Aidan Gillen
An Irish actor of magnetic intensity, he specializes in portraying cunning, morally ambiguous characters who whisper their way into power.
Born 1968 (age 58)·Irish actor·Birthday: April 24·Generation X
Biography
Aidan Gillen’s career is built on a foundation of quiet, unsettling power. Hailing from Dublin, he first gained attention for his role as Stuart Jones in the groundbreaking UK series 'Queer as Folk', a performance marked by its raw charisma. He possesses a unique ability to convey vast intelligence and menace with the slightest glance or the most measured tone. This made him perfect for two of television's most memorable schemers: the political machinist Tommy Carcetti in 'The Wire' and the treacherous Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish in 'Game of Thrones'. Gillen’s work, often understated yet electrically present, explores the dark corners of ambition, proving that the most dangerous people in the room are often the ones who speak the softest.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Aidan was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aidan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Aidan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He won three Irish Film & Television Awards for his performances in 'Love/Hate' and 'The Wire'.
- His portrayal of Petyr Baelish in 'Game of Thrones' became a global symbol of political manipulation.
- He received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the 2004 Broadway revival of 'The Caretaker'.
Did You Know?
He was the lead singer of a band called The Babysnakes in the late 1980s.
He keeps bees as a hobby.
His birth name is Aidan Murphy; he took his mother's maiden name, Gillen, as his stage name.
“I don't like to talk about acting; it's a bit like a plumber talking about plumbing.”
