Date of Birth: 21 April 1970 - Dublin, Ireland

theOscarSite Bio: Vocalist and guitarist for Irish rock group The Frames. Hansard quit school at age 13 to begin busking on local Dublin streets. He first came to widespread public attention as guitar player Outspan Foster in the Alan Parker film THE COMMITMENTS (1991).

In 2003, he presented the television programme "Other Voices: Songs from a Room", which showcased Irish music talent on RTÉ.

On April 21, 2006, Hansard released his first solo album, "The Swell Season", on Overcoat Recordings in collaboration with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen from Finland on violin, and Bertrand Galen from France on cello. Hansard also spent part of 2006 in front of the cameras for a music-infused Irish film ONCE, in which he plays a Dublin busker, and Irglová an immigrant street vendor. The film had its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Festival's World Cinema Audience Award. During filming, he and Irglová began dating and are still a couple. Said Hansard about his relationship with Irglová: "I had been falling in love with her for a long time, but I kept telling myself she's just a kid"

Aside from his projects with The Frames and Irglová, Hansard also appeared as part of the band on the 2006 Oxfam charity album, "The Cake Sale". In addition, he has recorded a few cover songs, both alone and with band member "Colm Mac Con Iomaire", for the Today FM discs "Even Better than the Real Thing". Songs that he has recorded include Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" on Vol. 1 and Britney Spears' "Everytime" on Vol. 2.

· Best Achievement in Music - Original Song 2007: "Falling Slowly" from ONCE - Music & Lyric (w. Markéta Irglová)