[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/colmmeaney.png]]

->''"Talking about the show reminds you of things that you went through. So it's fun. When the show was on, I couldn't have handled it. I didn't want that direct connection."''
-->-- On his time working on ''Franchise/StarTrek''

Colm J. Meaney (born May 30, 1953 in Glasnevin, Ireland) is an Irish actor.

He is well known for his work as ''Franchise/StarTrek'' character Miles O'Brien, first as a recurring character on ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' [[AscendedExtra that grew more prominent as time went on]], and later as an [[PromotionToOpeningTitles official main character]] on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''.
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!!Roles of Note:
* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' (1987-1994) as [[TheEngineer Chief O'Brien]]
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' (1993-1999)
* ''Film/{{The Dead|1987}}'' (1987) as Mr. Bergin
* ''Film/DieHard2'' (1990) as a pilot
* ''Film/DickTracy'' (1990) in a bit part as a cop
* ''Film/TheCommitments'' (1991) as Mr. Rabbitte
* ''Film/UnderSiege'' (1992) as Daumer
* ''Film/TheLastOfTheMohicans'' (1992) as Major Ambrose
* ''Film/FarAndAway'' (1992) as Kelly
* ''Film/TheSnapper'' (1993) as Dessie Curley
* ''Film/TheRoadToWellville'' (1994) as Lionel Badger
* ''Film/TheEnglishmanWhoWentUpAHillButCameDownAMountain'' (1995) as Morgan the Goat
* ''Film/ConAir'' (1997) as Duncan Malloy
* ''Film/MagicalLegendOfTheLeprechauns'' (1999) as Seamus Muldoon
* ''Film/HowHarryBecameATree'' (2001) as Harry Maloney
* ''Comicbook/{{Blueberry}}'' (2004) as Jimmy [=McClure=]
* ''Film/LayerCake'' (2004) as Gene
* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' (2004-2006) as Cowen
* ''Series/{{Alice 2009}}'' as Winston, the King of Hearts
* ''Literature/TheDamnedUnited'' (2009) as Don Revie
* ''Film/LawAbidingCitizen'' (2009) as Detective Dunnigan
* ''Film/GetHimToTheGreek'' (2010) as Jonathan Snow
* ''Film/TheConspirator'' (2010) as General David Hunter
* ''Series/HellOnWheels'' (2011) as Thomas "Doc" Durant
* ''Film/AlanPartridgeAlphaPapa'' (2013) as Pat Farrell
* ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' (2021) as Shelley Kelly
* ''Series/TheSerpentQueen'' (2022) as King Francis
* ''Film/{{Marlowe|2022}}'' (2022) as Bernie Ohls

!!Tropes affiliated with the man include:

* AscendedExtra: O'Brien was originally a background actor with some lines on ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration TNG]]'' but he kept coming back and became a more and more prominent recurring character until becoming a full-blown series regular aboard ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine DS9]]''.
* CaptainErsatz: A very strange example in that he played the father of the family in all three adaptations of Roddy Doyle's ''Barrytown Trilogy''. Due to licensing issues, the characters from ''Film/TheCommitments'' were not allowed to be used for ''Film/TheSnapper'', so the family was changed. The same thing happened again for ''The Van'', making his character in that film a CaptainErsatz of a CaptainErsatz.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: His Dublin accent often comes through when playing American or British characters.
* {{Typecasting}}: In part due to his Irish heritage, he's appeared in a lot of British flicks like ''Film/LayerCake'' and ''Literature/TheDamnedUnited''. His Irish heritage also guarantees him bit parts in films about historic New York like ''Film/FarAndAway'', among others.
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