Desmond Eastwood


Desmond Eastwood is a stage, television and film actor from Northern Ireland.

Early life

Born in Lisburn, the son of Mary and Desmond Eastwood, he attended Friends' School, Lisburn. He graduated with a law degree from Queen's College, Belfast in 2014, before moving to Dublin to study acting at the Gaiety School of Acting. He has five siblings. His brother Colum is a film maker.

Career

He has appeared in television productions including Krypton, Vikings and Blood, working alongside Adrian Dunbar, and worked on Game Of Thrones. He also appeared in his brother's first feature film Black Medicine, which starred Antonia Campbell-Hughes.
He could be seen in 2020 television series Normal People playing Niall who befriends the character Connell, played by Paul Mescal. For his role in the series he was nominated for best supporting actor at the 17th Irish Film & Television Awards. Eastwood and Mescal were performing in The Lieutenant of Inishmore together on stage in Dublin when the production was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Derry Girls writer Lisa McGee labelled his Normal People character "the soundest one", and Eastwood later appeared in her series as Benny.
He has roles in 2023 Liam Neeson film In the Land of Saints and Sinners, and Pierce Brosnan film The Last Rifleman.
He plays Detective Murray Canning in the first two series of the BBC One Northern Ireland police drama Blue Lights.
He can be seen in 2024 Finnish drama Stormskerry Maja and Christoph Waltz comedy action film Old Guy.

Partial filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018KryptonTaz-Ran
2020Normal PeopleNiall
2020VikingsMessenger
2021Black MedicineConor
2022Derry GirlsBenny
2023In the Land of Saints and SinnersCurtis June
2023-Blue LightsDS Murray Canning
2023The Last RiflemanTony McCann
2024Stormskerry MajaLieutenant John Wilson
2024Old GuyColton
2025Martin Scorsese Presents: The SaintsSaint Patrick-
2026No Ordinary HeistTBAPost-production