Who is Ardal O’Hanlon?
ARDAL O’Hanlon hasn't looked back since starring in Father Ted.
The TV veteran started off as a stand-up comedian and in 2022 is taking part in Channel 4 series Taskmaster.
Who is Ardal O’Hanlon?
Ardal O’Hanlon was born in Carrickcross, County Monaghan, Ireland, on October 8, 1965.
The actor is one of six children and his father Rory is a former Irish politician and doctor.
His paternal grandfather Michael was a member of Michael Collins' gang that assassinated British secret service agents on the morning of Bloody Sunday.
He was educated at Blackrock College in Dublin and graduated in 1987 from Dublin City University with a degree in Communications Studies.
What TV shows has he been in?
Ardal actually started his career as a stand-up comedian.
In 1994 he won the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year and was the presenter of the BBC series The Stand Up Show for a while.
The same year he was spotted by comedy writer Graham Linehan who cast him as Father Dougal McGuire in the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted.
The role won him the Top TV Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards.
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He played the role from 1995 to 1998.
The show ended following the sudden death of his co-star Dermot Morgan.
Ardal went on to star in the ITV comedy-drama Big Bad World which aired for two series in the summer of 1999 and the winter of 2001.
In 2000, he took the lead role in the BBC sitcom My Hero which followed the antics and family life of his character Thermoman, a dim-witted superhero.
After five series in the role, he left and appeared in another BBC sitcom, Blessed, written by comedian Ben Elton.
He has also featured in shows such as Skins, Doctor Who and Cucumber.
Ardal is best known for his role as DI Jack Mooney in Death In Paradise.
He left the show in 2019 and shared in an interview with Hello! the reasons why he felt it was best he stepped down.
He confessed: "I would be very worried about overstaying my welcome."
He added: "When I started, I thought I'd be lucky to last a summer, and I kind of always in the back of my head [thought] you do three series and that's kind of it."
The star also made an appearance in an episode of Derry Girls as a character called Eammon.
In 2022, he is joining the cast of Taskmaster.
Is Ardal O'Hanlon married and does he have children?
Ardal is married to his teenage sweetheart Melanie O'Hanlon.
The actor and his wife share three children, Emily, Rebecca and Red.
He keeps his family life private and keeps his children out of the spotlight.