Orla Brady facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Orla Brady
Brady at the 2020 Dublin International Film Festival
Born	(1961-03-28) 28 March 1961 (age 64) Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Nick Brandt ​ (m. 2002)​

Orla Brady (born March 28, 1961) is a talented Irish actress. She has starred in many movies and popular TV shows. The Irish Times newspaper even named her one of Ireland's best film actors in 2020.

Orla Brady was born in Dublin, Ireland. She got married in 2002 and now lives in California, USA.

Early Life and Training

Orla Brady was born in Dublin on March 28, 1961. She was the second of four children. Her parents, Catherine and Patrick Brady, once owned a place called Oak Bar in Temple Bar, Dublin.

Orla lived in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, until she was seven. She went to school at a Loreto Convent in Wicklow. Later, she attended an Ursuline Convent in Dublin.

In 1986, Orla began her acting training in Paris, France. She studied at L'École Philippe Gaulier. She also got a spot at Marcel Marceau's École Internationale de Mimodrame de Paris. She said that this time involved "a lot of clowning around." It was then that her own acting style really grew.

Acting Career Highlights

Orla Brady started appearing regularly on television in the 1990s. She has had many important roles in TV shows. These include Star Trek: Picard (2022), Into the Badlands (2016-2019), and Mistresses (2008-2010). She also appeared in Jo (2013), American Odyssey (2015), and Bosch Legacy (2025).

She has also acted in several notable movies. Some of her film work includes The Foreigner (2017) with Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan. She also starred in Rose Plays Julie (2019) and The Price of Desire (2015). Other films are A Love Divided (1999) and Silent Grace (2001).

Orla began her career touring with the Balloonatics Theatre Company. She performed in plays like Hamlet and Finnegans Wake. After studying in Paris, she returned to Dublin. There, she played Adela in House of Bernarda Alba in 1989. She also played Natasha in Three Sisters in 1990. Both plays were at the Gate Theatre.

Later, she moved to London. She played Kate in Brian Friel's play Philadelphia, Here I Come!. This play moved from the King's Head Theatre to the West End. In 1996, Orla performed as Ghislane in Blinded by the Sun. This play was staged at the Royal National Theatre in England.

Since moving to California in 2001, Orla has continued to act. She appeared in Family Law for three years. She played Naoise O'Niell in this CBS series. She also starred as Dr. Jordan in Nip/Tuck, a drama about plastic surgeons. In 2008, she played Claire Stark in Shark.

In 2008, she was in "Firewall," an episode of the BBC series Wallander. She also played Meredith Gates in the British series Hustle. From 2009, Orla played Elizabeth Bishop in the Fox TV series Fringe. Elizabeth was the wife of Walter Bishop.

In 2010, she played Catherine in The Deep with James Nesbitt. She also starred as Katie Dartmouth in Strike Back. In 2012, she was Mrs. Sheringham in the ITV series Eternal Law. She also played Taryn in the Sky One series Sinbad.

In late 2013, she appeared as Countess Vera Rossakoff. This was in The Labours of Hercules, part of Agatha Christie's Poirot. She acted alongside David Suchet. Orla also appeared in the Doctor Who Christmas special in 2013. She played Tasha Lem in The Time of the Doctor. In 2014, she filmed Banished, playing Anne Meredith.

In 2015, Orla played architect Eileen Gray in The Price of Desire. From 2016 to 2019, she had a main role in Into the Badlands. She played Lydia in this martial arts drama. Orla also had a recurring role in American Horror Story: 1984. She played Dr. Hopple in this horror TV series.

Since 2020, Orla Brady has had a recurring role in Star Trek: Picard. She plays Laris, a former member of the Romulan Tal Shiar. Laris now works at Picard's home and helps with wine production.

Awards and Recognition

Orla Brady won the Best Actress award in 1999. This was at the Monte Carlo International Film and Television Festival. She won for her role as Sheila Cloney in A Love Divided.

In 2020, The Irish Times newspaper listed Orla as number 43. This was on their list of Ireland's 50 best film actors. She has also been nominated several times for best actress by the Irish Film and Television Academy.

Orla Brady and Famous Artwork

In the 1980s, when Orla was in her mid-20s, she modeled for an artists' guide. She was paid about £50 for a day's work. This was helpful as her acting career was just starting. She posed in different dancing positions. These pictures were later published in the Illustrator's Figure Reference Manual.

More than 25 years later, people noticed something interesting. One of Orla's poses from the manual looked like the main figures in a famous painting. This painting was The Singing Butler by artist Jack Vettriano. Vettriano himself said that Orla's image "inspired [his] most famous painting."

This discovery led to news reports. They said that Vettriano's painting was partly based on that publication. Vettriano, his agent, and Orla Brady all agreed. They said that using the image was a normal part of artistic work. It was also in line with what the book's publisher intended.

Personal Life

In 2001, Orla Brady moved to Los Angeles, USA. There, she met English photographer Nick Brandt. They got married in December 2002 in the Chyulu Hills of Kenya. Orla has said that she left Ireland because she felt there were not many opportunities for women at the time.

Orla Brady in 2015

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Orla Brady para niños