Dónal Finn

Dónal Finn
Born (1995-08-31) 31 August 1995
Dromina, County Cork, Ireland
Alma materLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
OccupationActor
Known forHadestown (West End, 2024)
Young Sherlock
The Other Bennet Sister

Dónal Finn (born 31 August 1995) is an Irish actor. On television, he is known for his roles in the Amazon Prime series The Wheel of Time (2023–2025) and Young Sherlock (2026), and the BBC One series The Other Bennet Sister (2026). He originated the role of Orpheus in the West End production of Hadestown.

Early life and education

Finn was born and raised in Dromina, County Cork, Ireland. He is one of eight children from a farming family.[1] Music was a big part of his family growing up, as he recalled in an interview: "there was always music in our house. I suppose it’s like a part of the family tradition as well. For family gatherings, as the night rolls on people do start to sing. So the notion of singing in front of other people I always saw as a kid."[2]

As a child, Finn was first introduced to the stage through being part of his school's musical production of Aladdin. This inspired him to join drama clubs and youth theatres in nearby Castlemagner, Mallow, and Fermoy.[3][4] He went on to perform in local productions of plays, pantos, and musicals, notably Fame in 2009[5] and Little Shop of Horrors in 2011. He starred as Seymour in the latter, receiving praises for "mastering the melody and harmonies of what is considered very difficult music".[6] Finn was a pupil at Scoil Mhuire in Kanturk, where he also took up public speaking. He and his school friends won County Cork Mental Health Foundation's public speaking competition in 2012.[7]

After leaving school, Finn worked for a year in a supermarket to save up for auditions and application fees for drama schools.[8] In 2015, he was awarded a three-year scholarship at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) through the Overstall Charitable Trust.[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in acting from LAMDA in 2018.[9]

Career

After graduating from LAMDA, Finn made his first notable appearance in an episode of the Netflix series The Witcher as a peasant named Nettly in 2019.[10]

Finn also had a small role as a baker named Albert in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.[11]

In 2022, Finn was cast in the role of soldier Eoin McGonigal in the first series of the BBC drama SAS: Rogue Heroes.[1] That same year, he was cast as Mat Cauthon in the second season of The Wheel of Time, succeeding Barney Harris in the role.[12]

In 2023, he was named one of the inaugural "Rising Stars of Ireland" by Screen International and Screen Ireland.[13]

In February 2024, Finn played the role of Orpheus in the West End production of Hadestown. Finn left the production on 25 August 2024.[14] He was featured in the cast recording album Hadestown: Live from London, released in December 2024.[15]

In July 2024, it was announced Finn would appear as James Moriarty alongside Hero Fiennes Tiffin's Sherlock Holmes in the 2026 Amazon Prime Video series Young Sherlock.[16]

In March 2026, Finn starred as Mr. Hayward in The Other Bennet Sister.[17]

Personal life

Finn currently lives in London and is close friends with fellow Irish actors Chris Walley,[18] Éanna Hardwicke, and Frank Blake.[3]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Angel Killian LAMDA short film[19]
2019 How to Build a Girl Karl Boden
2022 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Albert
2025 Four Letters of Love Sean Gore
2026 The Uprising The Priest

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2019 The Witcher Nettly Episode: "Four Marks"
2020 Cursed Kurt Episode: "Cursed"
2022–2025 SAS: Rogue Heroes Eoin McGonigal 4 episodes
2023–2025 The Wheel of Time Mat Cauthon Main role
2026 Young Sherlock James Moriarty Main role
2026 The Other Bennet Sister Thomas Hayward Main role

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue
2018 Chasing Bono Ivan Soho Theatre, London
2020 Albion Gabriel Almeida Theatre, London
2022 Sing Street Brendan Lalor Huntington Theatre Company, Boston
2024 Hadestown Orpheus Lyric Theatre, London
2026 John Proctor is the Villain Carter Smith Royal Court Theatre, London

Audio drama

YearTitleRoleNotes
2026TurpinRichard Turpin[20]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. 1 2 3 McCarthy, Esther (2023-02-15). "Rising Stars Ireland 2023: Dónal Finn (actor)". Screen.
  2. ↑ Thomas, Charlie (2024). "Rake in Progress: Dónal Finn". therake.com. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  3. 1 2 Ganatra, Shilpa (2024-02-25). "Meet Dónal Finn — Ireland's next big acting star". The Times. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  4. ↑ "Dónal Finn on The Wheel of Time effect: 'People travelled from phenomenal distances. They were incredible fans'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  5. ↑ "GAA legend Billy at book signing". Irish Independent. 2009-11-12. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  6. ↑ "Student cast excels in Little Shop of Horrors". Irish Independent. 2011-04-21. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  7. ↑ Herlihy, Maria (2012-08-30). "Scoil Mhuire students win public speaking final". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  8. ↑ "Young Sherlock star Dónal Finn: Why I turned Holmes's enemy Moriarty into a Kerry man". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  9. ↑ "2018 graduates | London academy of music & dramatic art". www.lamda.ac.uk.
  10. ↑ "The Wheel of Time: See the new actor playing Mat Cauthon in The Witcher". Winter is Coming. September 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Who Is Dónal Finn? Everything to Know About Young Sherlock's New Moriarty". startefact.com.
  12. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 20, 2021). "'The Wheel Of Time': Dónal Finn To Play Mat Cauthon In Recasting On Amazon Series As Barney Harris Not Returning For Season 2".
  13. ↑ "Screen International and Screen Ireland unveil inaugural Rising Stars Ireland line-up". Screen Ireland. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2026-03-16.
  14. ↑ "Hadestown confirms Dónal Finn & Grace Hodgett-Young leaving date". www.westendtheatre.com. West End Theatre. July 23, 2024.
  15. ↑ Hadestown (2024-12-05). Anaïs Mitchell unboxes the Hadestown Live From London album. Retrieved 2026-05-18 – via YouTube.
  16. ↑ Otterson, Joe (July 30, 2024). "'Young Sherlock' Amazon Series Casts 'Wheel of Time' Actor Dónal Finn (EXCLUSIVE)".
  17. ↑ Considine, Pippa (2025-06-17). "The Other Bennet Sister: Filming starts, cast revealed". Televisual. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  18. ↑ Murphy, Lauren (2024-06-02). "Young Offenders star Chris Walley: 'What is it about Cork? I dunno. That's a dangerous question to ask a Cork person'". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 2026-03-09. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
  19. ↑ LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) (2018-06-22). Angel | Film. Retrieved 2026-05-18 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ Hodges, Jake (17 March 2026). "'Wheel of Time' Star To Headline Gritty New Crime Drama". Collider. Retrieved 15 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Drama student Donal Finn wins Sir Alec Guinness Award". ICN. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2026-05-18.
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