One of Ireland’s most famous exports, Cillian Murphy has built up an impressive resume as an actor since bursting onto the scene in the early 2000s with his performance in the cult favorite independent horror film 28 Days Later (2002).
Cillian Murphy won the Best Actor Oscar at the 2024 Academy Awards for his role in Oppenheimer, making history as the first Irish-born actor to achieve this feat.
Cillian Murphy wearing a dark suit for the premiere of A Quiet Place Part II held at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City on March 8, 2020 (Credit: ROGER WONG / INSTARimages)
How Did Cillian Murphy Become an Actor?
Cillian Murphy was born in Douglas, Cork, in 1976. He originally aspired to be a rock musician, spending much of his childhood learning to sing and perform music.
However, during secondary school, Murphy performed in a drama hosted by the Corcadorca Theatre Company, where he enjoyed his first taste of acting.
Despite this, Murphy was set on being a musician until he landed his first professional acting role in Disco Pigs (1996), a play directed by Corcadorca.
Cillian Murphy attending the premiere of Red Eye held at Mann’s Bruin Theater in Westwood, California on August 4, 2005 (Credit: Albert Ortega / Startraksphoto)
Although the play was only scheduled to run for two weeks, it was a massive success and toured Europe and North America. Because of its success, Murphy permanently shelved his music ambitions.
Murphy continued to act during the late 1990s in several independent British and Irish films before breaking out with his lead role as Jim in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later, which was released in 2002.
Since then, Murphy has gone on to be a successful lead and character actor in many big-budget European and Hollywood films and television series.
Cillian Murphy signing autographs during the Odesa International Film Festival in Odesa, Ukraine, on July 14, 2012 (Credit: Naumova Ekaterina / Shutterstock)
Let’s look at Cillian Murphy’s filmography and rank five of his best acting performances in film and television before his role in Oppenheimer. Also, don’t miss our ranking of Cillian Murphy’s eight best movies and TV shows before Oppenheimer.
5. The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) – 90% Critics’ Score
Directed by British director Ken Loach, The Wind That Shakes the Barley features a cast mainly comprised of Irish actors. It centers around the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) and the Irish Civil War (1922-1923).
Cillian Murphy as Damien O’Donovan in the 2006 war drama film The Wind That Shakes the Barley (Credit: Cover Images)
The film’s name is derived from a popular Irish ballad written by famed Irish poet Robert Dwyer Joyce in 1861.
Cillian Murphy plays the role of Damien O’Donovan, one of two brothers who joined the Irish Republican Army to fight for Ireland’s independence from the English-controlled United Kingdom.
After Ireland settles on a peace treaty with the United Kingdom, both brothers become estranged and disagree on the proper path for Ireland’s future.
Cillian Murphy, Orla Fitzgerald, Ken Loach, Liam Cunningham, and Padraic Delaney at The Wind That Shakes the Barley photocall during the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France on May 18, 2006 (Credit: INFGoff)
The film was a massive success for independent Irish cinema and took home the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Murphy’s performance received praise, with film critic Peter Bradshaw deeming the film “…a finely made, finely acted piece of work.”
4. 28 Days Later (2002) – 87% Critics’ Score
The film that made Cillian Murphy a known actor worldwide, 28 Days Later, was directed by British director Danny Boyle and served as a refreshing take on the stale and dormant zombie horror film genre.
Cillian Murphy as Jim in the 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later (Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)
In this movie, Murphy takes on the role of Jim, a young man who wakes up from a coma only to discover that society has crumbled due to an aggressive virus that turns people into violent, brain-dead monsters.
Shot on a small budget of $8 million, 28 Days Later managed to surprisingly gross a whopping $85.7 million and eventually spawned a sequel, 28 Weeks Later, in 2007 (although Murphy did not reprise his role from the first film).
Cillian Murphy as Jim in the 2002 British post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later (Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)
The critical reception of 28 Days Later was positive, and much praise was given to the performances, particularly those of Cillian Murphy and Brendan Gleeson.
In 2021, Cillian Murphy also confirmed that he would be interested in reprising his role for a possible third film, likely entitled 28 Months Later, if it were to be made.
3. Dunkirk (2017) – 92% Critics’ Score
The first of Cillian Murphy’s collaborations with famed Hollywood director Christopher Nolan to be featured on this list, Dunkirk was Nolan’s first foray into war cinema – a genre of film that Murphy was quite seasoned in by the time he acted in it.
Cillian Murphy as Shivering Soldier in the 2017 historical war film Dunkirk (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Murphy plays a relatively minor role in Dunkirk, credited only as “Shivering Soldier.” His character is saved and brought on board a civilian ship, but he becomes violent when he realizes that the ship is en route back to Dunkirk.
The role is small, but Cillian Murphy makes his mark on the film with his effective and emotional performance as a soldier suffering from the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Cillian Murphy at the world premiere of Dunkirk held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, England on July 13, 2017 (Credit: Doug Peters / PA Images / INSTARimag)
As in most of Nolan’s filmography, Dunkirk was a success at the box office and with film critics.
2. The Batman Trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, 2005-2012) – 84-94% Critics’ Score
We combined Cillian Murphy’s performances as the menacing and legitimately frightening Scarecrow (Dr. Jonathan Crane) in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.
Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the 2005 superhero film Batman Begins (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Murphy first came onto Nolan’s radar after the actor auditioned for the role of Batman. However, Nolan hesitated to cast an Irish actor in the role (despite ending up with an Australian in Christian Bale). Despite this, Nolan was impressed with Murphy’s acting capabilities and decided to cast him in the role of Jonathan Crane instead.
Dr. Jonathan Crane plays a large role in the first film of the trilogy, Batman Begins. He features as one of the primary antagonists of the film, corrupting Batman’s mind with his fear-inducing toxin.
Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight (Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Crane shows up again in both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, which sees him act as a judge, jury, and executioner of Gotham’s elite, when the city’s criminals rise up and take over.
Cillian Murphy’s performances in all three of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films enrich the movies. They feature incredible performances from various talented actors, including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Liam Neeson, and Tom Hardy, to name a few.
1. Peaky Blinders (2013-2022) – 93% Critics Score on Rotten Tomatoes
We’d be remiss if we didn’t place Cillian Murphy’s prolific role as Thomas Shelby, leader of the eponymous gang of the critically acclaimed television show Peaky Blinders, on the top of our list.
Cillian Murphy as Thomas “Tommy” Shelby in the British period crime drama television series Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC Studios)
First premiering in 2013, Peaky Blinders is set in Birmingham, England, shortly following the events of World War I. It is loosely based on a real-life street gang active in Birmingham during that period.
With six seasons under its belt, Peaky Blinders has proven to be one of the most popular British television series of its era. Each season has received critical acclaim, with Cillian Murphy garnering praise for his consistently brilliant performance as Thomas Shelby.
Cillian Murphy as Thomas “Tommy” Shelby in the British period crime drama television series Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC Studios)
The sixth and final season was released in April 2022, and the story of the Peaky Blinders will conclude with a film series finale that will begin production in mid-2024.
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in the upcoming biographical film Oppenheimer (Credit: Universal Pictures)
Cillian Murphy has proven that he’s worth his salt as one of the premiere talents in both British and Hollywood cinema.
Following his Oscar win in 2024 for portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan’s biopic, Cillian Murphy continues to demonstrate his exceptional talent in collaboration with Nolan.
His award-winning role in Oppenheimer, a film centered around the pivotal American nuclear physicist, further cemented his status as a premiere actor in British and Hollywood cinema. The film, released on July 21, 2023, has been a significant milestone in Murphy’s illustrious career.