Brendan O'Carroll (born 17 September 1955) is an Irish actor, comedian, director, producer and writer. He is best known for portraying foul-mouthed matriarch Agnes Brown on stage and in the BBC and RTÉ television sitcom Mrs. Brown's Boys. In 2015, O'Carroll was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Irish television.

Early life Brendan O'Carroll was born on 17 September 1955, in Finglas, Dublin, the youngest of 11 children.Profile , BBC. Retrieved 14 September 2015. His mother, Maureen, was a Labour Party TD and his father, Gerard O'Carroll, was a carpenter. His father died in 1962 when O'Carroll was seven, and his mother raised him and his siblings with little money. He attended Saint Gabriel's National School and left at the age of 12. He had a string of occupations, including waiter and milkman.

Career Early career Having become well known as a comedy guest on The Late Late Show, O'Carroll released four stand-up videos titled How's your Raspberry Ripple, How's your Jolly Roger, How's your Snowballs, and How's your Wibbly Wobbly Wonder. He wrote the screenplay to Sparrow's Trap, a boxing film. The film, which had Stephen Rea cast in the lead role, ran into financing difficulties midway through the shoot when the distributor withdrew, and it was abandoned. Incurring debts of over €1 million, O'Carroll became bankrupt, and the film has never been produced. He presented a quiz show, Hot Milk and Pepper, on RTÉ One with long-term collaborator Gerry Browne.

Mrs. Brown's Boys In 1992, O'Carroll performed a short radio play titled Mrs. Brown's Boys, and shortly afterwards he wrote four books: The Mammy, The Granny, The Chisellers, and The Scrapper. In 1999, a film named Agnes Browne, starring Anjelica Huston, was released, based on The Mammy. O'Carroll also co-wrote the screenplay. He then put together his own family theatre company, Mrs. Browne's Boys, and dressed up as a woman to play his part, as the actress he had originally hired did not show up.

From 1999 to 2010, he wrote and performed in five plays. Since 2011, the stage shows have been re-toured across the UK. In 2011, his plays were adapted into a television sitcom (with the name "Browne" shortened to "Brown"). Since 2011, 28 episodes have aired, across three series, several Christmas-specials, and a one-off live episode that aired in 2016 on RTÉ One and BBC One. Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie was released on 27 June 2014 and was a significant success in the UK, staying at number one in the box office for two consecutive weeks. However, the film had negative reviews, including one saying it was not just unfunny but "close to anti-funny". O'Carroll's wife, his sister Eilish, his son Danny, and his daughter Fiona all appear or have appeared on episodes of Mrs. Brown's Boys.Profile , cineworld.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2015. O'Carroll also appeared as Mrs Brown in the 2022 Netflix film A Madea Homecoming.

In August 2026, O'Carroll announced that he had two jaw fractures and required "immediate surgery", and filming for that year's Mrs Brown's Boys Christmas and New Year specials was cancelled.

Personal life O'Carroll was married to Doreen Dowdall from 1977 until their divorce in 1999. They had four children; their first, Brendan Jr., died shortly after birth in 1976. The surviving children are Fiona, Danny, and Eric. In 2005, he married actress Jennifer Gibney; the couple live in Davenport, Florida, US.

O'Carroll has dyslexia, a condition also shared by his sons.

Family history O'Carroll's paternal grandfather Peter O'Carroll, a father of seven and a prominent republican, was shot dead on 16 October 1920 at his home in Manor Street, Dublin. Two of his sons were Irish Republican Army volunteers. The incident was investigated in the television series Who Do You Think You Are?Smith, Patrick. "Another 'Mushy' moment?", The Daily Telegraph, 29 August 2014 In March 2016, O'Carroll appeared in the BBC Two documentary Brendan O'Carroll – My Family at War, which explored the involvement of three of his uncles in the Easter Rising.<ref>"Brendan O'Carroll: Comic says 1916 Easter Rising lessons 'not learned'", BBC. Retrieved 18 March 2016.</ref O'Carroll published his autobiography, Call Me Mrs Brown, in 2022.</ref>

Filmography Film Year Film Character(s) 1996 The Van Weslie 1999 Agnes Browne Seamus 1999 Angela's Ashes Man in pub 2002 Mrs Brown's Boys Agnes Brown 2003 Mrs Brown's Boys: The Last Wedding 2004 Mrs Brown's Boys: Believe It Or Not 2005 Good Mourning Mrs Brown 2006 Mrs Brown's Boys: Triple Trouble 2007 How Now Mrs. Brown 2008 Mrs Brown's Boys: The Seven Year Itch 2014 Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie Agnes Brown and Mr. Wang 2022 A Madea Homecoming Agnes Brown

Television Year Title Role 1996–1998 Brendan O'Carroll's Hot Milk and Pepper Host 2004 Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere Gypsy Joe 2009 The Fattest Man in Britain Fr O'Flaherty 2011–present Mrs. Brown's Boys Agnes Brown 2013 The Security Men Jimmy 2014 Who Do You Think You Are? Himself: Series 11, Episode 4 2017–2020 All Round to Mrs. Brown's Agnes Brown 2018 For Facts Sake Host 2022 The Walk-In Uncle Ronnie 2026 Shedites Jimmy

Stage Year Title Role 1999–2000, 2004, 2006, 2011–2012 Mrs Brown's Last WeddingAgnes Brown 2002–2003, 2011, 2017 Good Mourning Mrs Brown 2004–2005, 2012, 2023–2024 Mrs Brown Rides Again 2007, 2013–2014, 2018 For The Love of Mrs Brown 2009–2010, 2015 How Now Mrs Brown Cow 2019 D'Musical 2021–2022, 2024 D'Live Show

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