Mullan is a Scottish actor and director. As an actor, he appeared in about thirty roles (Braveheart, Trainspotting). His most famous role is that of a recovering alcoholic in Ken Loach’s film My Name is Joe (1998). He directed several short films, but attracted the critics’ attention with his two feature films Orphans (1997) and The Magdalene Sisters (2002), which won both the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, along with negative reviews and disapproval from the Vatican.