Cillian Murphy, born on 25 May 1976, is an Irish actor and film producer. He has worked in both theatre and film, and has won an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award.
Murphy started his professional career in 1996 with Enda Walsh’s play Disco Pigs, and later played the same role in the 2001 film version. Some of his early movies include 28 Days Later (2002), Intermission (2003), Red Eye (2005), The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), and Sunshine (2007). In Breakfast on Pluto (2005), he played a transgender Irish woman, earning his first Golden Globe nomination.
Murphy started working with director Christopher Nolan in 2005, playing the Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2012). He also appeared in Nolan’s films Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017). He became even more well-known for playing Tommy Shelby in the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2013–2022) and for starring in A Quiet Place Part II (2020). In 2023, he played J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a role that won him both the BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Actor.
Profile Summary
| Date of Birth | 25 May 1976 (age 50) |
| Place of Birth | Douglas, Cork, Republic of Ireland |
| Occupations | Actor; Producer |
| Years Active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | Yvonne McGuinness (m. 2004) |
Age
Cillian was born on 25 May 1976 in Douglas, Cork, Ireland. He is 50 years old.
Early Life and Education
Murphy (second from right) with Tim Smyth, Eoin O’Sullivan and Maria-Theresa Grandfield in 1992
Murphy was born on 25 May 1976 in Douglas, Cork. His mother was a French teacher and his father, Brendan, worked for the Department of Education. Many of his relatives, including his grandfather, aunts, and uncles, were also teachers. He grew up in Ballintemple, Cork, with his younger brother Páidi and his sisters Sile and Orla. He began writing and performing songs when he was 10.
Murphy grew up Catholic and went to Presentation Brothers College, a private Catholic secondary school. He did well in his studies but often got into trouble and was sometimes suspended. By his fourth year, he decided it was not worth it to misbehave. He was not interested in sports, which were a big part of the school, and felt that the arts were overlooked there.
Murphy first performed in secondary school during a drama module led by Pat Kiernan from Corcadorca Theatre Company. He later said the experience gave him a “huge high” and made him feel “fully alive,” which inspired him to keep performing. His English teacher, novelist William Wall, encouraged him to act, but Murphy wanted to be a rock star. In his late teens and early twenties, he sang and played guitar in several bands with his brother Páidi. Their most successful band was The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, named after a Frank Zappa song. Murphy said the band “specialised in wacky lyrics and endless guitar solos”.
More…
Acid Jazz Records offered them a five-album deal, but they turned it down because Páidi was still in school and they did not like the small payment for giving up the rights to Murphy’s songs. Murphy later said, “I’m very glad in retrospect that we didn’t sign because you kind of sign away your life to a label and the whole of your music.”
Murphy started studying law at University College Cork (UCC) in 1996, but he failed his first-year exams because he “had no ambitions to do it.” He was busy with his band and quickly realized he did not want to be a lawyer. After watching Corcadorca’s stage production of A Clockwork Orange, directed by Kiernan, he became interested in acting. His first major role was in the UCC Drama Society’s production of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, which featured Irish-American comedian Des Bishop. Murphy also played the lead in Little Shop of Horrors at the Cork Opera House. He later said that at the time, he was more interested in going to parties and meeting women than starting an acting career.
Actor Highlights
- Peaky Blinders: Murphy played the well-known, sharp-dressed anti-hero Thomas Shelby. This role earned him a huge international fanbase and many awards while the show aired from 2013 to 2022.
- Christopher Nolan Collaborations: Murphy often worked with the well-known director, appearing in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and Dunkirk. His role in Oppenheimer was a major moment in his career and won him the Oscar for Best Actor.
- Early Breakout: Murphy first became known internationally for his role in the 2002 post-apocalyptic film 28 Days Later.
Activism
Murphy took part in the 2007 Rock the Vote Ireland campaign to encourage young people to vote in the general election. He also campaigned for homeless rights with Focus Ireland. In 2011, he became a patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the University of Galway and worked closely with Professor Pat Dolan, its co-founder. In February 2012, he sent a message of support to the Vita Cortex workers during their sit-in, praising them for “highlighting what is hugely important to us all as a nation”. Murphy supported the 2018 Irish referendum to repeal the eighth amendment, appearing on The Blindboy Podcast to encourage men to support women and vote yes.
Personal life
In 2004, Murphy married Yvonne McGuinness, his longtime girlfriend whom he met at one of his band’s shows in 1996. They lived in Dublin until 2001, then moved to London so Yvonne could study at the Royal College of Art. After 14 years, they returned to Dublin in 2015. The couple has two sons, born in 2005 and 2007.
Murphy grew up Catholic. He said he was almost agnostic until he played a physicist and astronaut in the 2007 film Sunshine, which led him to become more atheist. In 2019, he said that his Catholic upbringing still influenced his sense of right and wrong.
Murphy was a vegetarian for about 15 years, saying it was because he was “worried about getting mad cow disease” rather than for moral reasons. He also disliked unhealthy farming practices. He started eating meat again to gain weight for his role in Peaky Blinders. In a 2022 interview, he said he had gone back to being a vegetarian, and in 2026, he clarified that he has “always been pescatarian” and “doesn’t eat any meat”.
