Glen Hansard

An Academy Award-winning songwriter, musician, actor and singer, Glen Hansard was born on 21 April 1970 in Dublin, Ireland. At the age of 13, he left school to pursue busking on the streets of Dublin. Hansard gained popularity as guitar player Outspan Foster in the Alan Parker film The Commitments.

In his native Ireland, Hansard is best known as the front man of The Frames. However, internationally he gained recognition for his leading role in the award-winning film Once. Directed by his former band-mate John Carney and co-starring Marketa Irglova (his real-life musical collaborator), Once showcased songs from Hansard's back catalogue as well as compositions co-written with Irglova.

The soundtrack to Once featured new arrangements of songs previously recorded with The Frames and earned critical acclaim. Notably, their composition Falling Slowly won both a Grammy Award for "Best Song Written for Motion Picture" and an Academy Award for "Best Original Song" in 2007.