Sinéad Keenan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sinéad Keenan
Keenan holding an action figure of her Doctor Who character at the Birmingham Memorabilia Convention in 2012
Born	(1977-12-27) 27 December 1977 (age 47) Dublin, Ireland
Alma mater	University College Dublin
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Chris McGill ​ (m. 2012)​
Children	2

Sinéad Keenan (born December 27, 1977) is a talented actress from Ireland. She has acted in many TV shows, movies, and plays. You might know her best as Farrah Phelan from the Irish TV show Fair City. She also played Nina Pickering, a werewolf, in the exciting supernatural drama Being Human on BBC Three. Since 2023, she has been playing DCI Jessica James in the ITV1 crime drama Unforgotten.

Early Life and Education

Sinéad Keenan was born on December 27, 1977, and grew up in Dublin, Ireland. She is the oldest of three children. Her younger brother, Rory, and sister, Gráinne, are also actors.

She went to University College Dublin and earned a degree in sociology and history. When she was a child, Sinéad wanted to be a lawyer. This was because she really loved the American TV show about lawyers called Matlock. But as she got older, she realized she didn't want to be a lawyer. She just wanted to play one on TV!

Acting Career Highlights

Sinéad Keenan's first acting job was in 1999. She played the teenage girlfriend of actor Cillian Murphy in a movie called Sunburn. After that, she joined the Irish soap opera Fair City as the character Farrah Phelan for a year. Sinéad has said she would be happy to return to Fair City someday, perhaps as a different character.

She decided to leave Fair City because she didn't want to only be known for that one role. She then filmed the movie On the Nose with famous actor Robbie Coltrane. Her next TV role was Lisa Cassidy in a short Irish comedy show called The Cassidys.

Sinéad then had guest roles in several TV shows. These included Murder City, Taggart, and Doctors. She also starred in the movie Conspiracy of Silence. After these, she got the role of Kelly Hawkins in ITV's Moving Wallpaper, which ran for two seasons.

Becoming a Werewolf in Being Human

A big role for Sinéad was playing Nina Pickering in Being Human. The show's creator, Toby Whithouse, really liked Sinéad and how well she worked with Russell Tovey, who played her on-screen boyfriend. Because of this, he changed the story to keep Nina's character in the show longer. Nina stayed for the second and third seasons, and Sinéad became a main cast member in the third season.

After her success in Being Human, Sinéad had other guest roles. She appeared in Victoria Wood's Mid Life Christmas, Agatha Christie's Poirot, and Silent Witness. She was also in David Tennant's final episodes of Doctor Who.

Theatre Work and Awards

Throughout her career, Sinéad has also been very active in theatre. She became a member of the famous Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). With them, she played roles like Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Evie in the play The American Pilot. She also starred in The Comedy of Errors.

In March 2018, Sinéad won an important award. She received the Royal Television Society Programme Award for Best Actress. This was for her role as Melanie Jones in the TV show Little Boy Blue. The next month, she was also nominated for a Leading Actress BAFTA TV Award for the same role.

More recently, Sinéad had a main role in the drama Care. This show was on BBC One in December 2018. In April 2021, it was announced that she would star in the two-part BBC One drama Three Families. This show was filmed in Northern Ireland in 2020.

Since 2023, Sinéad Keenan has been starring in series 5 of ITV's crime drama Unforgotten. She plays Detective Chief Inspector Jessica James.

Personal Life

In 2012, Sinéad Keenan married Chris McGill. He is a film and television director and started a company called Dusthouse Productions. Sinéad and Chris have two sons together.

Awards and Nominations