Irish actor who played Miles O'Brien, the Enterprise-D's transporter chief who became chief of operations on Deep Space Nine.
Colm Meaney, an Irish actor born in 1953, played Miles O'Brien, who began as an unnamed officer in the Next Generation pilot Encounter at Farpoint and grew into the Enterprise-D's transporter chief. O'Brien's wedding to Keiko in Data's Day and his past in the Cardassian war, explored in The Wounded, gave the recurring character an unusually full life.
In 1993 Meaney moved with the character to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, where O'Brien served as the station's chief of operations for all seven seasons and became one of the series' central figures.
Outside Star Trek, Meaney is known for Roddy Doyle adaptations including The Commitments and The Snapper, and for playing Thomas Durant in Hell on Wheels.