Bríd Brennan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bríd Brennan
Brennan at diff 2025
Born	1955 (age 69–70) Northern Ireland, Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present

Bríd Brennan (born 1955) is a talented Irish actress. She is famous for her work in movies, TV shows, and plays. Bríd won a special award called the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play in 1992. This was for her role as Agnes in the play Dancing at Lughnasa. She has also been nominated three times for another big award, the Olivier Award. These nominations were for her roles in Rutherford and Son (1995), The Little Foxes (2002), and The Ferryman (2018).

Bríd Brennan has appeared in several films, including Maeve (1981) and Anne Devlin (1984). She also starred in Mike Leigh's Four Days in July (1985). In 1998, she played Agnes again in the movie version of Dancing at Lughnasa, acting alongside the famous Meryl Streep. On TV, you might have seen her in shows like Cracker: Brotherly Love (1995), South Riding (2011), and The Escape Artist (2013).

Becoming an Actress

Starting Out in Theatre

Bríd Brennan began her acting journey in Dublin, Ireland. She performed in many well-known theatres there. These included the Gate Theatre, the Abbey Theatre, and the Gaiety Theatre. She also toured with a group called Moving Theatre, performing in community centers.

Famous Theatre Roles

One of Bríd's most famous roles was Agnes Mundy in Brian Friel's play Dancing at Lughnasa. She first played this character in 1990. She performed the role in Dublin, London's West End, and on Broadway in New York. Her performance earned her the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play.

In 1994, Bríd played Janet in Rutherford and Son at the National Theatre. This role led to her first Olivier Award nomination. Later, from 1996 to 1997, she took on the lead role of Lady Macbeth in the Royal Shakespeare Company's tour of Macbeth.

In 1999, Bríd appeared in Juno and the Paycock at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin. She acted alongside Michael Gambon, whom she had worked with before in the Dancing at Lughnasa movie. In 2002, she received another Olivier Award nomination for her role in The Little Foxes. In 2006, she starred as Sister Aloysius in Doubt at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

In 2014, Bríd was cast as Kate Keller in Arthur Miller's play All My Sons. She performed this role at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park. In 2017, she appeared in The Ferryman at the Royal Court Theatre. This play later moved to the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End.

Working in TV and Film

Early TV and Film Roles

Bríd Brennan acted in a BBC series called Play for Today from 1982 to 1984. These were known as the Billy trilogy of plays. She worked with other actors from Belfast, like Sir Kenneth Branagh and James Ellis. In 1984, she played Collette in the TV film Four Days in July, which was about the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

On October 31, 1992, Bríd starred in BBC1's Halloween drama Ghostwatch. She played Pamela Early, a mother experiencing strange events in her house. This show was made to look like a live TV broadcast. It caused a lot of discussion in the UK because many viewers thought it was real. About 11 million people watched it, which made Bríd very well known.

In 1995, Bríd was a guest star in the British TV series Cracker. She played a character in the episode "Brotherly Love." She later worked with her co-star from that episode, Lorcan Cranitch, in the movie Dancing at Lughnasa.

Later Film and TV Success

Bríd played Agnes again in the 1998 film Dancing at Lughnasa, which also starred Meryl Streep. For this role, Bríd won an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress.

In 2010, Bríd appeared in two TV shows with David Tennant: Doctor Who and The Escape Artist.

In 2012, Bríd gave an amazing performance in the movie Shadow Dancer. She won an IFTA for her role as Ma. The director, James Marsh, said that Bríd's experience growing up in West Belfast during the Troubles was very helpful. He felt that Irish actors understood that world better than he did.

Bríd also performed on RTÉ Radio 1 in 2009. She played Lucia Joyce in Thomas Kilroy's play In the Garden of the Asylum. In 2021, she appeared in the Irish-language crime thriller Doineann. She also had a main role in the TV series Hope Street from 2021 to 2024.

Awards and Nominations

Bríd Brennan has received many awards and nominations for her acting:

• 1992 – Won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for Dancing at Lughnasa.
• 1992 – Won the Drama Desk Award for Ensemble Performance for Dancing at Lughnasa.
• 1992 – Won the Theatre World Special Award for Ensemble Performance for Dancing at Lughnasa.
• 1995 – Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Rutherford and Son.
• 1999 – Won an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Actress for Dancing at Lughnasa.
• 2002 – Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Little Foxes.
• 2012 – Won an award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for Best Performance in a British Feature Film for Shadow Dancer (shared with Andrea Riseborough).
• 2013 – Won an Irish Film & Television Award for Best Supporting Actress Film for Shadow Dancer.
• 2018 – Nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Ferryman.
• 2024 – Won the Best Actress Award at the Indie Shorts Awards Cannes for Room Taken, an Irish short film.