The 2021 IFTA Awards were held virtually in Dublin and around the world on July 4. It was a lovely gala affair and, although many of us could not actually watch it live, it was great fun seeing the Twitter feed for the Academy load up each tweet with another new winner, another new owner of the accolade:

Best.

Gabriel Byrne was in the running for Best Actor Film with a diverse array of fellow accomplished thespians. It is lovely that he was chosen, though, because his work in the surreal and multi-layered story-telling of Death of a Ladies’ Man took him outside his comfort zone, into realms of expression new to him, and to us, and that kind of derring-do and courage should be acknowledged.

And it was!

Here is the complete ceremony for Best Actor Film, presented by the incredible Olivia Colman!

According to Donald Clarke at the Irish Times:

Gabriel Byrne won best film actor for his turn as a dissolute college lecturer in Death of a Ladies’ Man. The Dubliner paid tribute to the musician whose songs inspired the film. “I’d also like to thank Leonard Cohen himself for his beautiful music and his words,” Byrne said. “One of the things that has always stuck with me is something he said: ‘there’s a crack in everything – that’s how the light gets in’. Thank you so much everybody.”

In its report on the festivities, Deadline tells us:

Elsewhere, Gabriel Byrne won Best Actor Film for his performance in Death Of A Ladies Man. Olivia Colman presented the prize. Byrne said: “Well that’s a real shock to me, thank you – and I’m not just saying that. [The other nominees are…] All great actors and I’m honored to be among them.”

Congratulations, Mr. Byrne! We are all so happy for you! And I personally am jumping up and down for joy! heart

6 Comments

  1. Verónica

    Well, as always when Gabriel is nominees, we cross fingers for him.
    This Pandemic year we have, is resulting positive for him. 2 Prizes for “Death of a Ladie’s Man”, very good critics on “War of the Worlds”, and the last but not the least, his new book “Walking with Ghosts”.
    We, his Fans, here on the Main Site or, as Stella says, Gabriel’s Home on the Internet and also on Facebook, are very happy for these very well deserved recognition of his Talent, charisma and magnetism. GO AHEAD GABRIEL !!!!!!

  2. Congratulations sir! Hope I get to see this movie. The scenery looks beautiful! Again congrats!

  3. Congratulations to Gabriel Byrne for this award. I am sure it is very well deserved, even if I have not seen the film. He is a great actor and in a film like this he gets the chance to show how talented he is. It is a very interesting and demanding character he is giving life to. I have read all about that here in Byrneholics.

    I am very happy about this award. (And about his new book, of course!)

    Nora from Norway

  4. I can’t express how happy I am for Mr. Byrne. I’ve seen this film and this is truly one of his bravest and most complex interpretations of a film character. Well done !

  5. Also, how gracious of Mr. Byrne to remind us of the words and music of poet, novelist, and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen in his acceptance speech. “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”. The song title is Anthem, and the film brilliantly uses Cohen’s poetry and music to reveal life’s truths.

  6. Violetta

    Congratulations to Mr.Byrne! This award is so well deserved! He’s brilliant in this role. Despite of the pandemic years he works so hard and all his projects are highly appreciated. My gratitude for his book ‘Walking With Ghosts’ . A sincere and heartfelt beautifully written memoirs ❤

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