Paul Mescal is an Irish actor. He is known for his leading role in the miniseries Normal People, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

Before starting acting, he was an under-21 Gaelic footballer for County Kildare and a member of Maynooth Football Club. He plays as a defender. His former coach Cian O'Neill described Paul Mescal as "very mature for someone so young. Physically, he was very strong. He was an exceptional scorer." Following a jaw injury, Paul was forced to give up Gaelic football.

In 2017, he graduated with a BA in Acting from The Lir Academy, Trinity College University in Dublin.

In 2019, he began his acting career with an appearance in a pilot episode of the television series 'Bump'.

In 2020, Paul Mescal landed his first leading roles. He plays Connell Waldron in the series 'Normal People' alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones and plays Sean McKeogh in the series 'The Deceived'.

In 2021, Paul Mescal stars in his first feature film, 'The Lost Daughter' by Maggie Gyllenhaal, in the role of an Irish beach attendant working in Greece.

In 2023, he was nominated in the Best Actor category at the Oscars for his leading role in the feature film 'Aftersun' by Charlotte Wells. He landed the lead role in 'Gladiator 2' by Ridley Scott, filming of which is due to begin in June 2023.