Mark McKenna

Mark McKenna
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Comments (6)
Name:
Mark McKenna
Who is:
, ,
Birth date:
(29 y.o.)
Place of birth:
Dublin
Height:
5'8 ft ()
Weight:
143 lb (65 kg)
Relationship:
single
Namesakes:
Birth Sign:
(characteristic)
Chinese zodiac:
Links:

Biography of Mark McKenna

Mark McKenna is an Irish actor and singer, best known for his roles in the musical comedy Sing Street (2016) and the TV series Wayne (2019). He also performs in bands like Milk and THE | GIRL | TALK.
On the photo: Mark McKenna
On the photo: Mark McKenna

His Childhood and Family

Mark McKenna was born on May 5, 1996, in Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Mark's father is a musician. McKenna fondly recalls how his dad taught him guitar for two years before he and his on-screen character from Sing Street earned applause at the Sundance Film Festival. Mark inherited his musical talent, and after finishing school, he enrolled at BIMM Music College in Dublin, where he mastered several musical instruments.
Mark McKenna as a child
Mark McKenna as a child

Acting Career

Mark McKenna made his movie debut in 2016. Mark landed one of the lead roles in the musical comedy Sing Street. Director John Carney (who made Begin Again with Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo) wanted to cast unknown actors.

So, it happened. Most of the cast were newcomers: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Kelly Thornton, Percy Chamburuka, singer Maria Doyle Kennedy and Mark McKenna, making his screen debut. However, the film also featured established actors like Game of Thrones star Aidan Gillen and young actress Lucy Boynton.
Mark McKenna and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo in Sing Street
Mark McKenna and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo in Sing Street
Sing Street is a nostalgic musical drama about growing up. The events take place in the 1980s in Dublin. The protagonist is a teenager who transfers from a prestigious private school to a public one. He falls in love with a girl and starts a rock band called Sing Street. Mark plays multi-instrumentalist Eamon, in whose house the band rehearses. His character also writes the original songs for the band. Interestingly, McKenna's real middle name is Eamon, and he's also a musician.

Mark and Ferdia actually recorded the songs for the film themselves.
We have different tastes in music. Ferdia enjoys folk, and I am fond of pop music of the 1980s. But Carney [a former Irish rock bassist] had written the songs before he met us, – McKenna says.
The film received rave reviews and high ratings, earning a Golden Globe nomination. But the musical La La Land (directed by Damien Chazelle) starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling took home the prize. Still, the young actors had already won their biggest prize – fame and recognition. "It's funny," Ferdia Walsh-Peelo says with a smile. "We were street musicians, happy to make a couple of dollars from our performances a year ago. Now everything's changed. We used to walk the streets bothering passers-by. Now we wear nice clothes and sit in nice cafes, and people ask, 'Are you the guy from that movie?'"
Sing Street – the soundtrack of the movie
After the film's buzzy debut, Mark got an agent and started auditioning. By 2017, he'd already starred in two episodes of the miniseries Redwater, a complex story about a family reunion 32 years later. McKenna was up for a role in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, but Finn Whitehead landed the part.
Mark McKenna in Redwater
Mark McKenna in Redwater
Local theaters offered Mark some roles, but the actor wasn't interested in stage work. Soon after, the actor headed to Hollywood for a small role in Julius Avery's military horror film Overlord. The film was produced by J.J. Abrams, the screenwriter and producer behind films like Armageddon (1998), Cloverfield (2008), and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015). The film follows American soldiers who discover secret Nazi experiments behind enemy lines in Normandy. The cast also included Wyatt Russell (son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn), Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy from Game of Thrones), John Magaro, and Jovan Adepo.
Mark McKenna in Overlord
Mark McKenna in Overlord

Personal Life of Mark McKenna

Little is known about Mark McKenna's personal life. But in 2020, fans discovered his new relationship. He was dating Ciara Bravo, whom he met on the set of the series Wayne.
Mark's favorite band is British indie rock group The 1975. McKenna also enjoys punk and jazz music. The actor loves classic films and the romantic teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles.

Mark stands 173 cm tall.

Mark McKenna Now

The first season of Wayne, an American thriller-comedy series, premiered in January 2019. The story follows a teenage boy (Mark McKenna) who embarks on a motorcycle journey with his girlfriend (Siera Bravo) to reclaim his late father's Pontiac that his stepmother took after the divorce. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the authors of Deadpool, are the producers.
Wayne – Trailer
For me, Wayne is a role I'd dreamed of even before I got into acting. In fact, Wayne is Dirty Harry as a teenager. As a kid, after watching action movies, I wanted to be the cool guy. But I always thought actors only got roles like that when they were at least 28, Mark says.
DramaQueen is the debut single by Milk
In February 2019, McKenna and his band Milk (Mark and three other guys from Dublin) released their debut single DramaQueen, written under the obvious influence of Mark's favorite band 1975. The actor also plays in the band THE | GIRL | TALK.
  • I like Drama Queen song by McKenna! This is music to my taste. Added to playlist!
    2021-05-12 10:14:15
  • Looked at the Wayne trailer. The series must be very cool, the youth will like this one hundred percent :) and Mark in the role of Wayne is such a brave guy, desperate
    2021-05-10 08:08:57
  • Very young McKenna is straight. I haven`t seen any of his works, but the cute one is so curly. I really like him
    2021-05-08 13:16:27
  • I like war films and can recommend «Overlord» with a small participation of Mark McKenna.
    2021-04-10 23:00:50
  • He is certainly easy on the eyes, and an inspiration to me as a writer.
    2021-04-05 08:53:58
  • It is evident that Mark McKenna is a talented guy. I`ll see him one of these days Sing Street.
    2021-02-18 20:57:30
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