Top 10 actors you did not know were Irish

By Gavriella Tjandra, 2/16/2013

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day very early, let's do everything Irish! Here, we have some actresses/actors who you did not know were Irish.

10. Fiona Shaw

Most of us probably know her from the Harry Potter series, as Harry's mean foster mother, Aunt Petunia.

9. Kenneth Branagh

The Emmy Award winner is best known to be playing various characters in Shakespeare's adaptations. In pop culture, he is best known as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous author turned teacher in Harry Potter's world.

8. Michael Gambon

Yes, he was Professor Dumbledore, following Richard Harris' death.

7. Michael Fassbender

He was not technically born in Ireland, but he is half Irish and he grew up there.

6. Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan is best known of her role as Susie Salmon in The Lovely Bones.

5. Jonathan Rhys Meyer

Jonathan Rhys Meyer won a Golden Globe Award for his role in biopic miniseries Elvis.

4. Pierce Brosnan

Brosnan played James Bond throughout the 1990s. His last Bond film was 2002's Die Another Day.

3. Colin Farrell

Colin Farrell is famous for his roles in Minority Report, Pirates of the Caribbean and, most recently, Total Recall.

2. Daniel Day-Lewis

He has won various awards, including two Oscars, BAFTA, SAG Awards, and Golden Globe, for his exceptional and critically acclaimed roles in My Left Foot, There Eill Be Blood, Gangs of New York, and Abraham Lincoln biopic Lincoln.