Irish actor Glenn Quinn was born on May 28, 1970 in Dublin, Ireland. As a teenager, he played drums for a local band, and also participated in several stage productions. After attending Clonkeen College, he moved with his family to Long Beach, California, where he worked several odd jobs before deciding to pursue an acting career. His early screen credits include television commercials for Pepsi and Ray-Ban, the music video for Richard Marx’s song “Satisfied,” and a small non-speaking role in Beverly Hills 90210. His first speaking role was in the short-lived series The Outsiders, where he was a guest.
Quinn later started getting most visible acting roles. His first major film role was in the 1991 film Shout, where he co-starred with John Travolta and Gwyneth Paltrow. In 1990, he joined the cast of the comedy Roseanne, where he played “rebel without a cause”-type character Mark Healy, who later dated and married Becky Conner (initially Lecy Goranson and later Sarah Chalke). He held the role until the series concluded in 1997. In 1992, he joined the cast of the short-lived series Covington Cross, where he played free-spirited Cedric Grey. His last regular television role was in the television series Angel, where he played Allen Francis Doyle, the Irish anti-hero who is the original bearer of visions from The Powers That Be. His character was killed off at the end of the first season.
Quinn also had roles in shows such as Bagdad Caf?, Jesse and the television movie At Any Cost. His other films include Dr. Giggles, Live Nude Girls, Some Girl and R.S.V.P. However, his body was found dead at a friend’s home in North Hollywood, California on December 3, 2002; authorities suspect the death was caused by a heroin overdose. As a tribute, archive footage of him was used on two later episodes of Angel.