Daragh Gerard Marion O'Malley (born 25 May 1954) is an Irish actor, director and producer. He was born in Dublin, Ireland. Among many TV appearances O'Malley is known for his portrayal of Patrick Harper in the series Sharpe (1993–2009), starring Sean Bean. O'Malley first appeared in roles in the films The Long Good Friday and Withnail and I, guest roles in many UK television series including Tales of the Unexpected, Waking The Dead and Vera, TV roles in Longitude, Cleopatra and The Magnificent Seven, and US TV film Vendetta. O'Malley also played Irish explorer Tom Crean in the 8 part television series The Last Place on Earth. In 2011 O'Malley turned his focus to the stage, appearing in productions in the US and in the UK. Among over a dozen stage productions O'Malley appeared as Father Jack in a revival of Dancing at Lughnasa, which was nominated for an MTA Best Production Award, and followed that by playing John Rainey in a London revival of Irvine's Mixed Marriage, which received positive reviews. In 2014, O'Malley appeared as Big Daddy in a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at The Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, for which he was nominated for an MTA Best Actor award, while UK's The Stage selected O'Malley's performance as one of the Top Five Performances in UK theatre in 2014. Biography Daragh O'Malley was born in Holles Street Hospital in Dublin on 25 May 1954 to politician Donogh O'Malley (first elected the day Daragh was born) and medical doctor Hilda (née Moriarty). He was raised in Limerick and educated by the Jesuits at Crescent College. O'Malley's aunt Meave (his father's sister) is singer Dido's grandmother. As a teenager, O'Malley appeared as the lead in several student productions at Terenure College. Of the cast of one of the school plays, Juno and the Paycock, five of the cast went on to become professional actors. He won multiple All Ireland prizes for poetry recitation and public speaking - aged 14 he won The Galassi Cup, an all-aged national public speaking competition. O'Malley's subject was The Life of Padraig Pearse. O'Malley has seemingly been approached many times over the years by the Fianna Fáil party to put his name forward for election in his father's constituency, then Limerick East now Limerick City, but on each occasion O'Malley declined the invitation. On the Sam Smyth Radio Show in 2004,