County Wicklow star to receive Oscar Wilde Award

Wicklow-raised actor Jack Reynor is to receive an Oscar Wilde Award in Los Angeles next March, the US-Ireland Alliance has announced.

Reynor, who grew up in Valleymount in west Wicklow, is the first honouree named for the 21st annual awards, which take place on 11 March 2027 at The Ebell of Los Angeles.

The event, held ahead of the Oscars, recognises Irish talent, and those who support Irish culture, across film, television and music.

Alliance president Trina Vargo said she first noticed Reynor in What Richard Did in 2012 and that it was clear even then he was at the start of a long career.

A west Wicklow childhood

Reynor was born in Colorado but moved to Valleymount at the age of two with his mother, Tara. They settled at his grandparents' home on a promontory reaching into the Blessington Lakes, at Humphreystown.

He was cast in a small screen role as a child, and went on to perform on stage through his school years at Belvedere College in Dublin. He later lived in Blackrock, but his connection to west Wicklow never went away.

From the Blessington Lakes to Hollywood

His breakthrough came with What Richard Did, which earned him the IFTA for Best Lead Actor. Michael Bay then cast him in Transformers: Age of Extinction, opposite Mark Wahlberg, and Bay has told the story of the Irish kid who arrived in America with $30 in his pocket.

There followed a Sundance special jury award for his performance in Glassland, a second IFTA, for Best Supporting Actor, for Sing Street, and roles in Macbeth and Midsommar.

More recently he starred in Lee Cronin's The Mummy, and he is currently filming Drew Hancock's Ireland-shot horror Seasons with Lily James. He is also due to appear in the second season of Apple TV+'s Presumed Innocent.

Still very much a Wicklow man

Despite the Hollywood career, Reynor and his wife, Madeline Mulqueen, live in County Wicklow.

He has spoken publicly about how living in west Wicklow keeps him grounded, and on RTÉ Radio 1's My Life in Five Songs he reflected on a journey from Wicklow to Hollywood and the part his family has played in keeping his feet on the ground.

Previous Oscar Wilde Award honorees include John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon, Pierce Brosnan, Kerry Condon and Jamie Dornan. Domhnall Gleeson, Maura Tierney and Lee Cronin were honoured at the most recent ceremony in March, which Reynor attended.

The US-Ireland Alliance is a non-profit organisation dedicated to strengthening ties between the United States and Ireland.

https://us-irelandalliance.org/arts_culture/news/jack-reynor-to-be-honored-at-oscar-wilde-awards