Widely regarded as the greatest Irish actor of the latter half of the 20th Century, Donal McCann was predominantly known for his stage career wherein he emerged as a major interpreter of the works of his countrymen including Samuel Beckett, Sean O'Casey, Sebastian Barry and, most importantly, Brian Friel. And as with other actors whose major focus was the theater, he amassed only a small, if memorable, body of work in films and television.

Born and raised in Dublin, McCann was the son of politician and playwright John J McCann (who twice served as Lord Mayor of Dublin) and his former