Гейбриъл Бърн е роден на 12 май, 1950 година в Дъблин, Ирландия.
За разлика от много свои колеги, той никога не е имал намерението да се бори за славата и в младите си години се занимава дълго време с археология, а след това работи и като учител и бикоборец.
Започва да се занимава с актьорска дейност сравнително късно - едва на 29 години, при това в родината си. Осем години по-късно заминава за САЩ, където успява да пробие в Меката на киното - Холивуд.
Първоначално се снима в куп продукции, останали неизвестни за по-голямата част от киноманите и до днес. Още тогава обаче талантът му е забелязан и той не остава без нужните предложения, за да продължи напред. Играе второстепенни образи в куп филми, като например "Лъвско сърце", Опасна жена", "Готика".
Постепенно успява да се наложи в Холивуд и днес има близо 80 участия в различни продукции. За най-успешни сред тях се считат "Малки жени", "Обичайните заподозрени", "Обществен враг", "Панаир на суетата", "Краят на дните" и "Желязната маска".
Женен е 11 години за колежката си - Елън Бъркин, от която има и две деца - син (Джак, 19 годишен) и дъщеря (Роми Марион, 17 годишна). Развежда се официално през 1999 година, макар с Баркин да не живеят като двойка още от 1993 година.
Филмография:
- King of the Pipers (2008) (in production) .... Michael
- The Snow Prince (2008) (in production) (rumored)
- "In Treatment" .... Paul (29 episodes, 2008)
- Paul and Gina: Week Nine (2008) TV episode .... Paul
- Jake and Amy: Week Nine (2008) TV episode .... Paul
- Paul and Gina: Week Eight (2008) TV episode .... Paul
- Jake and Amy: Week Eight (2008) TV episode .... Paul
- Sophie: Week Eight (2008) TV episode .... Paul
(24 more) - Leningrad (2007) .... Phillip Parker
- Emotional Arithmetic (2007) .... Christopher Lewis
... aka Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning (USA: DVD title) - Jindabyne (2006) .... Stewart Kane
- Played (2006) .... Eddie
- Wah-Wah (2005) .... Harry Compton
... aka Wah Wah (International: English title: informal alternative title) - Assault on Precinct 13 (2005) .... Capt. Marcus Duvall
... aka Assaut sur le central 13 (France) - The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004) .... Brother Juniper
... aka Pont du roi Saint-Louis, Le (France)
... aka Puente de San Luis Rey, El (Spain) - P.S. (2004) .... Peter Harrington
- Vanity Fair (2004) .... The Marquess of Steyne
- Patrick (2004) (TV) (voice) .... Patrick
- Shade (2003/I) .... Charlie Miller
- Ghost Ship (2002) .... Captain Sean Murphy
- Emmett's Mark (2002) .... Jack Marlow/Stephen Bracken
... aka Killing Emmett Young (USA: video title) - Spider (2002) .... Bill Cleg
... aka Spider (Canada: French title) - Virginia's Run (2002) .... Ford Lofton
... aka Chevauchée de Virginie, La (Canada: French title) - "Madigan Men" .... Benjamin Madigan (1 episode, 2000)
- Pilot (2000) TV episode .... Benjamin Madigan - When Brendan Met Trudy (2000) .... Special Appearance
- Canone inverso - making love (2000) .... The Violinist
- End of Days (1999) .... The Man / Satan
- Stigmata (1999) .... Father Andrew Kiernan
- Enemy of the State (1998) .... Brill
- Quest for Camelot (1998) (voice) .... Sir Lionel
... aka The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot (International: English title) - The Brylcreem Boys (1998) .... Sean O'Brien
- The Man in the Iron Mask (1998/I) .... D'Artagnan
- Polish Wedding (1998) .... Bolek
- Pirates (1998) .... Narrator
- This Is the Sea (1997) .... Rohan
- Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997) (TV) .... Lionel Powers
- The End of Violence (1997) .... Ray Bering
... aka Am Ende der Gewalt (Germany: informal literal title)
... aka Am.Ende.der.Gew@lt. (Germany) - "Glenroe" .... Pat Barry (1 episode, 1997)
- Miley's New Bullock (1997) TV episode .... Pat Barry - Irish Cinema: Ourselves Alone? (1997) (voice) .... Narrator
- Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997) .... The Mechanic
... aka Fräulein Smillas Gespür für Schnee (Germany)
... aka Fröken Smillas känsla för snö (Sweden)
... aka Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (Denmark)
... aka Smilla's Feeling for Snow (UK) - Somebody Is Waiting (1996) .... Roger Ellis
- The Last of the High Kings (1996) .... Jack Griffin
... aka Summer Fling (USA: video title) - Mad Dog Time (1996) .... Ben London
... aka Trigger Happy (UK) - Dr Hagard's Disease (1996)
- Draiocht (1996) (TV) .... Father
- Frankie Starlight (1995) .... Jack Kelly
- Dead Man (1995) .... Charlie Dickinson
... aka Dead Man (Germany)
... aka Jim Jarmusch's Dead Man (USA) - Buffalo Girls (1995) (TV) .... Teddy Blue
- The Usual Suspects (1995) .... Dean Keaton
... aka Üblichen Verdächtigen, Die (Germany) - Little Women (1994) .... Friedrich Bhaer
- Trial by Jury (1994) .... Daniel Graham
- A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) .... John Newland
- Prince of Jutland (1994) .... Fenge
... aka Amled, prinsen af Jylland (Denmark)
... aka Prinsen af Jylland (Denmark: video title)
... aka Royal Deceit (USA) - All Things Bright and Beautiful (1994) (TV) .... The Good Thief
- A Dangerous Woman (1993) .... Mackey
- Point of No Return (1993) .... Bob
... aka The Assassin (Australia) (International: English title) (UK) (USA: video title)
... aka The Assassin - (Point of No Return) (UK: DVD box title) - Into the West (1992) .... Papa Reilly
- Cool World (1992) .... Jack Deebs
- Haakon Haakonsen (1990) .... Lt. John Merrick
... aka Piratgrottans hemlighet (Sweden)
... aka Shipwrecked (International: English title) - Miller's Crossing (1990) .... Tom Reagan
- Diamond Skulls (1989) .... Lord Hugo Bruckton
... aka Dark Obsession (USA) - A Soldier's Tale (1988) .... Saul
- The Courier (1988) .... Val
- Siesta (1987) .... Augustine
- Hello Again (1987) .... Kevin Scanlon
- Giulia e Giulia (1987) .... Paolo Vinci
... aka Julia and Julia (USA) - Lionheart (1987) .... Black Prince
... aka Lionheart: The Children's Crusade (USA) - Gothic (1986) .... Byron
- "Mussolini: The Untold Story" (1985) (mini) TV mini-series .... Vittorio Mussolini
- "Christopher Columbus" (1985) (mini) TV mini-series .... Cristoforo Colombo
... aka Cristoforo Colombo (Italy) - Defence of the Realm (1985) .... Nicholas 'Nick' Mullen
... aka Defense of the Realm (USA) - Reflections (1984) .... William Masters
- Treatment (1984) (TV)
- "Wagner" (1983) TV series .... Karl Ritter
- The Keep (1983) .... Major Kaempffer
- Hanna K. (1983) .... Joshua Herzog
- The Rocking Horse Winner (1983) .... Bassett
- Joyce in June (1982) (TV) .... Keogh/Blazes Boylan
- "Strangers" .... Johnny Maguire (1 episode, 1981)
- The Flowers of Edinburgh (1981) TV episode .... Johnny Maguire - "The Search for Alexander the Great" (1981) (mini) TV mini-series .... Ptolemy
- Excalibur (1981) .... Uther Pendragon
- "The Riordans" .... Pat Barry (4 episodes, 1978-1979)
- Episode dated 28 May 1979 (1979) TV episode .... Pat Barry
- Journey's End (1979) TV episode .... Pat Barry
- The Homesteaders (1979) TV episode .... Pat Barry
- Dirty Spit and Luck-Penny (1978) TV episode .... Pat Barry - On a Paving Stone Mounted (1978)
... aka Aisling (UK) - "Bracken" (1978) TV series .... Pat Barry