Cillian Murphy’s Most Iconic Roles
Cillian Murphy is a chameleon in Hollywood. From Peaky Blinders to Batman, he proves time and time again that he is one of the most prolific actors of our time.
The people of the Internet love a heartthrob. In the past year, Irish actor Cillian Murphy has made the cut. Following the Peaky Blinders series finale, the actor's Internet Boyfriend status has been elevated by not only his piercing blue eyes and handsome physique but also his impressive acting chops.
Born in Cork County, Ireland, the actor found his love of performing arts at a young age. While he was initially interested in pursuing music (and was offered a record deal), he decided to study law. However, after seeing a stage production of A Clockwork Orange, Murphy shifted his focus to acting. Much of his early work was in theatre before he eventually moved to London where he found success in independent films. His first major role was in the 2002 film 28 Days Later, which stars Murphy as Jim, the lone survivor of a pandemic who wakes up from a coma to find himself alone in a post-apocalyptic London.
As he added more credits to his resumé, Murphy developed a relationship with director Christopher Nolan after working together on The Dark Knight trilogy. The actor plays Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, one of the reoccurring villains throughout the three films. After his impressive performance, Nolan cast Murphy in three more films: Inception, Dunkirk, and the upcoming film Oppenheimer.
Over the last two decades, Murphy has wowed audiences with his penchant for playing dark or haunted characters, specifically in his role as Thomas Shelby on the award-winning series Peaky Blinders. In honour of Murphy's 47th birthday, L'OFFICIEL recognizes some of the star's most impressive performances of his career.
Another intense and dramatic role for Murphy. In his breakout performance, he plays the lead of Jim, part of a small group of people who survived an apocalypse that annihilated the population of the UK. The film had extreme box office success.
It’s no secret that Murphy does well in a period piece, with his first high-profile historical drama being Peter Webber’s Girl With a Pearl Earring. Playing a commoner in love with a 17th-century maiden played by Scarlett Johansson, the film based on the famous Johannes Vermeer painting did not have intense commercial success, but Murphy delivered an exceptional performance nonetheless.
While he was initially asked to audition for the role of Bruce Wayne in Nolan's new Batman film series, Murphy didn't think he had the look of a superhero. However, inspired by the prospect of working with Nolan, Murphy agreed to read for the role. While Christian Bale went on to play Batman, Murphy's impressive audition earned him a spot as Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, the primary villain in Batman Begins. He went on to reprise the character in both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
Working with Nolan once again, Murphy stars in the iconic film Inception alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Murphy plays Robert Fischer, the heir to a business empire whose mind is invaded by Cobb (DiCaprio) to convince him to shut down operations.
In 2013, Murphy made his debut as Thomas Shelby, a crime family leader working in post-WWI England. The series, which was a hit with audiences in the UK and abroad, follows the anti-hero as his fictional story is entangled with major historical touchpoints like budding communism, the fight for Irish independence, Black Tuesday, and the rise of fascism and the Nazi Party in the lead-up to WWII.
Although his role in Nolan's 2017 film isn’t a big one, Murphy plays a PTSD-afflicted soldier alongside an ensemble cast in the film, told from three perspectives, that reckons with one of the most famous battles of WWII.
