Barry Keoghan’s ethnicity, confirmed

Barry Keoghan has seen his career skyrocket over the last decade. He made strong impressions in 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, 2017’s Dunkirk, and was one of the few shining lights of 2021’s The Eternals. Offscreen he’s turned tabloid heads with a relationship with pop diva Sabrina Carpenter, and is about to play Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes upcoming Beatles biopics.

So, what is his background? Well, first up – and we can’t believe we have to say this – he’s not Asian:

Dying at this guy that thinks Barry Keoghan (?) is Asian pic.twitter.com/8s76PXGFMO

— Mr. Chau (@Srirachachau) April 1, 2025

Keoghan’s ethnicity

Keoghan is, as you might have guessed by his name and accent, Irish. His mother Debbie was Irish, but, as nobody knows who his father is, he may be half-Irish. It’s unknown whether he’s ever done a DNA test, or if he puts any stock in what his ethnic background may or may not be.

He grew up in Summerhill, Dublin, and he experienced a difficult childhood. His mother battled with heroin addiction and died when Keoghan was 12, and he proceeded to bounce between 13 foster homes before being taken in by extended family.

Keoghan attended the O’Connell School in Dublin, where he showed interest in theater, but was banned from productions for, as he puts it, “messing around”. He was also barred from his local multiplex after sneaking in one too many times to watch movies, though this cinematic education would pay off later. After small roles in the 2011 crime movie Between the Canals and the soap opera Fair City, he went on to achieve fame in Ireland, soon parlaying that into an international film career.

These days a disturbing number of Hollywood actors are either rich kids parachuted into fancy acting schools, with their family fortunes meaning the stakes for them trying out acting are slim, or straight up nepo babies with famous surnames.

Keoghan is, if nothing else, proof that raw talent and dedication can win you a Hollywood career, even if it rises out of some truly horrible childhood circumstances. That factor makes him a great fit for a Beatles biopic, as all of the band’s members were from working-class backgrounds and couldn’t rely on family money to launch them to the top.

Like Keoghan, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr had to combine their innate talents with a solid work ethic to make it. Of all the Beatles biopics we’re looking forward to Keoghan’s the most, as he’ll make something truly special out of Ringo Starr’s story.