Sinéad Cusack facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sinéad Cusack
Cusack in 2021
Born	Jane Moira Cusack (1948-02-18) 18 February 1948 (age 77) Dalkey, Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1967–present
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Irons ​ (m. 1978)​
Children	3, including Max Irons and Richard Boyd Barrett
Parent(s)	Cyril Cusack Maureen Cusack
Relatives	Sorcha Cusack (sister) Niamh Cusack (sister) Pádraig Cusack (brother) Catherine Cusack (paternal half-sister) Calam Lynch (nephew)

Sinéad Moira Cusack (/ʃɪˈneɪd/ SHIN-ayd; born 18 February 1948) is a famous Irish actress. She started her acting career at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1969, she moved to London to join the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Sinéad Cusack has won several awards for her acting. These include the Critics' Circle and Evening Standard Awards for her role in Our Lady of Sligo. She has also been nominated for two Tony Awards and five Olivier Awards. In 2020, she was named one of Ireland's greatest film actors by The Irish Times.

Early Life and Family

Sinéad Cusack was born Jane Moira Cusack in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland. Her parents, Maureen Cusack and Cyril Cusack, were both actors. She has three sisters, Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack, and Catherine Cusack, who are also actresses. Her father was born in South Africa.

Acting Career Highlights

Sinéad Cusack has had a long and successful career in both theatre and film.

Theatre Performances

Cusack's first acting jobs were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1975, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in London. She starred in a play called London Assurance.

She won an award for her role as Celia in As You Like It. She also received nominations for her performances in The Maid's Tragedy and The Taming of the Shrew.

In 1984, she performed on Broadway in New York with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She played Roxane in Cyrano de Bergerac and Beatrice in William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her role as Beatrice.

Later, she played other important roles with the RSC. These included Portia in The Merchant of Venice and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth.

In 1990, Sinéad Cusack acted with her sisters, Niamh and Sorcha, and her father, Cyril, in The Three Sisters. This play was performed in Dublin and London. The three sisters won an award for their performances.

One of her most famous stage roles was Mai O'Hara in Our Lady of Sligo in 1998. She performed this play in Ireland, on Broadway, and at the Royal National Theatre. For this role, she won the Evening Standard Theatre Award and the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress.

In 2006 and 2007, she starred with Rufus Sewell in Tom Stoppard's play Rock 'n' Roll. This play was shown in London and on Broadway. She received another Olivier Award nomination and her second Tony Award nomination for this role.

In 2015, Cusack returned to the Abbey Theatre in Ireland. She acted in a new play called Our Few And Evil Days. She won the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actress for her performance.

Film and Television Roles

Sinéad Cusack has appeared in many films and TV shows. She starred with Peter Sellers in the film Hoffman (1970). She also appeared in a TV series called The Persuaders! (1971).

She has acted alongside her husband, Jeremy Irons, in several films. These include Waterland (1992) and Stealing Beauty (1996).

Other notable films include V for Vendetta (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007). She won an IFTA Award for her role in The Sea (2013). She was also nominated for an IFTA Award for Queen and Country (2014).

On television, she had lead roles in Oliver's Travels (1995) and Have Your Cake And Eat It (1997). She also starred in the BBC mini-series North and South (2004). She appeared in the TV series Camelot (2011) and Marcella (2016).

Personal Life

Sinéad Cusack married British actor Jeremy Irons in 1978. They have two sons, Samuel James and Maximilian Paul. Max Irons is also an actor.

Sinéad Cusack has another son, Richard Boyd Barrett, whom she reunited with later in life. Richard Boyd Barrett is a politician in Ireland. Sinéad Cusack supported him during his election campaigns.

Cusack supports human rights and democracy. She is a patron of the Burma Campaign UK. She also signed a pledge by Irish artists to support the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Sinéad Cusack has won many awards and received nominations for her acting.

See also

Learn more about Sinéad Cusack!

In Spanish: Sinéad Cusack para niños