Bríd Brennan
Brennan atDublin International Film Festival 2025
Born	1955 (age 69–70) Belfast,Northern Ireland[1]
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present

Bríd Brennan (born 1955) is an Irish actress^[2] who is known for her film, TV and theatre work. She originated the role of Agnes in theBrian Friel playDancing at Lughnasa, for which she won the 1992Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.^[3] She is also a three-timeOlivier Award nominee; forRutherford and Son (1995),The Little Foxes (2002) andThe Ferryman (2018).

As well as her roles in the filmsMaeve (1981),Anne Devlin (1984) and Mike Leigh'sFour Days in July (1985), Brennan reprised her role of Agnes in the 1998 film version ofDancing at Lughnasa, starring alongsideMeryl Streep.^[4] Her television credits includeCracker:Brotherly Love (1995),South Riding (2011) andThe Escape Artist (2013).

Beginning her acting career inDublin, Brennan appeared in many of the major theatres including theGate Theatre, theAbbey Theatre and theGaiety Theatre, as well as touring community centres with Moving Theatre.^[5]

Brennan created the role of Agnes Mundy in Brian Friel's playDancing at Lughnasa (1990). She played the role in the original Dublin,West End andBroadway (1992–1992) productions, winning the 1992Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.^[3]

Brennan portrayed the character Janet in theNational Theatre's 1994 production ofRutherford and Son and was subsequently nominated for anOlivier Award the following year.^[6][7] She then went on to play the lead role ofLady Macbeth in theRoyal Shakespeare Company's national tour ofMacbeth in 1996–1997.

In 1999, Brennan played Maisie Madigan in Pearson's production ofJuno and the Paycock at theGaiety Theatre, Dublin, alongside Michael Gambon whom she had previously appeared with in the 1998 film adaptation ofDancing at Lughnasa.^[4][8] In 2002, Brennan was again nominated for an Olivier award for her performance in theDonmar Warehouse's 2001 production ofThe Little Foxes. In 2006, she starred as Sister Aloysius in a production ofDoubt at theAbbey Theatre in Dublin.^[9]

In March 2014 it was announced that she had been cast in the role of Kate Keller inArthur Miller'sAll My Sons, playing at theOpen Air Theatre, Regent's Park in May/June 2014, performing alongsideTom Mannion and Charles Aitken, the latter of whom she had previously performed with inThe Old Vic's 2013 production ofSweet Bird of Youth.^[10]

In April 2017, she appeared inThe Ferryman at theRoyal Court Theatre, ahead of a transfer to theGielgud Theatre in theWest End.^[11]

Brennan acted in the much acclaimed Billy trilogy of plays for the BBCPlay for Today series (1982–1984) with fellow Belfast natives SirKenneth Branagh andJames Ellis. In 1984, Brennan played Collette, one of the main characters inMike Leigh's television filmFour Days in July, based onthe Troubles in Northern Ireland.

On 31 October 1992, Brennan starred in BBC1's Screen One Hallowe'en dramaGhostwatch alongsideMichael Parkinson,Sarah Greene,Mike Smith andCraig Charles. This ghost story, written byStephen Volk, was produced in the style of a live television broadcast from an allegedly haunted house in North London. Brennan appeared as the mother of the house, Pamela Early, who, alongside her two young daughters, was experiencing paranormal events in their house. The drama caused uproar in the UK, with many feeling it was a deliberate hoax, designed to let viewers think it was a real live show and not a drama. However, it did make Brennan become well known, as 11 million people watched it.^[12][13]

Brennan featured as a guest star in the British television seriesCracker in 1995 as a prostitute-hating killer in the episode "Brotherly Love". Coincidentally, she co-starred in this particular episode with fellow Irish actorLorcan Cranitch, with whom she would later co-star inDancing at Lughnasa.^[14]

She reprised her performance of Agnes on screen inNoel Pearson's film adaptation ofDancing at Lughnasa (1998), starringMeryl Streep, for which Brennan won anIrish Film & Television Award for Best Actress.^[15]

In 2010, Brennan appeared in the television showsDoctor Who andThe Escape Artist, both alongsideDavid Tennant.^[16][17]

Brennan gave an award-winning performance in 2012'sShadow Dancer, winning anIFTA for her role as Ma.^[18] According to the directorJames Marsh, the fact that she had grown up in West Belfast during the Troubles was significant as by casting Irish actors "it felt that they knew this world better than I did and I felt they could help me and guide me".^[2]

ForRTÉ Radio 1, Brennan played the role of Lucia Joyce inThomas Kilroy'sIn the Garden of the Asylum in 2009.^[19]

In 2021 she appeared in theIrish-language crime thrillerDoineann, along withPeter Coonan.

• 1992 – Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play forDancing at Lughnasa^[3]
• 1992 – Drama Desk Award for Ensemble Performance forDancing at Lughnasa^[25]
• 1992 – Theatre World Special Award for Ensemble Performance forDancing at Lughnasa^[25]
• 1995 – Nominated forOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role forRutherford and Son^[7]
• 1999 – Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress forDancing at Lughnasa^[15]
• 2002 – Nominated forOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role forThe Little Foxes^[48]
• 2012 – Edinburgh International Film Festival for Best Performance in a British Feature Film forShadow Dancer (shared withAndrea Riseborough)^[49]
• 2013 – Irish Film & Television Award for Best Supporting Actress Film forShadow Dancer^[18]
• 2018 – Nominated forOlivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role forThe Ferryman
• 2024 – Best Actress Award at theIndie Shorts Awards Cannes forRoom Taken an Irish short film directed by Tj O'Grady Peyton.^[50]

• List of Irish actors

• Bríd Brennan atIMDb
• Bríd Brennan at theInternet Broadway Database
• Bríd Brennan at theTCM Movie Database
• Bríd Brennan atRotten Tomatoes
• "Bríd Brennan".Spotlight. 2016.

• 1953 births
• Living people
• 20th-century actresses from Northern Ireland
• 21st-century actresses from Northern Ireland
• Actresses from Belfast
• Expatriates from Northern Ireland in the United States
• Film actresses from Northern Ireland
• People educated at Assumption Grammar School
• Radio actresses from Northern Ireland
• Stage actresses from Northern Ireland
• Television actresses from Northern Ireland
• Tony Award winners

• Articles with short description
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• Use British English from September 2013
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• Use dmy dates from March 2022
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• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Turner Classic Movies person ID same as Wikidata
• TCMDb name template using numeric ID
• Date of birth missing (living people)