Draft:Joe O'Byrne

Joe O'Byrne (born 02 June 1960) is a British/Irish Playwright, Author, Actor, Artist, and Screenwriter.. . He is most notable for Tales of Paradise Heights, a series of plays toured on the national stage. In 2018, O'Byrne won the Salford Star award for his play The Haunting of Blaine Manor.

Acting credits include Phoenix Nights, Coronation Street , and Diary of a Bad Lad

Career
Playwright

O'Byrne began writing for the stage in the early 2000s on his anthology crime/drama series Tales From Paradise Heights, based on the Manchester council estates in Hulme, which he begun touring nationally with his debut chapter I'm Frank Morgan. In 2010, BBC Radio Manchester labelled O'Byrne a "Manchester Icon" for the same body of work. In 2012, O'Byrne wrote one act play Keep Calm and Carry On for the Salford Arts Theatre and Lowry Theatre and in 2018 was awarded the Salford Star award for best play, The Haunting of Blaine Manor.

Tales From Paradise Heights

• I'm Frank Morgan, 2000

• The Bench, 2007

• Rank, 2010

• Strawberry Jack, 2011

• Diane's Deli, 2013

• I’m Frank Morgan – Rewired, 2024

Acting

O'Byrne began acting as an extra in 1987 on Irish Television Movie Lapsed Catholics alongside Ian McElhinney. He wouldn't act again until year 2000 in British soap-opera, Heartbeat. In 2001, O'Byrne featured in comedy Phoenix Nights, drama The Cops, and medical drama Always and Everyone. From 2002 to 2003, O'Byrne played roles in Clocking off, Cutting It, and The Royal. In 2010, he was cast as the lead actor in gangland thriller Diary of a Bad Lad. From year 2000 to 2011, O'Byrne was a regular in long-running British soap opera Coronation Street as ex-convict, Spoony.

Screenwriting

In 2001, O'Byrne wrote and starred in an adaptation of his stage play I'm Frank Morgan. He later wrote feature film Lookin' For Lucky in 2009. In 2011, O'Byrne adapted a second of his plays, The Watcher.

Author

In 2015, O'Byrne published his first novel, an adaptation of his play, The Watcher

Artist

O'Byrne creates pop-culture inspired acrylic artworks under the name Sinful Joe