Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ; born 18 February 1948) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Evening Standard'' Awards for her performance in Sebastian Barry's ''Our Lady of Sligo''. Cusack has received two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

nominations: once for Best Leading Actress in ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' (W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. ...

'' (1985), and again for Best Featured Actress in ''

Rock 'n' Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

'' (2008). She has also received five Olivier Award nominations for ''As You Like'' (1981), '' The Maid's Tragedy'' (also 1981), '' The Taming of the Shrew'' (1983), ''Our Lady of Sligo'' (1998) and ''

'' (2007). In 2020, she was listed at number 25 on ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...

'' list of Ireland's greatest film actors.

Early life

Cusack was born Jane Moira Cusack in

Dalkey Dalkey ( ; ) is a village in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown county southeast of Dublin, Ireland. It was founded as a Viking settlement and became a port in the Middle Ages. According to chronicler John Clyn (c.1286–c.1349), it was one of the port ...

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

, the daughter of actress Maureen Cusack (born Mary Margaret Kiely) and actor Cyril Cusack. She is the sister of actresses Sorcha Cusack, Niamh Cusack, and half-sister to Catherine Cusack. Her father was born in South Africa, to an Irish father and an English mother, and had worked with Micheál Mac Liammóir at Dublin's

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

Career

Theatre

Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In 1975, she moved to London and joined the

(RSC) starring in Dion Boucicault's '' London Assurance'' in the West End. Cusack's work with the RSC continued with an award-winning performance as Celia in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' which included the Clarence Derwent Award and her first Olivier Award nomination. She secured a second Olivier Award nomination for her performance in '' The Maid's Tragedy'' by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher in 1981, followed two years later with a third Olivier Award nomination as Kate in '' The Taming of the Shrew''. She made her Broadway debut in 1984 performing in repertory with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Starring opposite Derek Jacobi, she played Roxane in

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

' translation of Edmond Rostand's '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' and Beatrice in William Shakespeare's ''

,'' directed by Terry Hands. ''Much Ado'' was first produced at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1982–83, then moved to London's Barbican Theatre for the 1983–1984 season where it was joined by ''Cyrano'', before both plays transferred to New York's Gershwin Theatre from October 1984 to January 1985, for which Cusack received a

nomination for her performance as Beatrice, and costar Derek Jacobi won the award for his Benedick. The production of ''Cyrano de Bergerac'' was later filmed in 1985. During this period, Cusack and her husband, Jeremy Irons, appeared in a ''Shakespeare Winter's Eve'', a major fundraiser for the Riverside Shakespeare Company in New York, along with other members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Following the Broadway run, the plays toured the US, making stops in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. Cusack's connection with the Royal Shakespeare Company continued with a series of leading roles include Portia in '' The Merchant of Venice'' opposite David Suchet, Lady Macbeth opposite Jonathan Pryce in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' and Cleopatra in '' Antony and Cleopatra'' in Stratford-upon-Avon and at London's

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

in the West End. In 1990, Cusack, in the role of Masha, joined two of her sisters, Niamh (as Irina) and Sorcha (as Olga), and her father, Cyril Cusack (as Chebutykin) for a well-received production of

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

's tragi-comedy '' The Three Sisters'' in a new version by Frank McGuinness, directed by Adrian Noble at the Gate Theatre, Dublin before transferring to the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

in London. The production also featured Niamh's husband Finbar Lynch as Solenyi and Lesley Manville as Natasha. The production won the three real-life sisters the Irish Life Award in 1992. One of her best known stage roles was ''Our Lady of Sligo'' by Sebastian Barry in 1998, in which she played the principal role of Mai O'Hara in performances in Ireland, on Broadway and at the National Theatre. For this she won the 1998 ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards for Best Actress, the 1998 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress and her fourth Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2006/7 she starred with

Rufus Sewell Rufus Frederik Sewell (; born 29 October 1967) is a British actor. In film, he has appeared in ''Carrington (film), Carrington'' (1995), ''Hamlet (1996 film), Hamlet'' (1996), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dark City (1998 film), Dark City'' (1 ...

Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...

's ''

'' at the Royal Court Theatre in London which transferred to the West End and Broadway, winning Cusack her fifth Olivier Award nomination and her second

nomination. In 2015, Cusack returned to Ireland's Abbey Theatre, where she began her theatre career. She appeared in the world première of Mark O'Rowe's play ''Our Few And Evil Days'', acting opposite long-time collaborator Ciarán Hinds. She won the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best Actress.

Film and television

Cusack starred with

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...

in the film '' Hoffman'' (1970). She guest starred in an episode of ''

The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is a British action comedy television series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the c ...

'' (1971), a TV series starring

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor with a career that spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 films, in roles co ...

and Roger Moore, as Jenny Lindley, a wealthy heiress who suspects that a man claiming to be her dead brother is in fact an impostor. In 1975 she made three appearances in the TV series '' Quiller'' as the character 'Roz'. Cusack and her husband Jeremy Irons appeared together in the film ''

Waterland Waterland () is a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It includes t ...

'' (1992), in a television adaptation of

Christopher Hampton Sir Christopher James Hampton (born 26 January 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter, translator and film director. He is best known for his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (play), ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' based on the Les Liaisons da ...

's ''Tales from Hollywood'' (also 1992), and again in Bernardo Bertolucci's '' Stealing Beauty'' (1996). Further film work includes '' Passion of Mind'' (2000), ''

V for Vendetta ''V for Vendetta'' is a British graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Lloyd (comics), David Lloyd (with additional art by Tony Weare). Initially published between 1982 and 1985 in black and white as an ongoing Serial (li ...

'' (2005), and '' Eastern Promises'' (2007), a thriller directed by David Cronenberg. Her performance in '' The Tiger's Tail'' (also 2007) won her a first

IFTA Award The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) is an all-Ireland organisation focused on film and television. It has about 1000 members, and is based in Dublin, with branches in London and Los Angeles. The IFTA now holds separate ceremonies for the ...

nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She won the

for her performance in '' The Sea'' (2013), adapted from the novel by

John Banville William John Banville (born 8 December 1945) is an Irish novelist, short story writer, Literary adaptation, adapter of dramas and screenwriter. Though he has been described as "the heir to Marcel Proust, Proust, via Vladimir Nabokov, Nabokov", ...

. Cusack was nominated once more for an

for her performance in John Boorman's drama film '' Queen and Country'' (2014), which premièred at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Further starring roles include lead roles in '' Oliver's Travels'' (1995), ''Have Your Cake And Eat It'' (1997) for which she won the RTS Award for Best Actress and Frank McGuinness's ''The Hen House'' (1989) for BBC Television. She starred in the title role of

George du Maurier George Louis Palmella Busson du Maurier (6 March 1834 – 8 October 1896) was a Franco-British cartoonist and writer known for work in ''Punch (magazine), Punch'' and a Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Trilby (novel), Trilby'', featuring the char ...

's ''

Trilby A trilby is a narrow-brimmed type of hat. The trilby was once viewed as the rich man's favored hat; it is sometimes called the "brown trilby" in UK, BritainBernhard Roetzel, Roetzel, Bernhard (1999). ''Gentleman's Guide to Grooming and Style''. B ...

'' (1976), in an adaptation for the BBC's ''

Play of the Month ''Play of the Month'' is a BBC television anthology series, which ran from 1965 to 1983 featuring productions of classic and contemporary stage plays (or adaptations) which were usually broadcast on BBC1. Each production featured a different wor ...

'', with Alan Badel as Svengali. She also starred in the BBC mini-series '' North and South'' (2004, from the novel by

Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer detailed studies of Victorian era, Victoria ...

) as Mrs. Thornton. Cusack starred in the BBC sitcom '' Home Again'' (2006) and appeared in the TV series '' Camelot'' (2011), which ran for one season. Cusack had featured roles in the mini-series '' The Deep'' (2014) and the series '' Marcella'' (2016), an eight-episode murder mystery.

Publications

Along with other actresses, including Paola Dionisotti, Fiona Shaw,

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Le ...

and Harriet Walter, Cusack contributed to a book by Carol Rutter called ''Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare's Women Today'' (1994). The book analysed modern acting interpretations of female Shakespearean roles.

Personal life

Cusack married British actor Jeremy Irons in 1978, and they have two sons, Samuel James and Maximilian Paul. Before marrying Irons, Cusack gave birth to a son in 1967 and placed the boy for adoption. In 2007, a journalist for the Irish '' Sunday Independent'', Daniel McConnell, revealed that Cusack was the mother of left-wing general election candidate and now member of

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...

Richard Boyd Barrett. The two have since been reunited. Cusack campaigned for Boyd Barrett when he stood unsuccessfully in Ireland's 2007 general election as the People Before Profit Alliance's candidate for Dún Laoghaire constituency. She also joined him in the count centre as he awaited the outcome of the 2011 general election, at which he was elected to

. In May 2013, Boyd Barrett revealed that theatre director Vincent Dowling was his biological father. Cusack had a short relationship with the footballer

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

in 1971. While married to Irons, she had a long relationship with playwright

but made it clear that she wanted to remain married to her husband. After her reunion with Boyd Barrett she also wanted to spend time with him in Dublin rather than with Stoppard in France where they shared a house. Cusack is a patron of the Burma Campaign UK, the London-based group campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma. In 1998, Cusack was named, along with her husband, in a list of the biggest private financial donors to the British Labour Party. In August 2010, Cusack signed the "Irish artists' pledge to boycott Israel" initiated by the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Filmography

* '' Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon'' (1967) as Vera (uncredited) * ''

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

'' (1969) as Edith * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield''Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work; see is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from infancy to matur ...

'' (US, 1970, TV Movie) as Emily * '' Hoffman'' (1970) as Miss Smith * '' The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer'' (1970) as Yvonne (uncredited) * '' Tam Lin'' (1970) as Rose * ''

Revenge Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

'' (1971) as Rose * ''

'' (1971, TV Series) 1 episode – 'Take Seven' ... as Jenny Linder *'' The Protectors'' (1973 British TV Series) 1 episode – 'Burning Bush' S2 Ep18 as Anne Ferris * ''A Likely Story'' (1973) as Liz * '' Thriller'' (1973, TV Series) 1 episode – 'The Eyes Have It' ... as Sally * '' Notorious Woman'' (1974, TV Mini-Series) as Marie Dorval * ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and his three companions as ...

'' (1975, TV Series) as Rosaline * ''Trilby'' (1976, TV Series) as Trilby * '' The Last Remake of Beau Geste'' (1977) as Isabel Geste * ''Ghost of Venice'' (1977, TV Series) as Leonora * '' The Black Night'' (1977, TV Series) as Ermine * ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

'' (1980, TV Movie) as Olivia * '' Cyrano de Bergerac'' (1985, TV Movie) as Roxane * ''Dublin Murders'' (1985) * '' Rocket Gibraltar'' (1988) as Amanda 'Billi' Rockwell * '' Venus Peter'' (1989) as Miss Balsilbie * ''

'' (1992) as Mary Crick * '' Bad Behaviour'' (1993) as Ellie McAllister * '' The Cement Garden'' (1993) as Mother * '' Sparrow'' (1993) as Matilde * '' Uncovered'' (1994) as Menchu * '' Oliver's Travels'' (1995, TV Mini-Series) as WPC Diane Priest * '' Stealing Beauty'' (1996) as Diana * '' Have Your Cake and Eat It'' (1997, TV Mini-Series) as Charlotte Dawson * '' The Nephew'' (1998) as Brenda O'Boyce * '' Passion of Mind'' (2000) as Jessie * '' My Mother Frank'' (2000) as Frances (Frank) Kennedy * ''

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

'' (2001) as Kathleen * '' I Capture the Castle'' (2003) as Mrs. Cotton * '' North and South'' (2004, TV Series) as Hannah Thornton * '' Mathilde'' (2004) as Wife of Col. De Petris * '' Dad'' (2005, TV Movie) as Sandy James * ''

'' (2006) as Delia Surridge * '' The Tiger's Tail'' (2006) as Oona O'Leary * '' Eastern Promises'' (2007) as Helen * '' A Room with a View'' (2007, TV Movie) as Miss Lavish * '' Cracks'' (2009) as Miss Nieven * '' Camelot'' (2011, TV Series) as Sybil * '' Wrath of the Titans'' (2012) as Clea * ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British Mystery fiction, mystery television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the ''Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series created by Caroline Graham (writer), Caroline Graham. ...

'' (2013, TV Series) "Death and The Divas" as Stella Harris * '' The Sea'' (2013, IFTA Best Supporting Actress Award) as Anna Morden * ''

Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', or simply ''Poirot'' (), is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2020. The ITV show is based on many of Agatha Christie's famous crime fiction series, wh ...

'' (2013, Episode: "Dead Man's Folly") as Mrs. Amy Folliat * '' 37 Days'' (2014, TV Mini-Series) as Margot Asquith * '' Queen and Country'' (2014) as Grace Rohan * '' Stonehearst Asylum'' (2014) as Mrs. Pike * '' Jekyll and Hyde'' (2015, TV Mini-Series) as Maggie Hope * '' Marcella'' (2016, TV Series) as Sylvie Gibson * ''National Theatre Live: King Lear'' (2018) as Kent * ''

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

'' (2023) as Letizia Bonaparte

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *
FilmReference.com's page
on Sinead Cusack's filmography {{DEFAULTSORT:Cusack, Sinead 1948 births Living people 20th-century Irish actresses 21st-century Irish actresses Actresses from County Dublin Critics' Circle Theatre Award winners Sinead Irish expatriates in England Irish film actresses Irish people of English descent Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Labour Party (UK) donors People from Ballydehob People from Dalkey Royal Shakespeare Company members