Helen Behan is an Irish actress. Her most notable roles include ''

This Is England '88 ''This Is England '88'' is a 2011 Television in the United Kingdom, British drama miniseries written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne (writer), Jack Thorne as a spin-off from the 2006 film ''This Is England''. It is also a sequel to the 2010 tel ...

'' and '' The Virtues''. Behan was named as one of

Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

's Stars of Tomorrow 2020.

Early life and career

Behan is from Laytown,

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

, Ireland. During her student days in college, Behan attended part-time acting courses at the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

Career

After a chance meeting in a pub,

Shane Meadows Shane Meadows (born 26 December 1972) is an English director, screenwriter and actor, known for his work in independent film, most notably the cult film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its three sequels (2010–2015). Meadows' other films inc ...

invited Behan to audition for a part in the film ''

'', where she landed the role of Evelyn, nurse and later friend to Lol Jenkins (

Vicky McClure Vicky Lee McClure (born 8 May 1983) is an English actress, model and presenter. She is known for her roles as Detective Inspector Kate Fleming in the BBC series ''Line of Duty'' (2012–2021) and Lol Jenkins in Shane Meadows's film '' This Is ...

). In 2019, Behan played the role of Anna, sister of Joseph (

Stephen Graham Stephen Graham (born 3 August 1973) is an English actor and film producer. He began his career in 1990, with early notable roles in '' Snatch'' (2000) and ''Gangs of New York'' (2002), before his breakthrough role as Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne ...

) in '' The Virtues'' for which she received a nomination as Best supporting actress at the 2020 BAFTA TV awards. Behan was named as one of

's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the TV & film industry of Great Britain and Ireland. In 2020, Behan starred in the Cathy Brady directed Irish drama thriller film ''

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

'' alongside Danika McGuigan and Nora-Jane Noone. In 2021, she took on a main role of police psychologist Tory Snow, in the Swedish supernatural psychological thriller series '' The Box'', co-starring

Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charle ...

and

Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Stormare (; Birth name, né Storm, 27 August 1953) is a Swedish actor. He played Prince Hamlet, Hamlet for Ingmar Bergman, Gaear Grimsrud in the film ''Fargo (1996 film), Fargo'' (1996) and List of Prison Break characters#John ...

. in 2022, Behan played the role of Abigail Ross in the ITV miniseries '' Holding'', a four part adaptation of Graham Norton's bestselling novel. In 2023, Behan portrayed Monica Nolan in the Dublin sleuth film ''Barber'' alongside the protagonist played by

Aidan Gillen Aidan Murphy (born 1967 or 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (), is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles as Stuart Alan Jones in ''Queer as Folk (British TV series), Queer as Folk'' (1999–2000); Tommy Carcetti in ''The Wire'' (2004–20 ...

Personal life

Behan is married with four children. Her husband supported her move away from nursing into acting. During the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

outbreak she returned to her previous vocation.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *Helen Behan interview a
Culture Club feature

Today FM Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio Ireland Limited. Broadcasting since 17 March 1997, it broadcasts mostly music, with a daily news and current affairs programme. Today FM holds a licen ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Behan, Helen Living people 21st-century Irish actresses Actors from County Meath Irish television actresses Irish film actresses Year of birth missing (living people)