Chris O'Dowd

Christopher O'Dowd (born 9 October 1979) is an Irish actor and comedian. He has appeared in a range of television shows, films, and plays, mostly in the United Kingdom and United States. O'Dowd was born and raised in Boyle, County Roscommon. After failing to complete a degree in politics and sociology at University College Dublin, he relocated to England to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He came to broader attention as Roy Trenneman, one of the leading characters in the Channel 4 comedy The IT Crowd, which ran for four seasons between 2006 and 2010. Moving into film, he appeared in Bridesmaids (2011), This Is 40 (2012), The Sapphires (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Calvary (2014), and St. Vincent (2014). O'Dowd created and starred in the Sky 1 television series Moone Boy, which aired between 2012 and 2015, earning O'Dowd Irish Film and Television Award nominations in acting, writing and directing. Since 2017, he has appeared as Miles Daly in the Epix comedy series Get Shorty. He had a recurring role on the comedy-drama series Girls. His performance in the British comedy TV series State of the Union, won him a Primetime Emmy Award. He made his Broadway debut in the play adaptation of Of Mice and Men in 2014, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award.