Patrick O'Kane is an Irish actor who was born in 1965 in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland. He has been part of the companies of the

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

and the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. He has appeared in London's West End and at the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre (), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland () is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland. First opening to the public on 27 December 1904, and moved from its original building after a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the p ...

in Dublin. In addition to his extensive stage work, O'Kane has appeared in movies and on television in many parts. He won a Nesta Fellowship in 2005 and has released a book "Actor's Voices" a series of conversations with modern actors (Oberon Press 2012). He has also been in season 2 of HBO series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'', playing the new face of Jaqen H'ghar.

Early years

He attended

St Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by William Crolly, Bishop William Crolly, opened on th ...

, Belfast where he discovered a love of acting and then attended Manchester University, graduating with double honours in Drama and English. This was followed by training at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...

Career overview

He has been part of the companies of the

, where he appeared in ''

The Playboy of the Western World ''The Playboy of the Western World'' is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge, first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on 26 January 1907. The work is considered a centerpiece of the Irish Literary Revival mo ...

'' and ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five-Act (drama), act play in verse written in 1867 by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen. It is one of Ibsen's best known and most widely performed plays. ''Peer Gynt'' chronicles the journey of its title character fr ...

'', and the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

, where he played the title role in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

''. At the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, he gave an "eye-catching", "triumphant" performance in the title role of

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

's '' Doctor Faustus'' in 2010. In London's West End, he has appeared in ''

War Horse The first evidence of horses in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot design ...

''. He played John Proctor in the

Lyric Theatre, Belfast The Lyric Theatre, or simply The Lyric, is the principal, full-time producing theatre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In January 2023 it won The Stage's Theatre of the Year award in recognition of "its programme...as well as for its online festiva ...

's production of

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

's ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by the American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1692 to 1693. Miller wrote ...

'', opening the theatre's new performance space in April 2011 to rave reviews and receiving a nomination for best actor in the Irish Theatre Awards for his performance. In October 2011 O'Kane appeared to great acclaim in the lead role of "16 Possible Glimpses" at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In May 2012, he appeared as J. Bruce Ismay in Owen McCafferty's Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) at the newly opened MAC art's venue in Belfast and will be performing in Owen McCafferty's play "Quietly" in the Abbey Theatre in October 2012. In addition to his extensive stage work, O'Kane has appeared in movies and on television in many parts including 'Game of Thrones', seasons two and three of ' The Borgias', series nine of the popular BBC "New Tricks" and the upcoming BBC detective series "The Fall" set in Northern Ireland.

''Doctor Who''

In 2020, O'Kane had a significant guest role in the twelfth revived series of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'', appearing in three episodes as Ashad ("the Lone Cyberman"): '' The Haunting of Villa Diodati'', '' Ascension of the Cybermen'' and '' The Timeless Children''. This gave him the distinction of being the first actor to play one of the programme's long-running

Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ...

opposite

Jodie Whittaker Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles on television as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022, 2025). She came to pro ...

's thirteenth incarnation of

the Doctor The Doctor, sometimes known as Doctor Who, is the protagonist of the long-running BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. An extraterrestrial Time Lord, the Doctor travels the universe in a time travelling spaceship called th ...

. O'Kane recalled the Cybermen from his childhood and was "delighted" with the role. He reprised the role of Ashad in Whittaker's final episode, "

The Power of the Doctor "The Power of the Doctor" is the third and final story of Doctor Who specials (2022), three special episodes that follow the Doctor Who series 13, thirteenth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The episode ...

Work with Owen McCafferty

O'Kane has appeared in multiple plays written by Owen McCafferty, including ''Closing Time'' at the National Theatre in 2002, ''Scenes from the Big Picture'' (playing a character who works in an

abattoir In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a meat ...

rooted in the playwright's own experience) at the National Theatre Cottesloe in 2003, and ''Shoot the Crow'' at the Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester in 2003. O'Kane and McCafferty grew up in the same Belfast village and attended the same youth club, though McCafferty was four years older. They both played Gaelic football for the local club. The two did not collaborate as theatrical professionals until McCafferty began writing ''Closing Time'' while on secondment at the National Theatre Studio. In 2013/14 he appeared in Quietly in Edinburgh and moved on to Ireland, Germany and London. This was a 3 people theatre production and he played one of the two people arguing over an incident that had happened years before. He was playing the character Jimmy.

Selected theatre performances

* Donny in ''Donny Boy'' by Robert Glendinning ( TMA Award for best new play).World premiere directed by

Casper Wrede Baron Casper Gustaf Kenneth Wrede af Elimä, known as Caspar Wrede (8 February 1929 – 25 September 1998), was a Finnish theatre and film director. He was long active in the English theatre, co-founding the Royal Exchange theatre company in Man ...

at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1990) * Brutus in ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

''. Directed by Robert Delamere at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1994) * Geoffrey Jackson in ''

Absurd Person Singular ''Absurd Person Singular'' is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christm ...

'' by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...

. Directed by James Maxwell at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1994) * Bernie in ''

Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love ''Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love'' is a 1989 stage play written by Canadian playwright Brad Fraser. Set in Edmonton, Alberta, the comedy-drama follows the lives of several sexually frustrated "thirty-somethings" who try t ...

'' by

Brad Fraser Brad Fraser (born June 28, 1959) is a Canadian playwright. He is one of the most widely produced Canadian playwrights both in Canada and internationally. His plays typically feature a harsh yet comical view of contemporary life in Canada, includ ...

. Directed by

Braham Murray Braham Sydney Murray, OBE (12 February 1943 – 25 July 2018) was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and the longest-serving (he retired in 2012). E ...

at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1995) * Jean in ''

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' () is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of a count in Sweden. ...

'' by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

. Directed by

at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (1995) * Michael in ''

A Whistle in the Dark ''A Whistle in the Dark'' is a Play (theatre), play by Tom Murphy (playwright), Tom Murphy that premiered on September 11, 1961 at the Theatre Workshop, Joan Littlewood's Theatre Royal, Stratford East, London, having been rejected by the Abbey Th ...

'' by Tom Murphy. Directed by Jacob Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (2006) * Faustus in '' Doctor Faustus'' by

. Directed by Toby Trow at the Royal Exchange, Manchester (2010) * Caravaggio in '' The Seven Acts of Mercy'' by Anders Lustgarten. Directed by Erica Whyman at the

(2017) * Woyzeck in ''Woyzeck in Winter'' adapted and directed by Conall Morrison at the

Galway International Arts Festival The Galway International Arts Festival (GIAF), founded in 1978, is a cultural organisation that produces an annual arts festival in Galway, Ireland. It also produces new work that tours nationally and internationally, in addition to presenting ...

(2017)

Filmography

References

External links

* * Patrick O'Kane
National Theatre website
* Patrick O'Kane & Ian Redford, Royal Exchange Theatre
The Making Of Doctor Faustus – creating the roles of Faustus and Mephistopheles
{{DEFAULTSORT:OKane, Patrick 1965 births Male film actors from Northern Ireland Male television actors from Northern Ireland Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Living people Male actors from Belfast 21st-century male actors from Northern Ireland