Irish actor Cillian Murphy becomes the first Irish actor to win best actor at the Oscars 2024 for his lead role in Oppenheimer.
Personal Life
Cillian Murphy was born and raised in Douglas, County Cork in 1976. In his late teens and early twenties, he performed in multiple bands alongside his younger brother, Paídi. The most successful band they were a part of was The Son of Mr Green Genes. Murphy performed in this band throughout his time at University College Cork where he studied law. During his time at UCC, he joined the Dramat Society. His first major role was in the play Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme with the society. The production also starred Irish-American comedian Des Bishop. Also when he was in UCC, he played the lead in a production of Little Shop of Horrors which was performed in the Cork Opera House.
In 2004, he married Yvonne McGuiness whom he met at one of his shows in 1996. They have two sons, Malachy born in 2005, and Aran, born in 2007. Both sons made a rare public appearance at the Oscars this year. Murphy goes out of his way to make his life uninteresting to the media and will only talk about his acting career when on talk shows or during interviews. He wants to be known for his acting and not his personal life.
Early Career
His professional acting debut on the stage was in 1996 when he played the part of a volatile Cork teenager in Enda Walsh’s Disco Pigs. Originally the production was meant to run for three weeks in Cork but it toured Europe, Canada, and Australia for two years. Murphy left college and his band to continue being a part of the production. He fully intended to return to music but he secured his first agent who saw a performance of Disco Pigs. His early acting career after Disco Pigs involved parts in theatre like Much Ado About Nothing, independent films like On The Edge, and short films like Watchmen. He reprised his role in Disco Pigs in 2001 for a film version. He relocated to London in 2001.
Murphy was cast in the lead role in Danny Boyle’s horror film 28 Days Later (2002). This movie became a success worldwide and allowed Murphy to be viewed by a worldwide audience for the first time. This role earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer at the 8th Empire Awards. He starred opposite well-known Irish actor Colin Farrell in Intermission (2003), which became the highest-grossing Irish independent film until 2006. In 2004, he toured Ireland playing the part of Christy Mahon in the Playboy of the Western World with the Druid Theatre Company.
Continuing Career
Murphy had a run of villainous roles during the early 2000s. He starred in Christopher Nolan’s movie Batman Begins (2005) as Dr Crane, whose alter ego is the villain Scarecrow. He starred opposite Rachel McAdams in the 2005 thriller, Red Eye where he played the villain, Jackson Rippner. The film earned almost $100 million worldwide. After this, he played a transgender woman Patrick/”Kitten” Braden in Breakfast in Pluto (2005) which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. He won the fourth Irish Film and Television Academy Best Actor Award for his performance.
In 2006, he starred in what became the most successful Irish independent film at the Irish box office. The Wind That Shakes the Barley won a Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. He was in the Sci-Fi film Sunshine (2007), romantic comedy Watching the Detectives (2007), The Dark Night (2008), and The Edge of Love (2008 and in 2009, he starred opposite Brendan Gleeson in Perrier’s Bounty. In 2010, he starred in the psychological thriller Peacock and in director Christopher Nolan’s Inception. He reprised his role as Scarecrow in The Dark Night Rises (2012). From 2013 to 2022, he starred as Thomas Shelby in the hit TV series Peaky Blinders. He gained a cult following for this role and he earned many nominations and wins for this role. He made an appearance in Dunkirk (2017). In 2021, he starred in a Quiet Place Part II.
Oppenheimer: Oscars 2024 Win
Oppenheimer is an award-winning epic biological thriller written, directed, and co-produced by Christopher Nolan. It is based on the life of J Robert Oppenheimer who, along with a team of scientists, spent years building the atomic bomb. Their work came to fruition in July 1945 when they witnessed the first nuclear explosion which forever changed the course of history. The film stars Murphy in the leading role while also starring Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, and Matt Damon. The movie was nominated for a leading thirteen nominations at the Oscars 2024. Murphy received praise from critics, audiences, and cast mates alike.
“Chris had one of the most incredible leads in Cillian,” Florence Pugh added to People. “He is an actor that I have been watching for quite some time and have been desperate to work with for ages. You’d have to be mad to say no. It was truly one of the best experiences that I’ve had.”
Variety/Zack Sharf
Cillian Murphy made history at the recent awards ceremony by becoming the first Irish actor to win the Best Leading Actor at the Oscars 2024. The Irish will be hanging on to this one for years!!
