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Bríd Brennan (born 1955) is an Irish actress who is known for her film, TV and theatre work. She originated the role of Agnes in the Brian Friel play Dancing at Lughnasa, for which she won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. She is also a three-time Olivier Award nominee; for Rutherford and Son (1995), The Little Foxes (2002) and The Ferryman (2018).

As well as her roles in the films Maeve 1982, Anne Devlin 1984 and Mike Leigh's Four days in July 1985, Brennan reprised her role of Agnes in the 1998 film version of Dancing at Lughnasa, starring alongside Meryl Streep. Her television credits include Cracker: Brotherly Love (1995), South Riding (2011) and The Escape Artist (2013).

Career

Early work

Beginning her acting career in Dublin, Brennan appeared in many of the major theatres including the Gate Theatre, the Abbey Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre, as well as touring community centres with Moving Theatre.

Theatre work

Brennan created the role of Agnes Mundy in Brian Friel's play Dancing at Lughnasa (1990). She played the role in the original Dublin, West End and Broadway (1992–1992) productions, winning the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

Brennan portrayed the character Janet in the National Theatre's 1994 production of Rutherford and Son and was subsequently nominated for an Olivier Award the following year. She then went on to play the lead role of Lady Macbeth in the Royal Shakespeare Company's national tour of Macbeth in 1996–1997.

In 1999, Brennan played Maisie Madigan in Pearson's production of Juno and the Paycock at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, alongside Michael Gambon whom she had previously appeared with in the 1998 film adaptation of Dancing at Lughnasa. In 2002, Brennan was again nominated for an Olivier award for her performance in the Donmar Warehouse's 2001 production of The Little Foxes. In 2006, she starred as Sister Aloysius in a production of Doubt at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

In March 2014 it was announced that she had been cast in the role of Kate Keller in Arthur Miller's All My Sons, playing at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in May/June 2014, performing alongside Tom Mannion and Charles Aitken, the latter of whom she had previously performed with in The Old Vic's 2013 production of Sweet Bird of Youth.

In April 2017, she appeared in The Ferryman at the Royal Court Theatre, ahead of a transfer to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End.

Radio, television and film work

Brennan acted in the much acclaimed Billy trilogy of plays for the BBC Play for Today series (1982-84) with fellow Belfast natives Sir Kenneth Branagh and James Ellis. In 1984, Brennan played Collette, one of the main characters in Mike Leigh's television film, Four Days in July, based on the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

On Saturday 31 October 1992, she starred in the infamous BBC One's Screen One Halloween drama Ghostwatch alongside Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene, Mike Smith and Craig Charles. This ghost story, written by Stephen Volk, was produced in the style of a live television broadcast from an alleged haunted house in North London. Brennan appeared as the mother of the house Pamela Early, who along with her two young daughters was experiencing paranormal events in their house. The drama caused uproar in the UK, with many feeling it was a hoax, designed to let the viewers think it was a real, live show and not a drama. However it did make Brennan become well known, as 11 million viewers tuned into "Ghostwatch" on that Halloween night of 1992.

..... Coincidentally, she co-starred in this particular episode with fellow Irish actor Lorcan Cranitch, with whom she would later co-star in Dancing at Lughnasa.

She reprised her performance of Agnes on screen in Noel Pearson's film adaptation of Dancing at Lughnasa (1998), starring Meryl Streep, for which Brennan won an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress.

In 2010, Brennan appeared in the television shows Doctor Who and The Escape Artist, both alongside David Tennant.

Brennan gave an award-winning performance in 2012's Shadow Dancer, winning an IFTA for her role as Ma. According to the director James 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".

For RTÉ Radio 1, Brennan played the role of Lucia Joyce in Thomas Kilroy's In the Garden of the Asylum in 2009.

In 2021 she appeared in the Irish-language crime thriller Doineann, along with Peter Coonan.

Awards

  • 1992 – Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Dancing at Lughnasa
  • 1992 – Drama Desk Award for Ensemble Performance for Dancing at Lughnasa
  • 1992 – Theatre World Special Award for Ensemble Performance for Dancing at Lughnasa
  • 1995 – Nominated for Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Rutherford and Son
  • 1999 – Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress for Dancing at Lughnasa
  • 2002 – Nominated for Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Little Foxes
  • 2012 – Edinburgh International Film Festival for Best Performance in a British Feature Film for Shadow Dancer (shared with Andrea Riseborough)
  • 2013 – Irish Film & Television Award for Best Supporting Actress Film for Shadow Dancer
  • 2018 – Nominated for Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Ferryman

Theatre work

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Winter's Tale Dorcas Abbey Theatre
1990–1992 Dancing at Lughnasa Agnes Abbey Theatre
National Theatre
Plymouth Theatre
1994 Rutherford and Son Janet National Theatre
1996–1997 Macbeth Lady Macbeth Royal Shakespeare Company
1999 Juno and the Paycock Maisie Madigan Gaiety Theatre
2000–2001 La Lupa Pina Royal Shakespeare Company
2001 The Little Foxes Birdie Hubbard Donmar Warehouse
2003 Absolutely! (Perhaps) Cini Wyndham's Theatre
2004 The Dark Janet Donmar Warehouse
2004 Bone Helen Royal Court Theatre
2004–2005 By the Bog of Cats Catwoman Wyndham's Theatre
2005 The Cosmonaut's Last Message to the Woman He Once Loved in the Former Soviet Union Vivienne/Sylvia Donmar Warehouse
2005 Pillars of the Community Marta Bernick National Theatre
2006 Woman and Scarecrow Scarecrow Royal Court Theatre
2006 Doubt Sister Aloysius Beauvier Abbey Theatre
2007 Intemperance Millie Everyman Theatre Liverpool
2008 Brendan at the Chelsea Beatrice Riverside Studios
2008 Bliss Wal-Mart Employee Royal Court Theatre
2008 Dallas Sweetman Mrs Reddan Canterbury Cathedral
2010 Philadelphia, Here I Come! Madge Gaiety Theatre, Dublin
2011 The Veil Mrs Goulding National Theatre
2012 Henry V Chorus/Queen Isabel Shakespeare's Globe
2013 Desolate Heaven Freda/Laoise/Bridie Theatre503
2013 Sweet Bird of Youth Aunt Nonnie The Old Vic
2013 A Particle of Dread (Oedipus Variations) Jocasta/Jocelyn Derry Playhouse
2014 All My Sons Kate Keller Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
2016 All That Fall Mrs. Rooney Wilton's Music Hall
2017 The Ferryman Aunt Maggie Far Away Royal Court Theatre & Gielgud Theatre transfer
2019 Blood Wedding La Vecina The Young Vic

Filmography and television work

Year Title Role Notes
1981 Excalibur Lady in Waiting
1982 Maeve Roisin
1982 The Ballroom of Romance Patty Byrne
1982–1984 The Billy Plays Trilogy on Play for Today Lorna Martin Television series
3 episodes opposite Kenneth Branagh.
1984 Anne Devlin Anne Devlin
1985 Four Days in July Collette
1985 Ursula and Glenys Ursula
1987 Hidden City The Wife  – in B&W film
1987 Lorna Lorna
1989 Screen One Lillian's Nurse Television series
1 episode
1990 Who Bombed Birmingham? Sister of IRA man
1991 4 Play Susan Turnbull Television series
1 episode
1992 Ghostwatch Pamela Early
1992 Tell Tale Hearts Sally McCann Television mini-series
1993 Performance Thea Elvsted Television series
1994 Guinevere Morgan L'Fei
1994 Words Upon the Window Pane Stella
1995 Cracker Maggie Harvey Television series
3 episodes
1996 Trojan Eddie Betty
1996 Saint-Ex Simone de Saint-Exupéry
1998 Dancing at Lughnasa Agnes Mundy
1999 Felicia's Journey Mrs Lysaght
1999 Topsy-Turvy Mad Woman
2002 Sunday Mrs Young
2002 Any Time Now Emily Moggin Television series
4 episodes
2004 The Clinic Sheila McNamara Television series
1 episode
2008 Trial & Retribution Gemma Webster Television series
1 episode
2009 Swansong: Story of Occi Byrne Theresa Byrne
2009 Father & Son Maternity Clinic Doctor Television series
1 episode
2010 Doctor Who The Visionary Television series
1 episode
2010 Little Crackers Sister Mary Bernadette Television series
1 episode
2011 South Riding Miss Sigglesthwaite Television miniseries
2 episodes
2012 Shadow Dancer Ma
2012 Upstairs Downstairs Miss Poulson Television Series
1 episode
2012 Casualty Jane Flynn Television series
1 episode
2013 The Escape Artist Mary Television series
3 episodes
2015 Brooklyn "Nettles" Kelly
2016 Florence Foster Jenkins Kitty
2016–2017 Peaky Blinders Audrey Changretta Television series
2 episodes
2021 Doineann Labhaoise Irish-language
2021–present Hope Street Concepta O’Hare Television series; main role
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