan Quinn’s acting career began with the film ‘Reckless,’ which was released in 1984. In this love story, he portrayed the role of an enraged young guy.
Though his performance in ‘Reckless’ went unappreciated, his following film, ‘Desperately Seeking Susan,’ released in 1985, gave him fame.
In this comic drama, he appeared with renowned actresses Rosanna Arquette and Madonna. In the same year, he appeared in the critically praised television film ‘An Early Frost.’
Aidan was cast in the lead role of playwright Robert Falls’ ‘Modern-day Hamlet’ in 1985, following his performance in Sam Shepard’s play ‘A Lie of the Mind.’ The drama was staged at Chicago’s Wisdom Bridge Theatre.
Aidan made his film debut in 1986 with the film ‘The Mission,’ in which he played Robert Di Niro’s brother. Aidan is killed by Di Noro’s character in the film after he discovers him cheating.
Aidan starred as an escaped prison inmate in the 1987 criminal comedy “Stakeout.” In the film, he appeared with Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez.
After appearing in a number of supporting roles, he was cast in the lead role in the 1988 film ‘Crusoe.’ Aiden’s character is abandoned on an island after surviving a shipwreck, and the plot follows him as he tries to stay alive until aid arrives.
This actor played the role of a son torn between his orthodox mother and a modern wife in Barry Levinson’s 1990 film ‘Avalon.’ Around the turn of the twentieth century, a Jewish family immigrates to the United States, and the plot revolves around how the family grows stronger in the face of adversity.
This well-known actor starred as a flirty musician in the 1992 film ‘The Playboys,’ which was well-received by reviewers and audiences alike.
Aidan played Benny in the 1993 Johnny Depp film ‘Benny and Joon,’ in which he took care of his mentally ill sister after their parents died.
Aidan played the role of a Native American in the 1994 film ‘Legends of the Fall.’ Aidan’s character, the eldest of the three brothers, is the responsible one who attempts to keep the brothers from feuding.
In the 1996 biopic ‘Michael Collins,’ directed by Neil Jordan, he portrays Irish Republican commander Harry Boland.
Aidan has a dual role in the 1997 spy thriller ‘The Assignment.’ He portrays two characters, one of them is a terrorist and the other a CIA agent. The plot centers on the CIA’s intention to apprehend the terrorist with the assistance of a CIA agent.
‘This Is My Father,’ written and directed by Paul Quinn and photographed by Declan Quinn, is a harrowing tale of two lovers who were separated due to a catastrophic turn of events. Aidan also appears in the film as an Irish farmer who falls in love with a beautiful seventeen-year-old girl from a middle-class family. He also served as the executive producer for this film, which came out in 1998.
Aidan portrays the husband of the female heroine in the 1999 thriller ‘In Dreams.’ In the same year, he appeared as Meryl Streep’s buddy in Wes Craven’s film ‘Music of the Heart.’
He appeared in the rural drama ‘Song catcher’ in 2000, portraying a mountaineer who teaches folk music. In the same year, he was cast in the television drama “Two of Us” as iconic English singer-composer Paul McCartney.
In the 2005 film ‘The exonerated,’ Quinn played Kerry Max Cook. The film tells the genuine stories of persons who were sentenced to death row but were later released.
Aidan starred in the NBC drama ‘The Book of Daniel,’ which centered on Christians and the Christian faith and premiered in 2006. After three weeks on the air, the show was canceled after great criticism in the Christian community.
Aidan made a cameo appearance in William Rainsferd’s film ‘Sarah’s Key’ in 2010. World War II served as the setting for the film.
In 2011, the actor also portrayed a negative character in the film ‘Unknown.’ In this film, he played an assassin who plots to murder a scientist. This well-known singer starred alongside Taylor Schilling in the 2013 film ‘Stay.’ The film is based on the same-named novel by Aislinn Hunter.
In the television drama series ‘Elementary,’ he played Captain Thomas Gregson. The series, which premiered in 2014 on CBS, is a modern spin on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Sherlock Holmes.’
Sean Conant is writing and producing a documentary called “The Gettysburg Address,” which will be released in 2015. In this documentary, Aidan plays the role of ‘Theodore Parker.’
Aidan’s Major Works
Aidan played a homo-sexual lawyer with HIV in the 1985 NBC drama ‘An Early Frost,’ which was the first major television picture to directly confront the difficult topic of AIDS. His performance was well-received, and he was nominated for a ‘Emmy’ Award.
Achievements & Awards
In the television drama, he received an Emmy nod for his portrayal of a gay lawyer who has been diagnosed with HIV.
His second nomination was for his role in the television movie ‘Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,’ based on Dee Brown’s novel of the same name. In the feature film, he played Senator Henry L. Dawes of the United States.
Aidan’s personal life
The actor has been married to actress Elizabeth Bracco since September 1, 1987, and the couple has two children.
Ava and Mia are their two daughters. Their eldest daughter, Ava, is autistic. Mia made a cameo appearance as a ghost in the 2009 film ‘The Eclipse.’
Declan, Quinn’s older brother (cinematographer), and Marian, Quinn’s younger sister (actor), and Paul, Quinn’s younger brother (writer/director), are all involved in the film industry. James, his other sibling, works as a landscaper in Los Angeles.
Net Worth Estimation
Aidan Quinn, an Irish-American actor, has a net worth of $12 million. Aidan Quinn was born on March 8, 1959, in Chicago, Illinois. When he was 19 years old, he made his acting debut in a Chicago theater, and his film debut came in 1984 in Reckless, which also starred Daryl Hannah.
Trivia
The actor was supposed to play Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ,’ but he was replaced by William Defoe before filming began.