Siobhán McKenna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Siobhán McKenna
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McKenna in 1959
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| Born |
Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith
24 May 1922 Belfast, Northern Ireland
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| Died | 16 November 1986 (aged 64) Dublin, Ireland
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1940–1985 |
| Spouse(s) | |
Siobhán McKenna (born May 24, 1922 – died November 16, 1986) was a very talented Irish actress. She performed on both the stage and in movies.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Acting
Siobhán was born in Belfast, which is in Northern Ireland. Her full name was Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith. She grew up speaking fluent Irish in places like Galway and County Monaghan. Her father, Eoghan McKenna, was a math professor at University College, Galway.
When she was still a teenager, Siobhán joined a local Irish-speaking theatre group. She made her very first stage appearance in 1940 at An Taibhdhearc, which is Ireland's national Irish language theatre in Galway.
A Star on Stage and Screen
Siobhán McKenna became famous for her amazing performances at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Many people believe her best role was playing Saint Joan in the play by George Bernard Shaw.
Family Life
While working at the Abbey Theatre in the 1940s, Siobhán met another actor named Denis O'Dea. They got married in 1946. They had one son, Donnacha O'Dea. Donnacha later became a swimmer for Ireland in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He also won a big poker tournament in 1998!
Broadway and Beyond
In 1955, Siobhán took on the role of Miss Madrigal in a play called The Chalk Garden on Broadway in New York City. The next year, she played Saint Joan again at the Phoenix Theatre. A theatre critic named Elliot Norton said her performance was the best he had ever seen of Joan of Arc.
Siobhán's popularity grew so much that she was featured on the cover of Life magazine in September 1956. In 1957, she performed in Canada at the Stratford Festival. She was nominated for a second Tony Award (a very important theatre award) for her role in the 1958 play The Rope Dancers.
Movies and Television
Even though Siobhán loved the stage, she also appeared in several movies and TV shows.
- In 1961, she played the Virgin Mary in the movie King of Kings.
- She also appeared in Of Human Bondage in 1964.
- The next year, she was in the famous movie Doctor Zhivago.
- Later, she played Fortunata in the TV mini-series The Last Days of Pompeii.
In 1979, Siobhán starred in an episode of the British TV series Tales of The Unexpected. She played the main character, "The Landlady," in an episode based on a story by Roald Dahl.
Siobhán McKenna was given the Gold Medal of the Éire Society of Boston. This award recognized her for helping people learn about the amazing cultural achievements of the Irish people.
Later Years and Legacy
Siobhán McKenna's last stage performance was in the 1985 play Bailegangaire. Sadly, she passed away the next year in Dublin, Ireland, at 64 years old, after battling lung cancer. She was buried in Rahoon Cemetery in County Galway. The words on her grave are in the Irish language.
Two years after she died, in 1988, Siobhán was honored by being added to the American Theater Hall of Fame. There is also a theatre named after her in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast, the city where she was born.
Her life's work and memories are kept safe in the Siobhán McKenna Archive at the Hardiman Library, University of Galway.
Images for kids
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Hungry Hill (film).jpg
From the 1947 film Hungry Hill
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Daughter of Darkness (1948 film).jpg
From the 1948 film Daughter of Darkness
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The Lost People (1949 film).jpg
From the 1949 film The Lost People
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The Adventurers (1951 film).jpg
From the 1951 film The Adventurers
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King of Kings (1961 film).jpg
From the 1961 film King of Kings
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The ... of the Western World (film).jpg
From the 1963 film The ... of the Western World
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Of Human Bondage (1964 film).jpg
From the 1964 film Of Human Bondage
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Doctor Zhivago (film).jpg
From the 1965 film Doctor Zhivago
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Philadelphia, Here I Come.jpg
From the 1970 film Philadelphia, Here I Come
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Memed, My Hawk (film).jpg
From the 1984 film Memed, My Hawk
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Producers' Showcase (1956).jpg
From the 1956 TV episode "The Letter"
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Tales of the Unexpected (TV series).jpg
From the 1979 TV episode "The Landlady"
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Tales of the Unexpected (TV series) 2.jpg
From the 1981 TV episode "Vicious Circle"
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The Last Days of Pompeii (miniseries).jpg
From the 1984 mini-series The Last Days of Pompeii
See also
- List of people on the postage stamps of Ireland
