Eoin Christopher Macken (born 21 February 1983) is an Irish actor, director, and model.
Macken has modelled for Abercrombie and Fitch, Ralph Lauren, and GQ, and has appeared in films such as Resident Evil, Close, Killing Jesus, and Centurion. He has appeared on television in series such as RTÉ's Fair City as Gavin Cluxton and in BBC series Merlin as Sir Gwaine. In addition, Macken has directed several feature films: Christian Blake in 2008, Dreaming for You, The Inside and Cold, and Here Are the Young Men. Macken also directed the documentary The Fashion of Modelling. He starred in the NBC series The Night Shift as T.C. Callahan, and Netflix show Nightflyers as Karl D'Branin, and in 2021 onwards stars in the NBC drama La Brea.
Early life Macken was born in Dublin. He has two sisters. Macken completed a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology at University College Dublin after he began his modeling and acting career at the university's fashion show in 2002 and 2003, after which he joined the model agency Morgan the Agency and was selected as the face of the Abercrombie and Fitch 2003 campaign. He also modeled for Ralph Lauren.
Career
Macken's first major film role was in Studs in 2005, which starred Brendan Gleeson and Emmett J. Scanlan. He also appeared in the role of drug dealer Gavin Cluxton in several episodes of the TV series Fair City in 2008.
Macken wrote and edited his debut feature film Christian Blake, which premiered at the 2008 Mid Ulster Film Festival, before playing in the 2008 Galway Film Fleadh. It was released on 19 May 2009 with Celebrity Distribution and the sales company Around The Scenes Inc. He co-wrote and directed the song and video for Una Healy's song "Don't Leave Me Alone". It was the title track for the no-budget indie film, for which Healy wrote much of the soundtrack.
In 2008, he wrote, directed, and acted in his second feature film, Dreaming For You. The film featured a soundtrack composed by Dublin band, The Evora. The film was selected for the 2007 Los Angeles Short Film Festival, and the 2009 Galway Film Fleadh.
In 2009–10, Macken had roles in the BBC drama Small Island (playing an American soldier named Calhoon), in Neil Marshall's film Centurion, and in the second series of RTÉ's Raw. He appeared in Storyland, as well as Lee Cronin's film Through The Night, opposite Nora Jane Noone, and Siren opposite Anna Skellern. He directed an hour-length documentary on the Irish fashion industry The Fashion of Modelling which screened on RTÉ 2 on 24 May 2009.
Between 2010 and 2012, Macken played the recurring character of Gwaine (loosely based on the image of Gawain) in the BBC One TV series Merlin. He appeared in four episodes of the third series and all episodes of the fourth and fifth.
In October 2012 Macken completed shooting for Cold, a feature film released in 2013 written and directed by Macken, and he stars in the film alongside former co-star, Tom Hopper. The plot centres around two disconnected English brothers who are outcasts in a small village in the west of Ireland. Drawn back together by the unexpected death of their father, they are immediately at odds with each other until they find a girl dumped in the moors. The film was partially crowdfunded through an Indiegogo campaign. The film was later released under the name Leopard.
After directing a number of independent features, in 2018 Macken adapted Rob Doyle's award-winning novel Here Are the Young Men into a screenplay, and directed the resulting film. He is set to star alongside Elisha Cuthbert the horror movie The Cellar.
Personal life He is in a relationship with fellow actor Emanuela Postacchini. They have a daughter, Bianca, born in October 2024.
Filmography Film
Year Title Role Notes 2006 Triple Bill The Gunman Short film Studs Tosh 2008 Christian Blake Christian Also writer and director Fifth Street Janitor Short film 2009 Once Upon a Time in Dublin Ethan Aces Dealer Short film Savage Gym Changing Room Guy 2 The Rise of the Bricks Dennis Dreaming for You Adam Also writer and director 2010 Centurion Achivir Siren Ken Through the Night Jay Short film 2012 The Inside The Man Also director, writer and producer Suspension of Disbelief Greg 2013 The Callback Queen Prince Cal Cold Jack Also writer and director, also known as Leopard 2015 Paddy's in the Boot Sean Ennis Short film 2016 The Forest Rob Resident Evil: The Final Chapter Doc 2017 The Wedding Invitation Graham 2018 Crossmaglen Conor Short film 2019 Close Conall Sinclair The Hole in the Ground Jay Caul Caitlín Luke Short film 2020 I Am Fear Joshua Here Are the Young Men Homeless American Also writer and director 2021 Till Death Mark 2022 I Used to Be Famous Austin Roberts The Cellar Brian Woods 2026 Just Play Dead Dani TBA Dylan Also writer and director John Merivale Post-production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Fair City Gavin Cluxton Season 19: 10 episodes. 2009 Pubworld Chuck Madsen TV film Small Island Calhoon TV film 2010 Raw Jack Season 2 episode 4 The Tudors English Officer Season 4 episode 7 2010–2012 Merlin Sir Gwaine 30 episodes (recurring role) 2014–2017 The Night Shift Dr. T.C. Callahan Main cast (45 episodes) 2015 Killing Jesus Antipas, the Tetrarch of Galilee 2018 Nightflyers Karl D'Branin Main role (10 episodes) 2020 Stumptown Zac Knight Season 1 episode 14 2021–2024 La Brea Gavin Harris Main role 2024 Borderline Phillip Boyd Main role 2025 Ransom Canyon Davis Collins Main role
References
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