Gavin Drea
{{Short description|Irish actor}}
{{Infobox person
| image = gavin drea 2023 3.jpg
| caption = Drea at the British Library in 2023
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1990|2}}
| birth_place = Dublin, Ireland
| alma_mater = University College Dublin
| occupation =
| years_active = 2010–present
}}
Gavin Drea (born February 1990) is an Irish actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in the RTÉ series Love/Hate (2011), Resistance (2019), the BBC drama My Mother and Other Strangers (2017), and the Star series Wedding Season (2022). His voice work includes Cyberpunk 2077 (2020).
Early life
Gavin Drea was born in Dublin.{{Cite journal|url=https://independent.ie/lifestyle/lovehates-luke-life-goes-on-but-with-more-hair-29225566.html|title=Love/Hate's Luke: Life goes on – but with more hair!|journal=Independent.ie|date=27 April 2013|accessdate=25 March 2023}} He attended Gonzaga College. He graduated from University College Dublin in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Film Studies.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ucd.ie/news/2013/01JAN13/170113-Two-recent-UCD-graduates-shortlisted-Irish-Times-Theatre-Awards.html|title=Two recent UCD graduates shortlisted Irish Times Theatre Awards|website=University College Dublin|date=17 January 2013|accessdate=25 March 2023}}
Career
Drea made his television debut a 2010 episode of the TV3 series Jack Taylor. In 2011, he joined the cast of the RTÉ One drama Love/Hate for its second season as Luke. The following year, he made his feature film debut in Lenny Abrahamson's What Richard Did. Drea was cast in the Druid Theatre Company production of A Whisper in the Dark, which was staged in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For his performance as Des, Drea was nominated for the Irish Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actor.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/who-is-gavin-drea-wedding-season-age-instagram|title=Gavin Drea Is Just As Funny Off Screen As His Wedding Season Character Is On Screen|journal=Bustle|first=Darshita|last=Goyal|date=15 September 2022|accessdate=25 March 2023}}
This was followed in 2014 by roles in Philadelphia, Here I Come! at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast and Breaking Dad at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. That same year, Drea founded the comedy collective Dreamgun with Stephen Colfer, Heber Hanly and James McDonnell, through which they had a comedy show and podcast titled Dreamgun Film Reads.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/culture/2018/0727/981025-going-back-to-the-future-with-dreamgun-film-reads/|title=Going Back To The Future with Dreamgun Film Reads|website=RTÉ|first=Sinann|last=Fetherston|date=27 July 2018|accessdate=23 August 2023}}
Drea returned to television when he appeared in the 2016 History Channel docudrama Barbarians Rising. In 2017, he played Barney Quinn in the BBC Northern Ireland drama My Mother and Other Strangers{{Cite web|url=https://entertainment.ie/tv/tv-news/heres-where-you-recognise-the-stars-of-rtes-resistance-from-387838/|title=Here's where you recognise the stars of RTÉ's 'Resistance' from|website=Entertainment.ie|first=Fiona|last=Flynn|date=6 January 2019|accessdate=23 August 2023}} and appeared in the space opera film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. The following year, he played Laertes in Hamlet at the Gate Theatre.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/ruth-negga-to-play-title-role-in-dublin-hamlet?jwsource=cl|title=Ruth Negga to Play Title Role in Dublin Hamlet|journal=Playbill|first=Olivia|last=Clement|date=15 May 2018|accessdate=23 August 2023}} He would go on to reprise the role at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. He also starred in the Irish film We Ourselves.
Drea portrayed Michael Collins in the 2019 RTÉ miniseries Resistance, taking over the role from Sebastian Thommen, who had portrayed Collins in Rebellion back in 2016.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/21488373/|title=Gavin Drea - being Michael Collins|website=RTÉ Radio|first=Ryan|last=Turbridy|date=7 January 2019|accessdate=23 August 2023}} Also in 2019, Drea appeared in Blood Wedding at the Young Vic in London.{{Cite web|url=https://www.youngvic.org/taking-part/inside-guides/inside-blood-wedding|title=Inside... Blood Wedding|website=Young Vic|accessdate=23 August 2023}} He had small film roles in Sweetness in the Belly and My Salinger Year.
In 2022, Drea starred as Stefan opposite Rosa Salazar in the series Wedding Season, made for the Star platform on Disney+. Drea performed his own wire stunt for the series.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1666168/wedding-season-gavin-drea-stunt-secret|title='I didn't tell my mum' Wedding Season star Gavin Drea kept daring stunt a secret|journal=Daily Express|first=Matt|last=Browning|date=9 September 2022|accessdate=23 August 2023}} He also had recurring roles in the Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla as Eadric Streona and the Hulu miniseries adaptation of Daisy Jones & the Six as Nicky Fitzgerald, Daisy's (Riley Keogh) antagonistic husband.{{Cite journal|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/dublin-actor-gavin-drea-on-becoming-the-irish-prince-in-new-series-daisy-jones-and-the-six/42412633.html|title=Dublin actor Gavin Drea on becoming the 'Irish prince' in new series Daisy Jones and the Six|journal=Independent.ie|first=Amy|last=Donohoe|date=31 March 2023|accessdate=23 August 2023}}
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| Stephen O'Brien | |
| 2014
| Cruelty | Jude | Short film |
| 2017
| Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets | Sergent Cooper | |
| 2018
| Vanilla | Smell | Short film |
| 2018
| We Ourselves | Mikey | |
| 2019
| Break Us | Mark | Short film |
| 2019
| Phillip | |
| 2020
| Mark | |
| 2024
| Erickson | |
=Television=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2010
| Christian Tracey | Episode: "The Priest" |
| 2011
| Luke | Season 2 (6 episodes) |
| 2016
| Éirí Amach Amú | Mick | 1 episode |
| 2016
| Alaric | Docudrama (2 episodes) |
| 2017
| My Mother and Other Strangers | Barney Quinn | Miniseries |
| 2018
| Roundsmen Barclay | Episode: "Silver Smile" |
| 2018
| Origin | Andrew | Episode: "A Total Stranger" |
| 2019
| Michael Collins | Main role |
| 2022
| Eadric Streona | Season 1 (3 episodes) |
| 2022
| Stefan | Main role |
| 2023
| Nicky Fitzgerald | Miniseries (3 episodes) |
| 2024
| Shea |Miniseries (1 episode) |
| 2025
| ''Surface | Callum Walsh | Season 2 |
=Video games=
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2019
| Cutter II | |
| rowspan="2" | 2020
| Flann Sinna |
| Cyberpunk 2077
| rowspan="2" | V | |
| 2023
| Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty | |
Stage
| class="wikitable sortable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" | Notes |
|---|
| 2012
| DruidMurphy: A Whistle in the Dark | Des | International tour |
| 2014
| Private Gar |
| 2014
| Breaking Dad | Traolach |
| 2015
| DruidShakespeare | Various | Ireland tour |
| 2017
| Tribes | Daniel | Gate Theatre, Dublin |
| 2018
| Hamlet | Laertes | Gate Theatre, Dublin / St. Ann's Warehouse, Brooklyn |
| 2019
| Leonardo | Young Vic, London |
Awards and nominations
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Work ! Result ! {{Ref heading}} |
|---|
| 2013
| Best Supporting Actor | DruidMurphy: A Whistle in the Dark | {{nom}} | |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|4754308}}
- [https://www.spotlight.com/9732-5611-1075 Gavin Drea] at Spotlight
- [https://www.dreamgun.ie/about Dreamgun website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drea, Gavin}}
Category:21st-century Irish male actors
Category:21st-century Irish comedians
Category:Alumni of University College Dublin
Category:Irish expatriates in England
Category:Irish male voice actors