Biography

Glen Hansard

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Glen Hansard is an Irish singer-songwriter. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten of the Irish Album Charts. In the 2000s, he was one half of folk rock duo The Swell Season before releasing his debut solo album, Rhythm and Repose, in 2012. His 2015 sophomore album Didn't He Ramble was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

Primarily a musician, he has also acted and written music for film; he appeared in the BAFTA-winning film The Commitments (1991) and, notably, starred in the Irish music drama Once (2007) which earned him a number of major awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Falling Slowly" with co-writer and co-star Markéta Irglová. The film was later adapted into an award-winning-musical theatre production.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao

First Irishman to win an Oscar for Best Song.
He refers to his three main influences as his "Holy Trinity": Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison.
Formed popular Irish rock band, The Frames, in 1991, whose last release was "The Cost" in 2007.
Son of Catherine Hansard who was seated next to Glen at the Academy Awards when he won an Oscar for Best Song "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once (2006).
Was offered a shot at the part of Rorschach in Watchmen (2009) but had to bow out due to the fanfare surrounding his Oscar nomination (and ultimate win) for song "Falling Slowly" from Once (2006).

It's a new personality to try on or a new set of clothes to try on. Everything you've been is basically over. ... Sometimes it feels more comfortable having potential rather than having accreditation.
If the sentiment becomes your focus, then the music becomes secondary.
I'm really interested in timeliness. Whether in music, art or fashion. I like the idea of not being able to tell what era something is from.
There's a famous saying: God surely gave us the potato blight, but the British gave us a famine. There was fish in the sea, there was beef in the fields, but we ate the potatoes.

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