Colm Meaney, who played Miles O’Brien on both Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was honored on February 14 with the Irish Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to him by the Irish Film & Television Academy. Among those paying tribute to the actor was his longtime friend and Star Trek co-star and director, Jonathan Frakes.
During his time on Star Trek, especially during his DS9 era with the franchise, Meaney took time off to appear in a wide range of features in America and abroad. His seemingly endless list of credits, which saw him portray good guys and bad guys, and tackle both supporting roles and leads, includes The Dead, Die Hard 2, The Commitments, Under Siege, The Last of the Mohicans, Con Air, The Van, Hell on Wheels (in which he co-starred with future Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' lead Anson Mount), Tolkien, Gangs of London, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, and the recent release, Bring Them Down, alongside Barry Keoghan.
“Colm is one of Ireland’s most beloved and versatile actors, with a one-of-a-kind warmth and roguish persona and wit that has endeared him to audiences right across the globe,” IFTA CEO Áine Moriarty said in a statement as reported by Variety. “His illustrious screen and stage career has shown him to be such a skillful and nuanced actor as well as a superbly funny leading man. Despite his international success, Colm has always been an unflinching supporter of home-grown Irish projects and talent coming through. The Irish Academy is honoured to pay tribute to Colm’s achievements, and his remarkable career.”
Meaney, who is now 71 years old, continues to act on a regular basis, and will next be seen in The Panic, a period drama in which he co-stars with Cary Elwes and Malcolm McDowell, the latter of whom played the villain in Star Trek: Generations. However, Meaney told various outlets in the past couple of years that he doesn’t expect to play O’Brien again as he doubts audiences want to see an “elderly version” version of the character (via Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette). If that’s the case, fans will need to make do with the first-season Star Trek: Lower Decks episode “Temporal Edict,” which revealed a statue of O’Brien and declared him “perhaps the most important person in Starfleet history.”