Biography

In 1996, the increasingly busy Gabriel co-starred with Johnny Depp in Jim Jarmusch’s revisionist Western “Dead Man;” headlined the Irish love story “This Is the Sea” (1997); and finally co-wrote, co-produced and co-starred in the charming teen romance “Last of the High Kings” (released on video in the United States as “Summer Fling” in 1998). “Last of the High Kings” was merely the first screenplay to come from Gabriel, who earlier succeeded as a prose writer with Pictures in My Head.  His continued admiration for European filmmaking led him to star in Wim Wenders’ “The End of Violence” (1997), Bille August’s “Smilla’s Sense of Snow” (1997) and “Polish Wedding” (1998). Meanwhile, he displayed a taste for horsemanship and swordplay as the noble D’Artagnan in the historical adventure “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1998), which also featured Leonardo Di Caprio in a dual role.

With his place in Hollywood firmly established,Gabriel was free to choose his projects, even if it happened to be a small role in the paranoia-inspiring thriller “Enemy of the State” (1998). Perhaps in a nod to his former days as a priest-in-training, he played Father Andrew Kiernan in “Stigmata” (1999), then flipped to the other side to play Satan in “End of Days” (1999), both of which were released in the midst of the millennial apocalyptic craze. But whether he was playing a man of God or the human incarnate of evil, he proved that his presence onscreen could enliven even the most insipid fare. After two decades removed from the stage, Byrne had a starring role in the Broadway revival of “A Moon for the Misbegotten” (2000), Eugene O’Neill’s transcendent drama of guilt and forgiveness. His harrowing performance as the guilt-wracked James Tyrone received overwhelming praise by critics and theatergoers alike. Byrne’s handling of the cumbersome, but heart-wrenching monologue – particularly where James confesses his sins to human angel Josie (Cherry Jones) – proved compelling, while his shift from emotional detachment to extreme candidness displayed unusually moving grace.

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