Gentle Giant

Patrick Bergin’s onscreen personas are the polar opposite of who he is in person. Andrea Smith talks to the Dublin actor about his origins, his great love and poetry

With its powerful themes of coercive control and domestic violence, the 1991 film, Sleeping with the Enemy, produced one of the most menacing characters ever seen on screen in the form of wife-abuser Martin Burney.

Fans of the psychological thriller may be surprised to learn that the humble environs of the Star Cinema in Crumlin provided the genesis of the character played to such chilling effect by actor Patrick Bergin.

Bergin grew up in nearby Drimnagh, and after seeing the 1953 film, The Fiend Who Walked the West, at the suburban Dublin cinema, the tale of the psychotic ex-convict terrorising his former cellmate had a lasting impact on his teenage mind.

“The intensity of the film blew me away, and when I was doing Sleeping with the Enemy, I somehow harnessed that intensity into my performance,” he tells Woman’s Way, speaking from his castle near Cloughjordan where he is “happily ensconced” with his partner, Helen Goldin.

The genial Bergin bears no resemblance in real life to the obsessive, controlling personality that made him world-famous, nor indeed to the cool IRA assassin Kevin O'Donnell in Patriot Games or the villainous Aidan Maguire in the BBC soap EastEnders.

He may have a penchant for playing terrifying baddies, but Bergin comes across as humble and self-effacing in person with a mischievous streak in evidence. 

He enjoys recounting the tale of how the Star was known as the “Rats” by local wags, because it was the cinema’s name spelled backwards. “There were some rodent-like creatures who went there as well,” he jokes, “and there would be rows and fights outside.” 

Bergin turned 70 earlier this year, and it was on his 66th birthday that he fell in love with his beloved Helen. They originally met 20 years earlier when he and director Ronan O’Leary had lunch at Helen’s home, as they were seeking guidance on a script about hypnotism from her husband, the hypnotist and behavioural psychologist, Paul Goldin.

Helen and Ronan remained friends, and he mentioned to her five years ago that Patrick was back in town as he had a role in the Virgin Media drama, Red Rock.

“I told him to give Patrick my number so we could have a coffee,” says Helen, who was widowed in 2008 when Paul passed away and is mum to the well-known beauty entrepreneur, Katie-Jane Goldin.

Ronan passed the number on and Patrick invited Helen along to the Olympia with his pals to see mentalist Keith Barry’s show. While Keith was working his tricks on stage, magic of a different kind was blossoming between Helen and Patrick. 

Patrick with Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy.

“I think it was destiny,” Helen says. “I’d been on my own for nine years at that stage and it was as if we were meant to be together. We are very comfortable with one another and have great fun together.” 

Four-and-a half years into the relationship, it’s clear that Patrick has completely fallen under Helen’s spell. “She’s an all-round beautiful, intelligent, gorgeous human being,” he says, “and she can be quite nicely bossy at times.” 

Patrick is divorced from his first wife, Paula Frazier, and they have a grown-up daughter Tia who lives in England. Becoming a dad was an important part of his life and a “wonderful experience,” and while the break-up of the marriage was, of course, difficult, “one gets through it,” he shrugs.

Another difficulty he got through was alcohol addiction, and he has spoken openly about being in recovery for several years.

Patrick and Helen spend as much time as possible at his home on the Tipperary/Offaly border, Emmel Castle, although they loved to travel pre-Covid. 

The pandemic gave Patrick an opportunity to be still for a while as various filming projects were postponed. While boats have famously been lost in the Bermuda Triangle, he has spent years “disappearing” between his homes in LA, London and Ireland  - which he fondly refers to as the “Bergin Triangle.”

Family is very important to him, and he has four siblings, one of whom is Emmet Bergin, aka Glenroe’s Dick Moran. Their mum, Nora, was catering manager of Butlin’s holiday camp in Mosney, where Patrick had a summer job collecting dirty dishes in the dining room. She also worked in the Green Room at the Gaiety Theatre.

“She was the first woman in Ireland to be given a mortgage,” Patrick recalls with pride.

His dad was Labour senator, Paddy Bergin, and the family lived in the basement of the party headquarters on Earlsfort Terrace until Patrick was six. Then they moved to a corporation house in Drimnagh.

Young Patrick was a very talented footballer who played for various local teams, and he recalls being in the running to be goalkeeper for the Irish team at one point. He was also very creative and interested in poetry, music and acting.

After leaving school, he went to London and worked in a library, and also busked on the streets of London and Paris. As part of his eclectic career path, he completed a degree in education and helped to set up a school for children who needed encouragement.

He formed a theatre group and went on to become an actor and has now appeared in over 100 films that took him all over the world. “I’ve been up in the Arctic and I’ve lived in an igloo with the Inuits,” he recalls, when asked about the highlights of his career. “I’ve also been with the Aboriginal Australians and tribes in Namibia, Kenya and Uganda.” 

Patrick was chosen to play opposite Julia Roberts in Sleeping with the Enemy on the strength of his 1990 portrayal of explorer Sir Richard Burton in Mountains of the Moon. The latter was his favourite role, and one for which Jack Nicholson said he should have been nominated for an Oscar. 

While some film stars tire of being asked about the roles that made them famous, Bergin is rightly proud of Sleeping with the Enemy. “Dare I say it's a classic,” he says.

His forthcoming roles include a documentary on his dad’s life that will be filmed in Carlow, and the movie Cold Sun, a thriller that is currently in pre-production.

Patrick is supporting the “Poetry in Bloom” initiative, developed by the Powerscourt Estate in partnership with creative writing organisation, Fighting Words. It aims to encourage people aged 7 and over to create stories in the form of poems, lyrics or a spoken-word piece, inspired by the nature they have observed at Powerscourt Gardens and Waterfall.

It’s the perfect initiative for Patrick, as he and Helen adore walking around the beautiful Powerscourt with Kayla the dog. The actor is also deeply enamoured with the written word and has composed poetry and songs of his own.

“There's something about the rhythm and music of poetry that leads to deeper thought and gets people in touch with their emotions, both lighthearted and deep,” he muses.

These days, Patrick also enjoys playing with his band, Patrick Bergin and the Spirit Merchants. They had a top ten hit with “The Knacker” a few years ago, and performed at Croke Park as Pope Francis entered the stadium in 2018, which was an “extraordinary experience.” 

All things considered, Patrick has had quite the colourful life, encompassing acting, football, music, poetry, education and travel. It wasn't all planned, he admits, but then again, he had a special weapon.

“You have to remember that I was a good goalkeeper, so if anything was coming my way that was meant for me, I was able to catch it,” he smiles.

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