He spent much of his early career working in theatre, notably at the
Abbey Theatre in Dublin. After playing Michael Evans in the original
West End and
Broadway productions of
Brian Friel's play Dancing at Lughnasa in the early 1990s, McSorley started to attract more TV and movie roles. He has appeared in many Hollywood movies including Braveheart (in which his character "Cheltham" was decapitated by William Wallace at the battle of Stirling) and In the Name of the Father. One of his most celebrated performances was his lead role in
Omagh, a feature-length television drama depicting the effect of the
Omagh bombing on the residents of the town. He is also known for playing the mysterious "Father Todd Unctious" in the Christmas special episode ("
A Christmassy Ted") of the
Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. His film credits include The Constant Gardener, and he was also cast as Queenan in The Departed but had to pull out (
Martin Sheen took over the role).[citation needed] McSorley most recently played the role of
Robert Aske in the
Showtime historical drama The Tudors. He appeared in the 2010 movie Robin Hood, directed by
Ridley Scott and starring
Russell Crowe.
Legal issues
In November 2019, McSorley was arrested for a breach of the peace. He was also charged with damaging property in a cell at
Letterkenny Garda Station. A warrant was issued for his arrest the following month after he failed to appear in court.[4]