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Chris O`Dowd (born 1980) is an Irish actor from Boyle, County Roscommon. He graduated from University College Dublin and subsequently attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He contributed to The University Observer and was active in UCD Dramsoc and the Literary and Historical Society.

He has starred in Channel 4`s comedy The IT Crowd, BBC 2`s Roman`s Empire, Red Cap and the award-winning docu-drama The Year London Blew Up. He has also appeared on Irish television, having starred in the RTÉ One drama The Clinic and the drama Showbands alongside Kerry Katona. O`Dowd has recently appeared in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People in a minor role.

O`Dowd has also had roles in a number of films including the 2005 film Festival where he played stand-up comedian Tommy O`Dwyer, a role for which he won a Scottish BAFTA award, and a small role in Vera Drake.

Currently, O`Dowd appears in Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel, a comedy sci-fi film with Marc Wootton, Dean Lennox Kelly and Anna Faris. He played one of the main characters ("Liam") in the 2007 German film Hotel Very Welcome.

He stars in the 2009 film The Boat That Rocked. The film is inspired by the story of offshore pirate broadcasters Radio Caroline. O`Dowd plays Simon, the station`s breakfast DJ."The breakfast jock on Radio Caroline at the time was Tony Blackburn, so there`s definitely an element of him in it," says O`Dowd of his character. "And then I called in different Irish DJs that would have been contemporaries of Tony Blackburn at the time, a guy called Larry Gogan and a couple of other people."

O`Dowd also starred opposite Sienna Miller in the film Hippie Hippie Shake, which is about the groundbreaking `60s magazine, Oz. The publication was the precursor to a whole generation of lad mags. O`Dowd plays Felix Dennis, who would later become Maxim`s publisher. The story centers on the landmark indecency trial. In real-life, O`Dowd`s character was defended by John Mortimer who went on to write Rumpole of the Bailey. In preparation for the role, O`Dowd met up with Dennis. "He was an incredibly charismatic man," O`Dowd stated."

In April 2009 it was announced that O`Dowd was cast in a remake of Gulliver`s Travels. The film stars Jack Black as Gulliver, Emily Blunt, as the Princess, and Jason Segal as Horatio. "It`s shooting in Pinewood from the end of April ," said O`Dowd, shorty after his participation was announced. "I`m just going back to England to learn how to ride a horse...I`m a general in the army, so there`s going to be a little bit of horse riding. I think it`s going to be really fun though, we`re all kind of learning together -- Jason and Jack have to learn as well."

O`Dowd appeared on panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Season 21, episode 11).

He starred in a new ITV2 comedy series entitled FM, alongside Kevin Bishop and Nina Sosanya.


Future projects
As of July 2008 he appears in David Eldridge`s play Under The Blue Sky at the Duke of York`s Theatre, London.