Redmond Gleeson

Irish actor Redmond Gleeson was born Martin Gleeson in Dublin, Ireland, where he began his acting career. Born into an educated and professional family, Gleeson dreamed of becoming an actor from a young age. He was greatly inspired by the works of James Joyce, by the appeal of American cinema and also by his hero of film, Burt Lancaster.

From his home in Ireland, he moved to Australia where (in his own words) he threatened to lead a life of playing Rugby and drinking beer until he received a scholarship to a university in Ohio. Gleeson took this opportunity to study theater arts and after graduating he moved to Aspen, Colorado where he began doing whatever work he could find, including working for a while as a dishwasher. Eventually Gleeson took a job working on the ski fields and it was there that he met his future wife, Mardiah. During his time in Aspen, he also co-founded and acted with the High Country Players.

In 1968, when Gleeson was 33, they moved from Colorado to Los Angeles where Gleeson began to intensely pursue a career in Hollywood. It took him eight years to finally break through, but with both hard work and determination he found himself at last getting more and more substantial parts. Finally, when he was 46 he managed to get the opportunity to star in a film alongside his idol, Burt Lancaster in Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1980). Gleeson even found himself teaching Lancaster Irish accents.

In 1971 Gleeson and his wife visited Indonesia for a Subud convention and 36 years later, in 2004, they decided to buy a house there. Eventually they moved from Los Angeles to Kalteng, Indonesia where they now live. Gleeson still acts in film, television and on stage and he and his wife are active in community life in Indonesia.