Colm Meaney to receive IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award

The Glasnevin native will be honoured by the Irish Academy for his services to film and television.

According to Variety, the award ceremony on February 14 will celebrate a career spanning five decades that has seen Meaney work with some of the world’s most renowned filmmakers and actors.

Born in Dublin in 1963, Meaney learned his trade at the Abbey Theatre School and later as a member of the Irish National Theatre.

After several television appearances, his big screen breakthrough came in Stephen Frears 1993 film The Snapper - which earned Meaney a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.

Since then, the Glasnevin man has gone on to star in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as blockbuster films like Layer Cake, The Last of the Mohicans, The Damned United and Con Air.

Next month's honour won't be the first time Meaney has been recognised for his work by IFTA. In 2017, Meaney won the Best Actor IFTA for his portrayal of Irish politician Martin McGuinness in the film The Journey. 

“To say I was surprised when I got the news that IFTA wanted to give me this award, would be an understatement. I was truly shocked,” Meaney told IFTA. “To be asked to join this long list of very illustrious previous recipients is a huge honour, and I’m thrilled and looking forward to a good night in Dublin.”

Acknowledging Meaney’s contributions to the Irish screen industry, IFTA CEO Áine Moriarty said: "Colm is one of Ireland’s most beloved and versatile actors, with a one-of-a-kind warmth and roguish persona and wit that has endeared him to audiences right across the globe.

"His illustrious screen and stage career has shown him to be such a skillful and nuanced actor as well as a superbly funny leading man."

She added: "Despite his international success, Colm has always been an unflinching supporter of home-grown Irish projects and talent coming through. The Irish Academy is honoured to pay tribute to Colm’s achievements, and his remarkable career."

Previous recipients of IFTA's Lifetime Achievement Award include Stephen Rea, Judi Dench, Gabriel Byrne, Jim Sheridan, Fionnula Flanagan, and Maureen O'Hara.