Born in Chicago, Aidan Quinn is brother to director Paul Quinn, actor Marian Quinn, and cinematographer Declan Quinn. Along with Marian, he trained at the Piven Theater Workshop in Chicago. In common with his siblings, Quinn moved between Ireland and America throughout his youth and his filmmaking career has reflected this dual inheritance. His early films were American – Reckless (1984) and Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). Quinn’s breakthrough in Irish cinema came with his lead role in the drama, THE PLAYBOYS (1992). Since then he has tended to play support roles in American releases and leads in Irish productions. He was one of the interviewees in the documentary OUT OF IRELAND (1994), and was cast by Neil Jordan in the major role of Harry Boland in MICHAEL COLLINS (1996). In 1998, Quinn starred in THIS IS MY FATHER, a film directed by his brother Paul and photographed by his other brother, Declan, while his sister Marian took a small part. He received much praise for this performance, which he followed with a quite different role in the Pierce Brosnan vehicle, EVELYN (2002). In 2003, he took on another part that reflected on a traumatic Irish past, playing the new teacher, William Franklin, in SONG FOR A RAGGY BOY. In between these releases, Quinn has played a variety of parts in American cinema, including in Neil Jordan’s In Dreams (1999).