Cal O’Driscoll: Age, Biography, Family & Career
Cal O’Driscoll is an Irish actor and filmmaker from Dublin, best known for playing Con in Video Nasty and Prince Edward in Vikings: Valhalla. His other screen credits include Obituary, September Says and The Teacher. In June 2026, Netflix announced that he would play Aidan Keeler in the upcoming Peaky Blinders sequel series.
O’Driscoll began making films as a teenager and won Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year award in 2020. He has since worked across television, film and theatre while developing his own writing projects. His selection as a 2026 Screen International Star of Tomorrow also earns him a place among the rising actors to watch in 2027.
Cal O’Driscoll Biography: Quick Facts
| Fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Professional name | Cal O’Driscoll |
| Other credited name | Cal Arnold O’Driscoll, in a 2020 filmmaking award record |
| Profession | Actor, filmmaker and screenwriter |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Hometown | Dublin, Ireland |
| Age | Approximately 23–24 as of October 2026 |
| Date of birth | Exact date not publicly verified |
| Parents | Names not reliably established in available public sources |
| Siblings | No verified public information |
| Education | BA (Hons) Film, Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) |
| Known for | Video Nasty, Vikings: Valhalla, September Says |
| Notable award | RTS Ireland Breakthrough Talent Award, 2025 |
| IFTA recognition | Supporting Actor – Drama nomination, 2026 |
| Recent theatre role | Lorcan in Meredith, 2026 |
| Upcoming television role | Aidan Keeler in the Peaky Blinders sequel |
| Net worth | No reliable public estimate established |
How Old Is Cal O’Driscoll?
Cal O’Driscoll is approximately 23 or 24 years old as of October 2026. His exact birthday has not been confirmed through a reliable public statement or record, so a more precise age cannot be established confidently.
A May 2020 report about the Fresh International Film Festival identified O’Driscoll as 17 years old when he won Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year award. Based on that dated report, he would be 23 or 24 on October 23, 2026, depending on when his birthday falls.
A January 2025 interview with The Irish News also placed him in his early twenties. Neither account establishes an exact date of birth, however, and an estimated birth year should not be presented as a verified birthday.
Cal O’Driscoll’s Family and Early Life
Cal O’Driscoll grew up in Dublin, Ireland. Coverage of his early filmmaking achievements identified him with Castleknock, a residential area in western Dublin. His connection to the city also appears in later professional profiles.
Public information about his family is limited. The reliable interviews, festival records and professional biographies reviewed for this profile do not establish his parents’ names, their occupations or whether he has siblings.
There is also no sufficiently reliable public information confirming a spouse or current romantic relationship. Those details should remain unspecified unless O’Driscoll makes them public or a credible source establishes them.
His early filmmaking achievements are considerably better documented than his private life. By his teenage years, he was already writing and producing short films, giving him experience with storytelling before his larger television roles.
How Cal O’Driscoll Started His Filmmaking Career
Winning Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year in 2020
O’Driscoll gained recognition in 2020 for Pirates, a short film about young people establishing a pirate radio station in 1980s Ireland. The project won him the Ireland’s Young Filmmaker of the Year title at the Fresh International Film Festival.
The awards ceremony took place online in May 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions. O’Driscoll was 17 at the time, making the achievement an important early point in his documented filmmaking career.
Pirates also won the 15–19 age category at the 2020 Youth Cinema Network Awards. The organisation’s official award record identifies the filmmaker as Cal Arnold O’Driscoll and lists the Irish short film among that year’s winners.
These were awards for his filmmaking rather than his television acting. They help explain why his professional interests have continued to include screenwriting and directing alongside performing.
Studying Film at IADT
O’Driscoll went on to study at the Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Ireland. His 2025 IADT graduate profile lists a BA (Hons) Film qualification and identifies screenwriting as his specialism, with a minor in production.
The profile also discusses Blunder, a psychological thriller project involving a friendship damaged by unresolved events and conflicting loyalties. It describes his plans to develop longer-form work rather than confirming a completed commercial feature release.
His education provides a connection between the short films he made as a teenager and his subsequent professional work. Acting remains his most visible occupation, but writing and developing stories have been consistent parts of his career.
Cal O’Driscoll Movies and TV Shows
Cal O’Driscoll has appeared in historical drama, psychological thrillers, supernatural television and comedy-horror. His credited work includes smaller supporting parts as well as prominent roles in ensemble productions.
The following table lists selected screen appearances. For television programmes, the year refers to O’Driscoll’s credited appearance rather than necessarily the show’s original premiere.
| Year | Movie or TV Show | Character |
|---|---|---|
| 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 — Season 3 | Prince Edward |
| 2024 | The Teacher — Season 2 | Zac Webster |
| 2024 | September Says | John |
| 2025 | Video Nasty | Con |
The Windermere Children and Early Film Roles
One of O’Driscoll’s earlier screen appearances was in The Windermere Children (2020), a television film about young Holocaust survivors brought to England after the Second World War. He played Malcolm in the production.
He subsequently appeared as Steven in The Sleep Experiment (2022), a psychological horror film directed by John Farrelly. The film’s official production information confirms his character credit.
These projects preceded his more widely discussed television roles and show that he had experience in both historical and contemporary screen stories before Video Nasty.
Obituary and Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale
In the Irish dark-comedy series Obituary, O’Driscoll played Denis Riley. The programme follows an obituary writer whose involvement with death develops into increasingly dangerous circumstances. His credited appearances span episodes from 2023 and 2025.
He also portrayed Ollie in Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale, a supernatural drama set in a community where suspicions surrounding witchcraft intensify following a teenager’s death.
Both programmes added television credits to his developing film career, although neither should be confused with his leading role as Con in Video Nasty.
Vikings: Valhalla — Prince Edward
O’Driscoll played Prince Edward in the third season of Netflix’s historical drama Vikings: Valhalla. The character represents the young Edward who later became Edward the Confessor, a significant figure in English history.
His appearance belongs to the show’s 2024 third season. Although Vikings: Valhalla first premiered in 2022, that earlier date does not identify when O’Driscoll joined the programme.
The Teacher — Zac Webster
O’Driscoll appeared as Zac Webster in the second series of Channel 5’s The Teacher. The 2024 storyline follows teacher Dani, played by Kara Tointon, as a school trip develops into a serious mystery involving a missing student.
Zac’s connection to that storyline is confirmed in Radio Times’ coverage of the second-series cast. It was another supporting television role during a particularly active period of O’Driscoll’s screen career.
September Says — John
O’Driscoll played John in September Says, the feature directorial debut of Ariane Labed. Adapted from Daisy Johnson’s novel Sisters, the film follows two sisters whose relationship becomes increasingly complicated and unsettling.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. Its festival premiere date is distinct from subsequent theatrical and streaming releases in individual countries.
Cal O’Driscoll in Video Nasty: Who Does He Play?
Cal O’Driscoll plays Con, one of three teenage friends at the centre of the 2025 Irish comedy-horror series Video Nasty. The six-part programme follows their attempt to complete a collection of banned horror films, which draws them into a dangerous and increasingly chaotic adventure.
Justin Daniels Anene plays Billy, while Leia Murphy portrays Zoe. Their characters’ friendship drives much of the story, which borrows its setting and atmosphere from the VHS horror culture of the 1980s.
In a January 2025 interview with The Irish News, O’Driscoll described Con as socially awkward, eager to get along with others and susceptible to Billy’s influence. That account gives a clearer picture of the character than simply describing him as one of the show’s three protagonists.
The interview also revealed that O’Driscoll and Justin Daniels Anene were already friends before working together on the series. Their existing friendship provides background to the actors’ working relationship, although their characters’ experiences remain fictional.
Video Nasty brought O’Driscoll a nomination for Supporting Actor – Drama at the 2026 Irish Film & Television Academy Awards. He was nominated for the performance but did not win the category.
Cal O’Driscoll’s Theatre Role in Meredith (2026)
O’Driscoll’s recent work also includes theatre. In September 2026, he joined the cast of Meredith, a family drama by Erica Murray staged at Dublin’s Gate Theatre and directed by Annabelle Comyn.
He plays Lorcan, Meredith’s grandson, whose arrival following trouble of his own disrupts an already complicated family gathering. The play is set during a Sunday afternoon in County Meath and explores tensions between several generations of one family.
The Gate Theatre’s official production page confirms O’Driscoll’s casting and lists the production’s scheduled run from September 30 to November 1, 2026, following previews beginning September 25.
This stage credit is particularly relevant to his 2026 biography because it documents acting work outside film and television. As of the research date, Meredith was within its announced Dublin run.
Cal O’Driscoll in the Peaky Blinders Sequel
In June 2026, Cal O’Driscoll was announced as Aidan Keeler in the forthcoming Peaky Blinders sequel series. The new television production follows the events of the original series and the film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
According to Netflix’s June 11 casting announcement, Aidan is the son of Clemmy Keeler, played by Conleth Hill. Clemmy leads a rival gangster family involved in the struggle for influence during Birmingham’s postwar rebuilding.
Jamie Bell has been cast as Duke Shelby, while Charlie Heaton plays Charles Shelby. The sequel moves the story into the 1950s, with the next generation of characters taking a more prominent position.
O’Driscoll’s involvement is a confirmed casting announcement, but Aidan Keeler should still be treated as an upcoming television role. As of October 23, 2026, the available official announcement did not establish that episodes featuring his character had been released.
Cal O’Driscoll’s Awards and Career Recognition
O’Driscoll won the Breakthrough Talent Award at the 2025 Royal Television Society Republic of Ireland Awards. The RTS award record acknowledges his acting across projects including Video Nasty, Obituary, Vikings: Valhalla and September Says.
In 2026, the Irish Film & Television Academy nominated him for Supporting Actor – Drama for Video Nasty. The official IFTA nominations confirm his inclusion, while the Academy’s winners record names Chris Walley of The Young Offenders as the category winner.
Another significant recognition came in September 2026, when Screen International selected O’Driscoll for its UK and Ireland Stars of Tomorrow programme. The industry selection was also documented by Spotlight, the programme’s sponsor.
Other Actors Selected as 2026 Stars of Tomorrow
Fellow Irish performer David McKenna was selected for the same 2026 acting group. His credits include Lord of the Flies, and he was also associated with the upcoming adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew. The shared recognition does not imply that he and O’Driscoll worked together on those productions.
British actress Bo Bragason was another member of the group. Known for Renegade Nell and The Jetty, she was also announced for The Legend of Zelda adaptation, giving her career a different emphasis from O’Driscoll’s Irish television and filmmaking work.
Scottish actor Mitchell Robertson also appeared in the 2026 selection, with credits including Mayflies and Half Man. These actors were recognised individually through the same programme; their inclusion should not be mistaken for a shared screen credit.
Cal O’Driscoll’s Upcoming Films and Writing Projects
Beyond the announced Peaky Blinders role, O’Driscoll has been connected with several film projects at different stages of development and production.
One is Hillside Drive, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and featuring Tom Burke and Eve Hewson. The film is set within Dublin’s Jewish community during the 1970s, and Film Ireland has identified O’Driscoll among its cast. A confirmed release date should not be assumed from a production listing.
He has also continued writing with filmmaker Seán Treacy. In an August 2026 interview with Film Ireland, Treacy discussed developing the screenplay for the short film Where We Left Off with O’Driscoll, who also appears in the cast.
At the time of that interview, the short film was undergoing post-production, with a potential festival run discussed for 2027. Those plans were prospective rather than confirmation of a completed public release.
A September 2026 Screen International profile additionally connected O’Driscoll with planned leading roles in the Irish features Saint’s Island and Covenant. The projects were described as future work, without established commercial release dates.
His next confirmed screen appearance will depend on those productions’ eventual schedules. For now, his documented career includes award-winning short filmmaking, a growing list of television and film roles, a 2026 Dublin theatre production and continued work as a screenwriter.
