Owen O'Neill
Who Owen O'Neill is
Owen O'Neill is a Northern Irish stand-up comedian, writer, actor and director from Cookstown, the third eldest of sixteen children, whose comedy grew out of poetry: he won a BBC Radio 4 poetry competition in 1981, his readings turned into stand-up, and he made his television debut on Saturday Live in 1985. A fixture of the Edinburgh Fringe for more than twenty years, he was nominated for the 1994 Perrier Award for It's a Bit Like This and won a Fringe First in 1999 with Sean Hughes for Dehydrated and Travellin' Light.
He has acted in the films Michael Collins and The General and in stage productions from 12 Angry Men to The Shawshank Redemption, wrote the Danny Boyle-directed BBC Two feature Arise and Go Now, and earned best actor at the Irish Theatre Festival Awards for his Off Broadway play Absolution, which The New York Times praised for its understated intensity.
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At a glance
- Based in
- London, England
- Stand-up specials
- It's a Bit Like This, Off My Face and It Was Henry Fonda's Fault
- On screen
- Saturday Live, The Bill, Michael Collins and 1 more
Is Owen O'Neill on tour?
No upcoming dates on record No upcoming dates are on record right now. That doesn't mean Owen O'Neill has stopped touring; follow Owen O'Neill to hear when the next ones are booked.
Last checked 13 November 2026.
Is Owen O'Neill coming to my town?
No dates are on record right now (checked 13 November 2026), so no town is confirmed yet. Follow Owen O'Neill and your town to hear when one is booked.
Want Owen O'Neill in your town?
Name your town and how many of you would come: the towns fans ask for show here, with how many asked.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar → Build a night out with Owen O'Neill →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- It's a Bit Like This Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 1994
- Off My Face 1998
- It Was Henry Fonda's Fault
On screen
- Saturday Live Channel 4, 1985
- The Bill ITV, 2000
- Michael Collins film, 1996
- The General film, 1998
Comedians like Owen O'Neill
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Lee Hurst also in Saturday Live
- Gerry K also in The Bill
- Hugh Dennis also in Saturday Live
- Simon Bligh also in Saturday Live
- Steve Gribbin also in Saturday Live
Career timeline
- 1985Saturday Live (Channel 4, 1985) On screen
- 1994It's a Bit Like This (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 1994) Special
- 1996Michael Collins (film, 1996) On screen
- 1998Off My Face (1998) Special
- 1998The General (film, 1998) On screen
- 2000The Bill (ITV, 2000) On screen
Questions and answers
Where is Owen O'Neill performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now.
What stand-up specials have they released?
It's a Bit Like This, Off My Face and It Was Henry Fonda's Fault.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Saturday Live (Channel 4, 1985), The Bill (ITV, 2000), Michael Collins (film, 1996) and The General (film, 1998).
Where is Owen O'Neill from?
Owen O'Neill is based in London, England, as their record gives it.
Who are some comedians like them?
Lee Hurst (also in Saturday Live), Gerry K (also in The Bill), Hugh Dennis (also in Saturday Live), Simon Bligh (also in Saturday Live) and Steve Gribbin (also in Saturday Live).
Are you Owen O'Neill?
This page can be your website, free. Send your bio in your own words, your links, your clips, who books you, a line said about you and your weekly show, and they go on this page beside the dates D.O.C. already keeps. Fans follow you here and get your news in the D.O.C. letter.
Your short address, for your bio: disciplesofcomedy.com/owen-o-neill
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Wikipedia ↗ Born in Cookstown, third eldest of 16; 1981 Radio 4 poetry win; Saturday Live debut 1985; twenty-plus years at the Edinburgh Fringe; Perrier nomination 1994 for It's a Bit Like This; Fringe First 1999 with Sean Hughes; Michael Collins and The General; Arise and Go Now directed by Danny Boyle; Absolution Off Broadway…
- Wikidata (Q7114586) · wikidata.org ↗ Northern Irish writer, actor, director and comedian; occupation includes stand-up comedian (as of 13 November 2026)
Updated · the record checked 13 November 2026