Five things you didn’t know about Saltburn star Barry Keoghan

Barry Keoghan has become a household name following his appearance in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn.  

In the discourse-sparking film, the Irish actor plays Oliver Quick, a first-year student at Oxford who finds himself drawn into the privileged inner circle of Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi). 

Keoghan’s role in Saltburn saw him score a nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in the drama category at this year’s Golden Globe awards. 

But his rise to stardom has’t been an easy one. Here are five things you probably did’t know about Barry Keoghan.

Advertisement Remove ads googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Desktop_Pagicle_Content_1'); }); 1. Barry Keoghan spent seven years in foster care as a child 

The 31-year-old spent seven years of his childhood in a string of foster homes after losing his mother to a heroin overdose when she was just 30. 

Alongside his brother Eric, Keoghan was taken into care and before the siblings were raised by their aunt Lorraine and grandmother Patricia in Dublin, Ireland. 

He has been open about not expecting to achieve as much as he has in his life, “especially when you’ve got ’13 foster homes’ written on your CV”. 

Speaking out about his mum’s death, Keoghan said, as reported by OK: “Heroin came into Dublin, and it caught every family. My mother was one of the unlucky ones.

“She got caught on it, then she passed away.”

Advertisement Remove ads googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Desktop_Pagicle_Content_2'); }); 2. He has a one-year-old son named Brando 

Keoghan shares his one-year-old son Brando with Alyson Kierans. The Standard reported that the pair, who were in a long-term relationship, seem to have gone their separate ways 15 months after welcoming their baby into the world. 

 Kierans is a dentist who met Keoghan in a London bar in February 2021. 

Advertisement Remove ads googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Desktop_Pagicle_Content_3'); }); 3. Keoghan is a passionate amateur boxer 

Keoghan is a keen boxer and has spoke fondly about his desire to spend more time in the ring. 

“[I try to get in] as much boxing as I can. I love a bit of pad work and sparring. Training is brilliant, it is not only good to look look, but to feel good mentally,” he said, as reported by Off the Ball.

“It is brilliant for the mental health. I train a lot for that reason, to feel good and push my day forward.”

Advertisement Remove ads googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Desktop_Pagicle_Content_4'); }); 4. He almost lost his arm to flesh-eating bacteria 

In 2021, the actor was hospitalised due to necrotizing fasciitis – a rare and life threatening infection – also known as the ‘flesh-eating disease’.

He told GQ there was a point where amputation of his arm was considered.

The actor said he asked the doctors, “But I’m not gonna die, right?” to which they responded: “Well, we don’t know.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one in five people who get the flesh-eating infection die.

Thankfully, an amputation wasn’t required and Keoghan has now been left with a scar around his elbow on his right arm from the disease. 

Advertisement Remove ads googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('Desktop_Pagicle_Content_5'); }); 5. Barry Keoghan is a bit of a lesbian icon, thanks to a flawless red carpet look 

The 31-year-old actor sported a Louis Vuitton suit on the red carpet for the Golden Globes. His ‘fit, paired with  a golden belt chain, pearl necklace and Tiffany & Co. earrings, proved to be a magnetic look for lesbians.

Keoghan’s outfit attracted the attention of queer women on social media, who couldn’t help but crush on him for looking like a hot “masc lesbian”.

He was one for a while, but it was much too wet for him

— Amy Rose (@cottagec0re_) January 8, 2024

He looks like a masc lesbian

— eatcheeseandsin (@haydyngd) January 8, 2024