Paul Mescal

Paul Colm Michael Mescal, known as Paul Mescal, is an Irish actor who rose to fame with his star-making role in the miniseries Normal People (2020), where he earned a BAFTA TV Award and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Born in Maynooth, he studied acting at The Lir Academy and began his career performing in plays in Dublin theatres. Mescal expanded into film acting with roles in psychological dramas, notably The Lost Daughter (2021) and God's Creatures (2022). His leading roles as a troubled father in Aftersun (2022) and a mysterious neighbour in All of Us Strangers (2023) earned him additional nominations for BAFTA Film Awards. He also earned a nomination for an Academy Award for his role in Aftersun. His portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in a 2022 revival of the play A Streetcar Named Desire earned him a Laurence Olivier Award. Later, Mescal took on a leading role in the historical action film Gladiator II (2024).

Born in Maynooth, County Kildare, to Dearbhla, a Garda, and Paul, a schoolteacher, Mescal was the eldest of three children. His first performance on stage was at age 16 in the musical The Phantom of the Opera. He pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Acting at The Lir Academy at Trinity College Dublin, starting his acting career afterwards. Mescal made his London stage debut in The Plough and the Stars at the Lyric Hammersmith. Furthermore, he portrayed Stanley Kowalski in a revival of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams at the Almeida Theatre beginning in December 2022, which won him the Laurence Olivier Award. Mescal plans to star in The History of Sound, a romantic drama opposite Josh O'Connor, and Hamnet, based on the novel of the same name in near future.