Ireland's top actors and actresses "revealed" in 2026

With "Hamnet" star Jessie Buckley making history at this year's Oscars by becoming the first Irish woman to win Best Actress, new research takes a closer look at where the award-winning actress ranks among Ireland’s most successful actors in 2026.

The study, conducted by Betway, reveals the top-performing Irish stars based on a range of factors, including film and TV credits, award wins and nominations, IMDb ratings, and Reddit sentiment. 

Michael Fassbender was named the most successful, starring in 83 films and TV shows and winning 79 awards overall. The star - known for his roles in "Alien", "Kneecap", and the 2025 release of "Black Bag" - holds a total score of 83 after receiving 161 nominations, while his IMDb rating average was a strong 6.75. 

While Saoirse Ronan didn’t take the top spot, she was named the second most successful star alongside Colin Farrell. Saoirse holds the highest number of award nominations at 206 - surpassing Cillian Murphy and Andrew Scott. Known for her roles in Blitz and Ladybird, the star has also won a total of 75 awards. Colin received a total score of 80 for bagging 76 award wins and 111 nominations altogether. 

Fleabag and Ripley star Andrew Scott placed third on the list alongside Kenneth Branagh, while "Hamnet" award winner Jessie Buckley placed fourth - beating her co-star, Paul Mescal. 

Meanwhile, after his recent role in "28 Years Later", Cillian followed in fifth place on the list with a score of 76 - receiving a total of 90 nominations, 54 award wins and an IMDb score of seven. 

"Good Grief" actress Ruth Negga and "Banshees of Inisherin" star Kerry Condon also made the top 10, beating the likes of Brendan Gleeson and 007 star Pierce Brosnan. 

"Saltburn" actor Barry Keoghan, "House of Guinness" actor Michael McElhatton and Domhnall Gleeson were further down on the list, with Michael having only a total of nine award nominations in total. 

The most successful Irish actors 2026:

Getty Images

1. Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender is known for his roles in "Alien", "Inglourious Basterds" and "Kneecap". He is set to star in the 2025 release of "Black Bag". 

Getty Images

2. Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell is known for his roles in "The Batman", "The Gentlemen", "In Bruges", "The Banshees of Inisherin" and the HBO 2024 series of "The Penguin". Most recently, he starred in "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" alongside Margot Robbie. 

RollingNews.ie

2. Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan is known for roles in "Ladybird", "The Lovely Bones", "Little Women" and her most recent films, "Blitz" and "The Outrun". 

Getty Images

3. Kenneth Branagh

Kenneth Branagh is well known for directing and starring in Shakespeare adaptations, "Henry V", "Much Ado About Nothing", and "Hamlet" - as well as roles in Murder on the "Orient Express" and "Belfast". 

Getty Images

3. Andrew Scot

Andrew Scott is known for his roles in "Fleabag", "Sherlock", "Ripley" and "All of Us Strangers" - which saw seven award wins. 

Getty Images

4. Jessie Buckley 

Jessie Buckley is well known for winning awards for her recent performance in "Hamnet" alongside Paul Mescal, as well as "The Bride". 

5. Cillian Murphy

Getty Images

Cillian Murphy is known for his roles in "Oppenheimer" as well as "Peaky Blinders", and starred in the 2024 release of "Small Things Like These", which won Best Film at the Irish Film and TV Awards.

Getty Images

6. Kerry Condon

Irish star Kerry Condon is well known for starring alongside Colin Farrell in her role as Siobhán in "The Banshees of Inisherin" and, more recently, Kate McKenna in "F1". 

via IFTAs

6. Steve Coogan

Irish actor and producer Steve Coogan is well known for starring in "Joker: Folie à Deux", "The Penguin Lessons" and most recently, "Saipan" - as well as producing shows such as "Gavin and Stacey" and "The Mighty Boosh". 

Getty Images

7. Sharon Horgan

Sharon Horgan is known for her roles in TV sitcoms "Catastrophe", "Bad Sisters" and "Motherland". 

Getty Images

7. Ruth Negga

Actress and producer Ruth Negga is well-known for her roles in "Passing", "Preacher" and "Good Grief". 

Getty Images

8. Pierce Brosnan

Pierce Brosnan is well known for playing James Bond within the franchise and winning two Golden Globe Awards for "Nancy Astor" and "The Matador". Pierce recently starred in the 2025 Netflix film adaptation of Richard Osman's "The Thursday Murder Club". 

Getty Images

8. Paul Mescal

Paul Mescal is known for his recent performance in "Hamnet" alongside Jessie Buckley after rising to fame in the BBC drama "Normal People". He has also starred in "Aftersun", "Foe", and "All Of Us Strangers". 

Getty Images

9. Brendan Gleeson

Brendan Gleeson is known for starring alongside Farrell in "In Bruges" and "The Banshees of Inisherin", for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. 

Getty Images

10. Domhnall Gleeson

Domhnall Gleeson, son of Brendan Gleeson, is known for his role in "About Time" alongside Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, and Margot Robbie.

Getty Images

11. Aidan Gillen

Aidan Gillen is an acclaimed Irish actor known for his work in "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Game of Thrones" and "Peaky Blinders". 

Getty Images

11. Fiona Shaw

Irish actress Fiona Shaw is well known for starring in "Killing Eve", "Bad Sisters" and most recently, "Hot Milk".

Getty Images

12. Barry Keoghan

Barry Keoghan is an Irish actor known for his roles in "Saltburn", "Banshees of Inisherin", as well as starring alongside Cillian Murphy in "Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man". 

Wikimedia Commons

12. Michael McElhatton
Michael McElhatton is well known for starring in "Game of Thrones" as well as "The Last Duel".