John Kavanagh
Acting
Born: 1946-01-01 in Dublin, Ireland
Biography
John Kavanagh (born 1946, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish character actor who was a member of the Abbey Theatre company for ten years (1967–1977) before going freelance. He has worked in over 20 films and numerous TV series since 1970. His film credits include Braveheart (1995), The Butcher Boy (1997), Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), Florence Foster Jenkins (2016), and The Last Duel (2021). On television he is best known for playing The Seer / Pope Leo IV in Vikings (2013–2020) and Vikings: Valhalla (2022–2024), and Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio in The Tudors (2007–2008). He received a Drama Desk Award nomination (1989) for Juno and the Paycock. He is also a singer, having played the lead in the Irish stage production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris in the 1970s. No other personal details are publicly confirmed.
Known For
Braveheart
Craig
Vikings
Pope Leo IV
Vikings
The Seer (voice)
Vikings
The Seer
The Last Duel
Le Gris' Priest
Alexander
Parmenion
Florence Foster Jenkins
Arturo Toscanini
The Black Dahlia
Emmett Linscott
Vikings: Valhalla
The Seer
The Tudors
Cardinal Campeggio
The Tudors
Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio
In Secret
Inspector Michaud
The Storyteller
Beggar
The Invisible Woman
Reverend Benham
The Butcher Boy
Dr. Boyd
The Stag
Fionan and Little Kevin's Dad
Closing the Ring
Reverend Smith
Riverdance: The Animated Adventure
Gatekeeper (voice)
Circle of Friends
Brian Mahon
Into the West
Hartnett
Lovejoy
Hennessey
Dancing at Lughnasa
Father Carlin
Baltimore
Sir Alfred Beit
Some Mother's Son
Cardinal
Cal
Skeffington
Scarlett
Jamie O'Hara
Supervized
Windsor
Sharpe
Father Curtis
Sharpe's Sword
Father Patrick Curtis
The McKenzie Break
Titanic: Blood and Steel
Edward Carson
The Tiger's Tail
Harry
Bellman and True
Donkey
Widows' Peak
Canon Murtagh
Vikings: Athelstan's Journal
The Seer (archive footage)
Vikings: Athelstan's Journal
The Seer
The Informant
IRA Chief
Pete's Meteor
Sergeant Maloney
The Runway
Mystics
Gerry the Barman