Cal O’Driscoll is an Irish actor and filmmaker from Dublin whose career has developed across television, independent cinema and his own filmmaking projects. He has appeared in Video Nasty, Vikings: Valhalla, The Teacher, Obituary and September Says, while also building experience as a writer and director. In 2025, the Royal Television Society recognised him with its Ireland Breakthrough Talent Award, and in 2026 he received his first IFTA nomination.
His career is now moving into another stage. In June 2026, the BBC announced that O’Driscoll had joined the new Peaky Blinders series as Aidan Keeler, putting him alongside an expanding cast in one of British television’s best-known crime franchises.
Quick Bio
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Cal Arnold O’Driscoll |
| Profession | Actor, filmmaker, writer-director |
| Nationality | Irish |
| From | Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | BA (Hons) Film |
| Known For | Video Nasty, Vikings: Valhalla, September Says |
| Major Award | RTS Ireland Breakthrough Talent Award 2025 |
| IFTA Recognition | Supporting Actor – Drama nomination, 2026 |
| Current Work | Acting and developing filmmaking projects |
O’Driscoll’s IADT profile describes him as an award-winning actor and emerging writer-director from Dublin. It also identifies him as a screenwriting graduate with a minor in production, showing that his interest in film extends well beyond performing in front of the camera.
Who Is Cal O’Driscoll?
Cal O’Driscoll is part of a generation of young Irish performers building careers across Irish, British and international productions. Unlike an actor who entered filmmaking only after establishing a screen career, O’Driscoll began creating films while still a teenager.
His early work is important because it explains the two sides of his career today. He acts in professionally produced drama while continuing to write and develop original film projects of his own.
The Royal Television Society describes him as an Irish actor from Dublin and highlights Video Nasty, Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, Obituary and Vikings: Valhalla among his screen credits.
Cal O’Driscoll Started as a Young Filmmaker
O’Driscoll’s filmmaking ambitions became publicly visible before many of his better-known television roles.
In 2020, his short film Pirates won Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year at the Fresh International Film Festival. Contemporary reporting identified him as 17 at the time. The film was set around a pirate radio station in 1980s Ireland.
That achievement was more than an isolated youth award. It established an early connection between O’Driscoll and writing, directing and visual storytelling that continued as his acting career expanded.
His later IADT profile says his work is informed by screenwriting and production training and notes that his short films have received festival recognition in Ireland and internationally. The profile also says he has been developing a debut feature film.
Early Acting Roles
One of O’Driscoll’s early professional screen credits came in the 2020 television film The Windermere Children, in which he played Malcolm. The drama focuses on child survivors of the Holocaust who were brought to the Lake District after the Second World War.
He later played Steven in the 2022 film The Sleep Experiment. His television profile grew further through the Irish dark-comedy series Obituary, where he appeared as Denis Riley. Records for the series show O’Driscoll returning as Denis across episodes released in 2023 and 2025.
These projects gave him experience in very different genres, from historical drama to thriller and dark comedy, before several higher-profile roles arrived in 2024.
Cal O’Driscoll’s 2024 TV and Film Roles
The year 2024 was particularly active for O’Driscoll.
Vikings: Valhalla
In Netflix’s historical drama Vikings: Valhalla, O’Driscoll played Prince Edward in the third season. Cast records list him in four episodes as Edward, the historical figure who would later become Edward the Confessor.
The role brought him into a large international production and introduced him to viewers who may not previously have encountered his Irish film and television work.
Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
He also appeared as Ollie in Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale. Episode records show the character appearing across five episodes of the first season.
The Teacher
O’Driscoll joined the second series of Channel 5 thriller The Teacher as student Zac Webster. The 2024 series featured Kara Tointon, Will Mellor and Emmett J. Scanlan, with O’Driscoll appearing as part of the Webster storyline.
Together, those roles helped broaden his television résumé across historical drama, supernatural storytelling and contemporary thriller.
September Says and the Cannes Connection
O’Driscoll also moved further into independent film with September Says, directed by Ariane Labed.
He plays John in the film, which was adapted from Daisy Johnson’s novel Sisters. The production premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The film’s presence at Cannes gave O’Driscoll another type of screen credit: an internationally exhibited European independent feature rather than a television production.
That variety has become a noticeable feature of his career. His credits have moved between television drama, horror-comedy, historical series and independent cinema rather than staying within a single genre.
Video Nasty Became a Major Career Role
Among Cal O’Driscoll’s most prominent roles so far is Con in the six-part comedy-horror series Video Nasty.
Set in 1985, the story follows teenagers Con, Billy and Zoe as a mission to complete a collection of banned VHS horror films turns into a murder investigation. O’Driscoll stars alongside Justin Daniels Anene and Leia Murphy. RTÉ described the three performers as rising Irish acting talent when the series launched in Ireland in January 2025.
Con and Billy are horror-film enthusiasts who are missing one title from their collection. Their attempt to obtain the final tape sends them to Britain and creates the central journey around which the series’ comedy, horror and crime elements develop.
The role also brought O’Driscoll significant industry recognition.
RTS Award and IFTA Nomination
On 27 March 2025, the Royal Television Society Republic of Ireland Awards presented O’Driscoll with the Breakthrough Talent Award.
The RTS specifically referenced his television work and his filmmaking background, including Pirates, when announcing the recognition.
His performance in Video Nasty then earned further recognition at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards. O’Driscoll was nominated in the Supporting Actor – Drama category, making him one of seven first-time acting nominees highlighted by IFTA that year.
Chris Walley ultimately won the category for The Young Offenders, but O’Driscoll’s nomination marked another step in his growing professional profile.
Cal O’Driscoll Joins the New Peaky Blinders Series
A major new development arrived in June 2026 when the BBC announced additional casting for the next chapter of Peaky Blinders.
O’Driscoll will play Aidan Keeler, son of Clemmy Keeler, portrayed by Game of Thrones actor Conleth Hill. The Keelers are presented as a gangster family competing with the Peaky Blinders amid the rebuilding of post-war Birmingham.
The new series is set in Birmingham in the early 1950s and features Jamie Bell and Charlie Heaton as Duke and Charles Shelby. The BBC said filming was taking place around Digbeth, with the series planned for BBC platforms in the UK and Netflix internationally.
For viewers discovering Cal O’Driscoll through Video Nasty, Aidan Keeler is likely to become one of the next important roles to follow.
Other New Film and Writing Projects
Acting is only one part of O’Driscoll’s current work.
Film Ireland has listed him in the cast of Lenny Abrahamson’s Hillside Drive alongside Tom Burke and Eve Hewson. The project is set in 1970s Dublin and centres on a family living within Dublin’s Jewish community.
He has also continued writing.
In September 2026, filmmaker Seán Treacy told Film Ireland that he and O’Driscoll co-wrote the short film Where We Left Off. Treacy explained that the pair substantially redeveloped the original script together. O’Driscoll also appears in the film alongside Kane O’Connell O’Flynn and Oliver Finnegan. At the time of the interview, the project was heading through post-production, with distribution and festival screenings targeted for 2027.
This combination of acting and writing makes his developing career different from a straightforward performer-only biography.
Cal O’Driscoll Movies and TV Shows
Some of his notable verified screen credits include:
| Year | Production | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Windermere Children | Malcolm |
| 2022 | The Sleep Experiment | Steven |
| 2023–2025 | Obituary | Denis Riley |
| 2024 | Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale | Ollie |
| 2024 | Vikings: Valhalla | Prince Edward |
| 2024 | The Teacher | Zac Webster |
| 2024 | September Says | John |
| 2025 | Video Nasty | Con |
| Upcoming | New Peaky Blinders series | Aidan Keeler |
His credits show a steady transition from smaller roles toward larger television parts while his work behind the camera continues in parallel.
Cal O’Driscoll’s Age and Personal Life
An exact publicly verified birth date for Cal O’Driscoll is not widely available through strong primary sources.
A 2020 report described him as 17 years old, which would place his birth around 2002 or 2003 and make him approximately 23 or 24 in 2026, depending on his birthday. It is safer to use this approximate range rather than repeat an unsupported exact date.
Reliable public coverage is also focused mainly on his professional career rather than his family or romantic relationships. Claims about those areas should therefore be treated cautiously unless O’Driscoll or a credible source confirms them.
From Young Filmmaker to Actor and Writer
Cal O’Driscoll’s career has developed through two connected paths.
His acting work has taken him from The Windermere Children and Obituary to Vikings: Valhalla, September Says and the leading ensemble of Video Nasty. At the same time, the filmmaking interest that brought him national recognition for Pirates has continued through formal film training, screenwriting and new projects.
With an RTS Breakthrough Talent Award, an IFTA nomination, a role in the next Peaky Blinders television chapter and further writing and film work in development, his recent credits show a career expanding on both sides of the camera.
FAQ
How old is Cal O’Driscoll?
His exact birth date has not been reliably confirmed in major primary sources. A 2020 report identified him as 17, suggesting he was born around 2002 or 2003. That would make him approximately 23 or 24 in 2026.
Where is Cal O’Driscoll from?
Cal O’Driscoll is from Dublin, Ireland. The Royal Television Society and his IADT profile both describe him as a Dublin actor and filmmaker.
Who does Cal O’Driscoll play in Video Nasty?
He plays Con, one of the three central teenagers in Video Nasty. Con, Billy and Zoe become involved in a murder investigation while trying to complete a collection of banned VHS horror films.
Who does Cal O’Driscoll play in Vikings: Valhalla?
O’Driscoll plays Prince Edward, the young Edward who would later become known historically as Edward the Confessor. He appears during the third season.
Is Cal O’Driscoll in Peaky Blinders?
Yes. In June 2026, the BBC announced O’Driscoll as Aidan Keeler in the new Peaky Blinders television series. Aidan is the son of gangster-family patriarch Clemmy Keeler, played by Conleth Hill.
Is Cal O’Driscoll also a filmmaker?
Yes. He won Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year in 2020 for his short film Pirates. He later studied film and screenwriting, and his IADT profile describes him as an emerging writer-director as well as an actor.
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