Who is Mrs Brown’s Boys’ Brendan O’Carroll?
SITCOM Mrs Brown's Boys has got people divided over a New Year's Eve special.
But who is the funny man under the wig and what else has he been in? Here's the lowdown on the comedy genius that is Brendan O'Carroll.
Who is Brendan O'Carroll?
These days Brendan O'Carroll is better known for his alter ego Agnes Brown, but this is by far not the only role he has played.
The 66-year-old is the youngest of 11 children and was born in Dublin to mum Maureen, a Labour TD, and dad Gerald, a carpenter.
Tragedy struck when Brendan was just seven and his dad died, leaving his mum struggling to raise her children on little income.
He left school aged 12 and went on to have a number of different jobs before settling into writing, producing, acting and doing stand-up comedy.
Other than Mrs Brown's Boys, he has frequently appeared on The Late Late Show, co-wrote the screenplay to boxing movie Sparrow's Trap and has starred in a number of films and TV shows.
He has been married twice - to Doreen O'Carroll from 1977 to 1999 and Mrs Brown's Boys co-star Jennifer Gibney from 2005.
Brendan's first son, named after him, died when he was three days old from spina bifida. He has three grown-up children with his first wife and six grandsons.
What is Brendan O'Carroll's new quiz show For Facts Sake?
It was announced that Brendan was the host of a new BBC quiz show.
For Facts Sake is an-all new panel show that will "celebrate ordinary people and their extraordinary facts", with two teams competing against each other.
Its title is a twist on his famous "feckin" catchphrase from Mrs Brown's Boys.
Each team will be captained by a rotating cast of Mrs Brown's Boys' regulars, with the rest of the panel made up of members of the audience.
Speaking about his new gig Brendan said "I'm really excited to be doing a show where I don't have to wear a bra! When we did the pilot it was great fun. If we can capture that on the screen we are all in for a good time."
When did Brendan O'Carroll's Mrs Brown's Boys first start?
Mrs Brown's Boys of today was developed from a short radio play Brendan performed entitled Mrs Browne's Boys in 1992.
He then went on to write four books: The Granny, The Scrapper, The Chisellers and The Mammy.
In 1999 a film was released based on The Mammy and was called Agnes Browne, for which he co-wrote the screenplay.
He went on to put together his own theatre company and ended up being the one dressing up as Mrs Brown after the original actress failed to dress up.
Brendan wrote and performed in five plays from 199 to 2009 and retoured in 2011. They were subsequently adapted into a TV sitcom over three series.
In 2014 Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie and, while it was a hit with cinema goers, it was panned by critics and received 7 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Who is Brendan Carroll's character Agnes Brown?
Agnes Brown is the main character in Mrs Brown's Boys and is a widow who lives with three of her six children.
These include hairdresser son Rory, promoter Dermot and Cathy (played by Brendan's real-life wife Jennifer).
She often spends her evenings at local pub Foley's with best friend and neighbour Winnie.
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