Background
Born in Cork into an Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop"s Field. Tóibín was born in 1929 in Cork, Ireland, the sixth of seven children, born to Siobhán (née Ní Shúileabháin) and Seán Tóibín, native Irish speakers. His father, Seán Tóibín, was born in Passage West, County Cork, and his parents came from Waterford and West Cork.
Career
He has appeared in Ryan"s Daughter, Bracken, The Ballroom of Romance, The Irish Royal Marines, Caught in a Free State, Ballykissangel, Far and Away, and Veronica Guerin, and has played Brendan Behan too. He was awarded honorary lifetime membership of the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) in 2011. His mother, Siobhán Ni Shúileabháin, came from Beaufort, County Kerry.
Niall was born on the southside of Cork city in Friars’ Walk.
He was raised with Irish and has used the language in his professional career, notably in the film Poitín. As a child he sang in the cathedral choir and the Opera House in Cork.
In his teens he joined a drama society attached to the Keating Branch of the Gaelic League. He was educated by the Irish Christian Brothers at the North Monastery (North Mon) after which he left Cork for a job in the Civil Service in Dublin in January 1947.
Tóibín divides his time between New York and his home in Dublin.
Tóibín started acting in the 1950s and spent fourteen years with the Radio Éireann Players. From Ryan"s Daughter and Bracken in the 1970s, to The Ballroom of Romance, The Irish Royal Marines, Brideshead Revisited (television serial) and Caught in a Free State in the 1980s, and, more recently, Far and Away, Ballykissangel and Veronica Guerin, Toibin"s entertainment career in television, film and theatre has spanned over four decades. He has also acted for the radio, such as his guest appearance in the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 series Baldi.
In 2005 he "cemented" his hands outside the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.
He made a speech saying, "lieutenant will be a proud day for medical He played Doctor Paul O"Callaghan in the first series of the Irish television programme The Clinic.
He played Judge Ballaugh, alongside Cate Blanchett, in Jerry Bruckheimer"s film Veronica Guerin.