Murphy (second from right) with Tim Smyth, Eoin O'Sullivan and Maria-Theresa Grandfield in 1992
Murphy was born on 25 May 1976[2] inDouglas, Cork. His mother taught French while his father, Brendan, worked for theDepartment of Education.[3] His grandfather, aunts, and uncles were also teachers. He was raised inBallintemple, Cork, alongside his younger brother Páidi and younger sisters Sile and Orla.[4][5] He started writing and performing songs at the age of 10.[6]
Murphy was raisedCatholic and attended the fee-paying Catholic secondary schoolPresentation Brothers College, where he did well academically but often got into trouble, sometimes being suspended; he decided in his fourth year that misbehaving was not worth the hassle.[3] Not keen on sports, which was a major part of the school's curriculum, he found that artistic pursuits were neglected at the school.[4]
Murphy got his first taste of performing in secondary school when he participated in a drama module presented byCorcadorca Theatre Company director Pat Kiernan. He later described the experience as a "huge high" and a "fully alive" feeling that he then set out to chase.[7] NovelistWilliam Wall, who was his English teacher, encouraged him to pursue acting but he was set on becoming a rock star.[8] In his late teens and early 20s, he sang and played the guitar in several bands alongside his brother, Páidi, and theBeatles-obsessed duo named their most successful band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, which they adopted from theFrank Zappa songof the same name. He later said the band "specialised in wacky lyrics and endless guitar solos". They were offered a five-album deal byAcid Jazz Records, which they rejected because Páidi was still in school and the duo did not agree with the small amount of money they would get for giving the record label the rights to Murphy's compositions.[7][9] Murphy later confessed, "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."[10]
Murphy began studying law atUniversity College Cork (UCC) in 1996 but failed his first-year exams because he "had no ambitions to do it".[7] Not only was he busy with his band, but he knew within days after starting at UCC that he did not want to practise law.[6] After seeing Corcadorca's stage production ofA Clockwork Orange, directed by Kiernan, he began directing his attention to acting.[7] His first major role was in the UCC Drama Society's amateur production ofObserve the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, which starred Irish-American comedianDes Bishop. Murphy also played the lead in their production ofLittle Shop of Horrors, which was performed in theCork Opera House. He later admitted that his primary motivation at the time was not to pursue an acting career, but to go to parties and meet women.[6]
Career
1996–2002: Theatre work and early roles
Murphy pressured Pat Kiernan until he got an audition atCorcadorca Theatre Company, and in September 1996, he made his professional acting debut on the stage, playing the part of a volatile Cork teenager inEnda Walsh'sDisco Pigs.[7] Walsh recalled meeting and discovering Murphy: "There was something about him – he was incredibly enigmatic and he would walk into a room with real presence and you'd go, "My God". It had nothing to do with those bloody eyes that everyone's going on about all the time."[11] Murphy observed, "I was unbelievably cocky and had nothing to lose, and it suited the part, I suppose".[12] Originally intended to run for three weeks in Cork,[7]Disco Pigs ended up touring throughout Europe, Canada and Australia for two years, and Murphy left both university[3] and his band.[8] Though he had intended to go back to playing music, he secured representation after his first agent caught a performance ofDisco Pigs, and his acting career began to take off.[13]
He starred in many other theatre productions, includingShakespeare'sMuch Ado About Nothing (1998),The Country Boy, andJuno and the Paycock (both 1999).[14] He began appearing in independent films such asOn the Edge (2001), and inshort films, includingFilleann an Feall (2000) andWatchmen (2001).[15] He also reprised his role for the film adaption ofDisco Pigs (2001) and appeared in theBBC television mini-series adaptation ofThe Way We Live Now.[13][16][17] During this period, he moved from Cork, relocating first toDublin for a few years, then to London in 2001.[18] In 2002, Murphy starred as Adam in a theatre production ofNeil LaBute'sThe Shape of Things at theGate Theatre in Dublin. Writing forThe Irish Times, Fintan O'Toole praised Murphy's performance, "Murphy measures out his metamorphosis with an impressive subtlety and intelligence".[19]
2002–2004:28 Days Later and breakthrough
Murphy was cast in the lead role inDanny Boyle's horror film28 Days Later (2002). He portrayedpandemic survivorJim, who is "perplexed to find himself alone in the desolate, post-apocalyptic world" after waking from a coma in a London hospital.[20] Casting director Gail Stevens suggested that Boyle audition Murphy for the role, having been impressed with his performance inDisco Pigs. Stevens stated that it was only after seeing his slender physique during filming that they decided to feature him fully nude at the beginning of the film.[21][22] She recalled that Murphy was shy on set with the tendency to look slightly away from the camera, but enthused that he had a "dreamy, slightly de-energised, floating quality that is fantastic for the film". Released in the UK in late 2002, by the following July,28 Days Later had become asleeper hit in North America, and success worldwide, putting Murphy in front of a mass audience for the first time.[23][24] His performance earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer at the8th Empire Awards, and Breakthrough Male Performance at the2004 MTV Movie Awards.[25][26] Murphy professed that he considered the film to be much deeper than a zombie or horror film, expressing surprise at the film's success, and that American audiences responded well to its content and violence.[27] Murphy said, "The film did so well. And you watch zombie stuff [now], we were the first people to make zombies run, and [that] changed everything. It has a very special place in my heart, that movie."[28]
In 2003, Murphy played the role of Konstantine in a stage production ofChekhov'sThe Seagull at theEdinburgh International Festival. He said that he wanted to play Konstantine because the character "goes on this amazing journey through the play [...] he comes to realise there's no point being an iconoclastic writer just for the sake of it, and that the search for new forms has to have something behind it".[29]
Murphy starred as a lovelorn, hapless supermarket stocker who plots a bank heist withColin Farrell inIntermission (2003), which became the highest-grossing Irish independent film in Irish box office history (untilThe Wind That Shakes the Barley broke the record in 2006).[30] Reflecting on his roles in28 Days Later and the "sad-sack Dublin shelf-stacker" inIntermission, Sarah Lyall of theInternational Herald Tribune stated that Murphy brought "fluent ease to the roles he takes on, a graceful and wholly believable intensity. His delicate good looks have, as much as his acting prowess, caused people to mark him as Ireland's nextColin Farrell, albeit one who seems less likely to be caught tomcatting around or brawling drunkenly at premieres."[31] He had a minor supporting role in the successful Hollywood period dramaCold Mountain (2003). He portrayed a deserting soldier who shares a grim scene withJude Law's character, and was on location in Romania for only a week. Murphy stated that it was a "massive production", remarking that directorAnthony Minghella was the calmest director he'd ever met.[27] Murphy also had a role as a butcher inGirl with a Pearl Earring (2003) withScarlett Johansson andColin Firth.[32]
In 2004, Murphy toured Ireland with theDruid Theatre Company, inThe Playboy of the Western World (playing the character of Christy Mahon) under the direction ofGarry Hynes—who had previously directed Murphy back in 1999 in the theatre productions ofJuno and the Paycock—and also inThe Country Boy.[33][34]
Murphy appeared asDr. Jonathan Crane inChristopher Nolan'sBatman Begins (2005). Originally asked to audition for the role ofBruce Wayne/Batman, Murphy never saw himself as having the right physique for the superhero, but leapt at the chance to connect with director Nolan.[18] Though the lead went toChristian Bale, Nolan was so impressed with Murphy that he gave him the supporting role of Dr. Crane, whose alter ego issupervillainScarecrow.[13] Nolan toldSpin magazine, "He has the most extraordinary eyes, and I kept trying to invent excuses for him to take his glasses off in close-ups".[35] He starred as Jackson Rippner, who terrorisesRachel McAdams on an overnight flight inWes Craven's thriller,Red Eye (2005).The New York Times film criticManohla Dargis asserted that Murphy made "a picture-perfect villain" and that his "baby blues look cold enough to freeze water and his wolfish leer suggests its own terrors".[36] The film was favourably reviewed and earned almost $100 million worldwide.[37][38]
Murphy received several awards nominations for his 2005 villainous roles, among them a nomination as Best Villain at the2006 MTV Movie Awards forBatman Begins.[39]Entertainment Weekly ranked him among its 2005 "SummerMVPs", a cover story list of 10 entertainers with outstanding breakthrough performances.[40]The New Yorker'sDavid Denby wrote: "Cillian Murphy, who has angelic looks that can turn sinister, is one of the most elegantly seductive monsters in recent movies."[41]
Murphy starred as Patrick/"Kitten" Braden, atransgender Irish woman in search of her mother, inNeil Jordan's comedy-dramaBreakfast on Pluto (2005), based on the novel of the same title byPatrick McCabe.[8] Seen against the film's kaleidoscopic backdrop of 1970sglitter rock fashion, magic shows,red-light districts andIRA violence, Murphy transforms fromandrogynous teen to a blondedrag queen. He had auditioned for the role in 2001 and, though Jordan liked him for the part, the director ofThe Crying Game was hesitant to revisit transgender and IRA issues. The actor lobbied Jordan for several years in a bid to get the film made before Murphy became too old to play the part; in 2004, he prepared for the role by meeting atransvestite who dressed him and took him clubbing with other transvestites.[8] The role required "serious primping" with eyebrow plucking and chest and leg hair removal,[42] andRoger Ebert noted the way that Murphy played the character with a "bemused and hopeful voice".[43][44] While lukewarm reviews ofBreakfast on Pluto tended to praise Murphy's performance highly,[45] a few critics dissented:The Village Voice, which panned the film, found him "unconvincing" and overly cute.[46] Murphy was nominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy forBreakfast on Pluto[47] and won the fourthIrish Film and Television Academy Best Actor Award.[48]Premiere magazine cited his performance as Kitten in their "The 24 Finest Performances of 2005" feature.[5]
In 2006, Murphy starred inThe Wind That Shakes the Barley, a film about theIrish War of Independence and theIrish Civil War, which won thePalme d'Or at the2006 Cannes Film Festival and became the most successful Irish independent film at the Irish box office.[49] Murphy was especially keen on appearing in the film due to his intimate connections toCork, Ireland, where the film was shot. Murphy auditioned six times for the role of Damien O'Donovan, a young doctor turned revolutionary, before winning the part. Murphy considered it a very special privilege to have been given the role and stated that he was "tremendously proud" of the film, remarking that the "memories run very, very deep – the politics, the divisions and everybody has stories of family members who were caught up in the struggle."[50] David Denby noted Murphy's moments of deep stillness and idiosyncrasies in portraying the character.[51]Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times wrote that "Murphy is especially good at playing the zealotry as well as the soul-searching and the regret, at showing us a man who is eaten up alive because he's forced to act in ways that are contrary to his background and his training".[52]GQ magazine presented Murphy with its 2006 Actor of the Year award for his work inThe Wind That Shakes the Barley.[53]
2006–2012: Further theatre and film roles
Murphy (far left) with the cast ofInception in 2010
Murphy returned to the stage starring oppositeNeve Campbell at theNew Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End from November 2006 to February 2007, playing the lead role of John Kolvenbach's playLove Song.Theatre Record described his character of Beane as a "winsomely cranky" mentally unstable "sentimentalised lonely hero", noting how he magnetically, with "all blue eyes and twitching hands", moves "comically from painfully shy "wallpaper" to garrulous, amorous male".[54]Variety magazine considered his performance to be "as magnetic onstage as onscreen", remarking that his "unhurried puzzlement pulls the slight preciousness in the character's idiot-savant naivete back from the brink".[55]
Murphy made a brief re-appearance as the Scarecrow in Nolan'sThe Dark Knight (2008), the sequel toBatman Begins,[60] before starring inThe Edge of Love—about a love quadrangle involving the poetDylan Thomas—withKeira Knightley,Sienna Miller andMatthew Rhys.[61] In July 2008, Murphy made a debut appearance in another medium—on a postage stamp; the Irish Post Office,An Post, released a series of four stamps paying homage to the creativity of films recently produced in Ireland, including one featuring Murphy in a still fromThe Wind That Shakes the Barley.[62] In 2009, Murphy starred opposite rock singerFeist and actorDavid Fox inThe Water, directed byKevin Drew ofBroken Social Scene. The 15-minute Canadian short film, released online in April 2009, is nearly silent until the Feist song of the same title plays close to the end. Murphy was attracted to the role as a fan of Broken Social Scene and the prospect of making a silent movie, which he considered to be the "hardest test for any actor".[63] Murphy also starred inPerrier's Bounty, a crime dramedy from the makers ofIntermission, in which he portrayed a petty criminal on the run from a gangster played byBrendan Gleeson.[64]
In 2010, he made a return to theatre inFrom Galway to Broadway and back again, which was a stage show that celebrated theDruid Theatre Company's 35th birthday.[65] The direct-to-video psychological thrillerPeacock (2010), co-starringElliot Page,Susan Sarandon andBill Pullman, starred Murphy as a man with a split personality who fools people into believing he is also his own wife. Christian Toto ofThe Washington Times referred to the film as "a handsomely mounted psychological drama with an arresting lead turn by Cillian Murphy", and noted that although Murphy wasn't a stranger to playing in drag, his work in the film set a "new standard for gender-bending performances".[66] Murphy next starred inChristopher Nolan'sInception (2010), playing entrepreneur Robert Fischer, whose mind is infiltrated by DiCaprio's character Cobb to convince him to dissolve his business.[67] That year, Murphy also made an uncreditedcameo as programmer Edward Dillinger Jr., son of originalTron antagonist Ed Dillinger (David Warner) inTron: Legacy.[68]
In 2011, Murphy performed in the stagemonodramaMisterman, written and directed byEnda Walsh, with whom he had previously worked onDisco Pigs. The production was initially staged inGalway and was taken toSt. Ann's Warehouse inBrooklyn, New York. Murphy said of the role, "The live nature of it makes it so dangerous. You're only there because of the goodwill of the audience, and that's compounded by its being a one-man show."[11] His performance earned critical acclaim, garneringIrish Times Theatre Award and aDrama Desk Award.[69][70] Sarah Lyall of theInternational Herald Tribune described Murphy's character Thomas Magill to be a "complicated mixture of sympathetic and not nice at all – deeply wounded, but with a dangerous, skewed moral code", praising his ability to mimic wickedly. Lyall noted Murphy's "unusual ability to create and inhabit creepy yet fascinating characters from the big screen to the small stage in the intense one-man showMisterman", and documented that on one evening the "theatre was flooded, not with applause but with silence", eventually culminating in a standing ovation at his powerful performance.[11] He played the lead in the British horror filmRetreat (2011), which had alimited release. He also appeared in the science fiction filmIn Time (2011), starringJustin Timberlake andAmanda Seyfried, which was poorly reviewed.[71]
Murphy starred inRed Lights (2012) withRobert De Niro andSigourney Weaver. He played Tom Buckley, the assistant to Weaver's character who is a paranormal investigator. Murphy considered working with De Niro to have been one of the most intimidating moments in his career. He remarked: "My first scene when I come to visit him my character is supposed to be terrified and intimidated. There was no acting involved. The man has presence. You can't act presence. I'll never have that. Watching him use it... when you put a camera on it, it just becomes something else."[72] The film was panned by critics and under-performed at the box office.[73][74] Murphy went on to reprise his role as the Scarecrow for the third time inThe Dark Knight Rises (2012),[75] and had a supporting role as Mike in the British independent filmBroken (2012). His performance earned him aBritish Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination.[76]
2013–present:Peaky Blinders andOppenheimer
Murphy at the premiere of the second season ofPeaky Blinders in 2014
Beginning in 2013, Murphy starred asThomas Shelby in the BBC television seriesPeaky Blinders, a series about a criminal gang inBirmingham during the post-World War I period.[77]Jason Statham was initially picked for the role by directorSteven Knight, who met both actors to talk about the role.[78] Knight later said, "Cillian, when you meet him, isn't Tommy, obviously, but I was stupid enough not to understand that".[78] He picked Murphy after receiving a text message from Murphy that read, "Remember, I'm an actor".[78] Murphy toldThe Independent, "[The scripts] were so compelling and confident, and the character was so rich and complex, layered and contradictory. I was like, 'I have to do this.'"[79]Peaky Blinders was praised and received high ratings. A second series began broadcasting on the BBC in October 2014. On 25 August 2019, the first episode of season 5 was broadcast onBBC One. In an interview withDigital Spy,[80] director Anthony Byrne said, "if we did start shooting in January (2021), we wouldn't finish until May or June and then it's another 6 months of editing". Series six premiered on 27 February 2022.[81]
In 2017, Murphy played ashell-shocked army officer who is recovered from a wrecked ship inChristopher Nolan's war filmDunkirk, which emerged as a critical and box-office success.[94][95] He felt that his character, who is nameless and was credited simply as Shivering Soldier, was "representative of something experienced by thousands of soldiers, which is the profound emotional and psychological toll that war can have".[96] Murphy has also played a role in the feature filmAnna as Miller, released in June 2019. His next release,A Quiet Place Part II (2021), stars Murphy as Emmett, a hardened survivor and old family friend of the Abbotts. Murphy's character reluctantly takes in the Abbotts following the events ofthe first film.[97]Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian praised his performance.[98]
Since 2020, Murphy has hostedCillian Murphy's Limited Edition, a limited-run radio series broadcasting onBBC Radio 6 Music in which he draws from his personal music collection and answers "reasonable questions" from listeners. As of 2024, three seasons ofLimited Edition have been produced, totalling 28 episodes.[99][100]
Reserved and private, Murphy professes a lack of interest in the celebrity scene, finding the red carpet experience "a challenge" that he does not "want to overcome".[115] He intentionally practises a lifestyle that will not interest thetabloids, stating, "I haven't created any controversy, I don't sleep around, I don't go and fall down drunk".[4] He prefers not to speak about his life outside of acting and did not appear on any television talk shows until 2010, when he was a guest on Ireland'sLate Late Show to promotePerrier's Bounty, though he still remained reserved.[116][117] Murphy's introverted nature and lack of interest in social media has prompted several fans to creatememes on his detached demeanour in press interviews and junkets.[118][119] In 2017, upon being asked his opinion on the "Disappointed Cillian Murphy" meme, he answered, "What's a meme?".[120][121]
In 2015, Murphy was named one ofGQ's 50 best-dressed men,[122] and in 2024, he was announced as the new face of Italian luxury fashion companyVersace.[123] He is also known to be an unconventionalsex symbol.[124][125]
Activism
Murphy participated in the 2007Rock the Vote Ireland campaign, targeting young voters for the general election,[126] and campaigning for the rights of thehomeless with the organisationFocus Ireland.[127] In 2011, he became a patron of theUNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at theNational University of Ireland Galway. He is closely associated with the work of Professor Pat Dolan, Director of UCFRC and UNESCO Chair in Children, Youth and Civic Engagement. In February 2012, he wrote a message of support to the formerVita Cortex workers involved in a sit-in at their plant, congratulating them for "highlighting [what] is hugely important to us all as a nation".[128][129] Murphy was a supporter of the2018 Irish referendum to repealthe eighth amendment of the constitution that restricted access to abortions, appearing onThe Blindboy Podcast to urge men to support women and vote in favour of the referendum.[130][131][132][133]
Personal life
In 2004, Murphy married his longtime girlfriendYvonne McGuinness, whom he met at one of his rock band's shows in 1996.[134] They lived inDublin until 2001 when they moved to London so his wife could attend theRoyal College of Art. After 14 years, they moved back to Dublin in 2015. They have two sons, born in 2005 and 2007.[135][136]
Murphy was raisedCatholic. He stated that he had been verging onagnosticism until his role as a physicist and astronaut in the 2007 filmSunshine, at which point his views shifted towardsatheism.[137][138] In 2019, he said the Catholic faith still shaped his morality.[139][140]
He was avegetarian for around 15 years, which he said happened because he was "worried about gettingmad cow disease" rather than a moral decision.[141] He also had qualms about unhealthyagribusiness practices.[142] He began eating meat again to bulk up for his role inPeaky Blinders.[141] In a 2022 interview, he said he had returned to vegetarianism.[143]
Murphy's most commercially successful films have been his many collaborations with Nolan, includingOppenheimer,Inception,Batman Begins, andDunkirk.[144] Following the success ofOppenheimer and theBarbenheimer phenomenon, Murphy was named inVariety's list of the most influential figures of 2023 in the entertainment and media industry.[145] Murphy's works also include other critically acclaimed films, such asA Quiet Place II andThe Wind that Shakes the Barley.[144] He has received several accolades over the course of his career, including fourIrish Film & Television Awards,[48][146][147][148] aBAFTA Award, aGolden Globe Award, and anAcademy Award.[107]
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