---
name: "Cillian Murphy"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/cillian-murphy"
fi1m_id: "cillian-murphy"
imdb_id: "nm0614165"
tmdb_id: 2037
wikidata_id: "Q202589"
roles: ["Actor","Producer"]
born: "25 May 1976"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 18
average_fi1m_score: 75
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 15
updated: "2026-10-07T13:14:14.302932+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Cillian Murphy

## Identity

Cillian Murphy

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/cillian-murphy
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** cillian-murphy
- **IMDb ID:** nm0614165
- **TMDB ID:** 2037
- **Wikidata ID:** Q202589
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cillian_Murphy, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q202589, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614165/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2037

Actor and producer. Born 25 May 1976 in Douglas, Cork, Ireland.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor, Producer
- **Born:** 25 May 1976, Douglas, Cork, Ireland
- **Active:** 2001–present
- **Also known as:** Cillian Ó Murchú
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 18: 15 acting, 2 producing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Christopher Nolan](https://film.one/person/christopher-nolan.md), [Emma Thomas](https://film.one/person/emma-thomas.md), [Charles Roven](https://film.one/person/charles-roven.md), [Tim Mielants](https://film.one/person/tim-mielants.md), [Alan Moloney](https://film.one/person/alan-moloney.md), [Alex Garland](https://film.one/person/alex-garland.md), [Andrew Macdonald](https://film.one/person/andrew-macdonald.md), [Christian Bale](https://film.one/person/christian-bale.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 75, as actor, over 15 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 77 (6), 2010s 70 (5), 2020s 76 (7)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 75 to 71 across 14 titles
- **Score spread:** 6 at 80+, 8 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 7 of 14 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 9, Science Fiction 5, Thriller 5, Action 4, Adventure 3, Crime 3
- **Screen time:** 27 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $4,425m across 12 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cillian_Murphy, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q202589, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614165/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2037

## Coming up

- *A Quiet Place Part III* (2027-07-28), as Emmett

## Streaming the US now

- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Way We Live Now*](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md) (82), [*Kensuke's Kingdom*](https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom.md) (76), [*Transcendence*](https://film.one/film/transcendence.md) (45)
- **Apple TV:** [*Dunkirk*](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md) (86), [*A Quiet Place Part II*](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-part-ii.md) (76)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Dark Knight*](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md) (85), [*Batman Begins*](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md) (81)
- **Netflix:** [*Peaky Blinders*](https://film.one/tv/peaky-blinders.md) (77), [*Steve*](https://film.one/film/steve.md) (68)
- **Peacock:** [*Oppenheimer*](https://film.one/film/oppenheimer.md) (84)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Inception*](https://film.one/film/inception.md) (80)
- **Hulu:** [*Small Things Like These*](https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these.md) (79)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Cillian Murphy

> Cillian Murphy is at his strongest when a lowered gaze or a held posture tells us what a man cannot say. We rate his restraint highly, especially when a director trusts him to work without further explanation.

In *Small Things Like These* (2024), Cillian Murphy’s Bill Furlong watches a mother drag her screaming daughter through a convent gate. His hands stay on the steering wheel. We were shaken by how familiar his inaction felt: Murphy makes Bill look like a man who has practised not getting involved. With his cap down and shoulders drawn in, Bill has learnt to make himself small, and Murphy lets us see how much effort that takes.

That watchfulness already served him well in *28 Days Later* (2002), his breakthrough with Danny Boyle. As Jim, he is frightened and uncertain without becoming exhausting company, which matters in a film that keeps interrupting its conversations with attacks. Chris Gill’s editing makes those interruptions jarring, while Murphy keeps us concerned about the person caught in them. The later bloodshed is excessive, but he gives us a reason to stay beyond the deserted London streets.

The supporting roles for Christopher Nolan began with *Batman Begins* (2005), while Tommy Shelby in *Peaky Blinders* (2013–2022) gave him a sustained television lead. We would welcome more chances to see him away from troubled, ambiguous men; restraint can become predictable if every part asks for it. But his move into the lead for Nolan’s *Oppenheimer* (2023) made good use of that familiar quietness.

As J. Robert Oppenheimer, he talks quickly about physics and offers little when the subject is himself. His eyes keep fixing on something outside the frame, and we find that more persuasive than Nolan’s inserts of sparks, ripples and light. Ellen Mirojnick’s loose-hanging suit helps make him look physically diminished even when he is the centre of attention. The sound obscures too much dialogue and the hearings grip less than the desert scenes, but Murphy carries the film without forcing us to notice the effort.

Tim Mielants gives him a smaller setting in *Small Things Like These*, with Frank van den Eeden’s brown and grey winter light allowing faces to emerge from darkness. Paki Smith’s cramped Furlong kitchen makes Bill’s withdrawn posture feel at home, while Senjan Jansen’s low notes and silences leave Murphy room to work. The film explains Bill’s past more often than his performance needs, a flaw that becomes harder to ignore beside such economical acting. Enda Walsh’s adaptation of Claire Keegan’s novella is strongest when it leaves him something unsaid. For the clearest view of what Murphy can do, start with Bill’s hands on that wheel.

## Biography

Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor and producer. He made his professional debut in Enda Walsh's 1996 play *Disco Pigs*, a role he reprised in the 2001 film adaptation. His early film credits include *28 Days Later* (2002).

Murphy has collaborated with director Christopher Nolan on six films, beginning with *Batman Begins* (2005) and including *Oppenheimer* (2023), in which he played J. Robert Oppenheimer. He is also known for portraying Thomas Shelby in the series *Peaky Blinders* (2013–2022). In 2024 he starred as Bill Furlong and served as a producer on *Small Things Like These*.

Murphy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for *Oppenheimer*.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com, apnews.com.*

## On Fi1m (18)

### Performed in (15) — the average rests on these

- *Steve* (2025), Fi1m 68, as Steve — [page](https://film.one/film/steve.md)
- *Kensuke's Kingdom* (2024), Fi1m 76, as Dad (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom.md)
- *Small Things Like These* (2024), Fi1m 79, as Bill Furlong — [page](https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these.md)
- *Oppenheimer* (2023), Fi1m 84, as J. Robert Oppenheimer — [page](https://film.one/film/oppenheimer.md)
- *A Quiet Place Part II* (2021), Fi1m 76, as Emmett — [page](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-part-ii.md)
- *Dunkirk* (2017), Fi1m 86, as Shivering Soldier — [page](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md)
- *Transcendence* (2014), Fi1m 45, as Agent Donald Buchanan — [page](https://film.one/film/transcendence.md)
- *Peaky Blinders* (2013), Fi1m 77, as Thomas Shelby — [page](https://film.one/tv/peaky-blinders.md)
- *Inception* (2010), Fi1m 80, as Robert Fischer, Jr. — [page](https://film.one/film/inception.md)
- *The Dark Knight* (2008), Fi1m 85, as Scarecrow — [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md)
- *Sunshine* (2007), Fi1m 74, as Capa — [page](https://film.one/film/sunshine-2007.md)
- *Batman Begins* (2005), Fi1m 81, as Dr. Jonathan Crane — [page](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md)
- *Cold Mountain* (2003), Fi1m 62, as Bardolph — [page](https://film.one/film/cold-mountain.md)
- *28 Days Later* (2002), Fi1m 77, as Jim — [page](https://film.one/film/28-days-later.md)
- *The Way We Live Now* (2001), Fi1m 82, as Paul Montague — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md)

### Produced (2)

- *28 Years Later: The Bone Temple* (2026), Fi1m 74, as Jim (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/28-years-later-the-bone-temple.md)
- *28 Years Later* (2025), Fi1m 76, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/28-years-later.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *TRON: Legacy* (2010), Fi1m 60, as Edward Dillinger (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/tron-legacy.md)

## Complete filmography (71)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *A Quiet Place Part III* (2027), as Emmett
- *Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man* (2026), as Tommy Shelby · Producer
- *28 Years Later: The Bone Temple* (2026), as Jim (uncredited) · Executive Producer — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/28-years-later-the-bone-temple.md)
- *Steve* (2025), as Steve · Producer — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/steve.md)
- *28 Years Later* (2025), Executive Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/28-years-later.md)
- *Small Things Like These* (2024), as Bill Furlong · Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/small-things-like-these.md)
- *Kensuke's Kingdom* (2024), as Dad (voice) — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/kensukes-kingdom.md)
- *Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby* (2024), as Thomas Shelby (voice)
- *Oppenheimer* (2023), as J. Robert Oppenheimer — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/oppenheimer.md)
- *All of This Unreal Time* (2021), as Man
- *A Quiet Place Part II* (2021), as Emmett — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/a-quiet-place-part-ii.md)
- *Fight for First: Excel Esports* (2021), series, as Narrator
- *A World of Calm* (2020), series, as Narrator
- *I'm the Man* (2019), as Narrator
- *Anna* (2019), as Lenny Miller
- *The Overcoat* (2018), as Akaky (voice)
- *The Silent Man* (2018), as The Doll
- *The Delinquent Season* (2018), as Jim
- *The Party* (2017), as Tom
- *Dunkirk* (2017), as Shivering Soldier — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/dunkirk.md)
- *Free Fire* (2017), as Chris
- *Anthropoid* (2016), as Josef Gabčík
- *In the Heart of the Sea* (2015), as Matthew Joy
- *From the Mountain* (2014), as Man
- *Transcendence* (2014), as Agent Donald Buchanan — Fi1m 45, [page](https://film.one/film/transcendence.md)
- *Aloft* (2014), as Ivan
- *Harriet and the matches* (2013), as Cat (voice)
- *Peaky Blinders* (2013), series, as Thomas Shelby · Executive Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/peaky-blinders.md)
- *Broken* (2012), as Mike Kiernan
- *The Dark Knight Rises* (2012), as Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight-rises.md)
- *Red Lights* (2012), as Tom Buckley
- *In Time* (2011), as Raymond Leon
- *Retreat* (2011), as Martin
- *Misterman* (2011), as Thomas Magill
- *TRON: Legacy* (2010), as Edward Dillinger (uncredited) — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/tron-legacy.md)
- *Inception* (2010), as Robert Fischer, Jr. — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/inception.md)
- *Peacock* (2010), as John Skillpa / Emma Skillpa
- *Perrier's Bounty* (2010), as Michael McCrea
- *The Water* (2009), as The Son
- *The Dark Knight* (2008), as Scarecrow — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/the-dark-knight.md)
- *The Edge of Love* (2008), as William Killick
- *Waveriders* (2008), as Narrator
- *Watching the Detectives* (2007), as Neil
- *Sunshine* (2007), as Capa — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/sunshine-2007.md)
- *The Silent City* (2006), as Unnamed Character
- *The Wind That Shakes the Barley* (2006), as Damien
- *Breakfast on Pluto* (2005), as Patrick 'Kitten' Braden
- *Red Eye* (2005), as Jackson Rippner
- *Batman Begins* (2005), as Dr. Jonathan Crane — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/batman-begins.md)
- *Cold Mountain* (2003), as Bardolph — Fi1m 62, [page](https://film.one/film/cold-mountain.md)
- *Girl with a Pearl Earring* (2003), as Pieter
- *Intermission* (2003), as John
- *28 Days Later* (2002), as Jim — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/28-days-later.md)
- *How Harry Became a Tree* (2002), as Gus
- *The Way We Live Now* (2001), series, as Paul Montague — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-way-we-live-now.md)
- *Disco Pigs* (2001), as Pig / Darren
- *On the Edge* (2001), as Jonathan Breech
- *Watchmen* (2001), as Phil · Writer, Co-Producer
- *Filleann an Feall* (2000), as Ger
- *A Man of Few Words* (2000), as Best Man
- *Sunburn* (1999), as Davin McDerby
- *Eviction* (1999), as Brendan McBride
- *The Trench* (1999), as Rag Rookwood
- *At Death's Door* (1999), as Young Reaper
- *Sweety Barrett* (1999), as Pat the Barman
- *Quando* (1997), as Pat
- *Peaky Blinders: A Peek Behind the Curtain*, as Thomas Shelby / Tommy / Himself
- *Sacrifice*, Actor
- *28 Years Later: Part III*, Executive Producer
- *Blood Runs Coal*, as Chip Yablonski · Producer
- *Untitled Peaky Blinders Sequel*, series, Executive Producer

## Gallery

- ![Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong in Small Things Like These (2024)](https://film.one/media/title/1060/still-e2c1b4fc92eb.jpg) Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong in *Small Things Like These* (2024) — Image via TMDB
- ![Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023)](https://film.one/media/title/22/still-5b5fe48ebe16.jpg) Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in *Oppenheimer* (2023) — Image via TMDB
- ![Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders (2013)](https://film.one/media/title/9034/still-9bb4b136805d.jpg) Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby in *Peaky Blinders* (2013) — Image via TMDB
- ![Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Days Later (2002)](https://film.one/media/title/485/still-a87f93724129.jpg) Cillian Murphy as Jim in *28 Days Later* (2002) — Image via TMDB
- ![Cillian Murphy](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-efc2403e1d75.png) Cillian Murphy — JoshPopov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/CillianMurphy-TIFF2025-01-Cropped_%28cropped%29.png/1280px-CillianMurphy-TIFF2025-01-Cropped_%28cropped%29.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Ben Wheatley and the cast of Free Fire (inc. Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley) (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-69a397ca4319.jpg) Ben Wheatley and the cast of Free Fire (inc. Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Sam Riley, Sharlto Copley) (2016) — Bex Walton from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/Ben_Wheatley_and_the_cast_of_Free_Fire_%28inc._Armie_Hammer%2C_Cillian_Murphy%2C_Sam_Riley%2C_Sharlto_Copley%29_%2829741498254%29.jpg/1280px-Ben_Wheatley_and_the_cast_of_Free_Fire_%28inc._Armie_Hammer%2C_Cillian_Murphy%2C_Sam_Riley%2C_Sharlto_Copley%29_%2829741498254%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cast & Crew beim Photo Call zu The Party bei der Berlinale 2017 v.l.n.r. Kurban Kassam (Produzent/Producer) Timothy Spall (Schauspieler/Actor) Patricia Clar](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-b818f48b94f4.jpg) Cast & Crew beim Photo Call zu The Party bei der Berlinale 2017 v.l.n.r. Kurban Kassam (Produzent/Producer) Timothy Spall (Schauspieler/Actor) Patricia Clar — Maximilian Bühn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Cast_%26_Crew_Photo_Call_The_Party_Berlinale_2017.jpg/1280px-Cast_%26_Crew_Photo_Call_The_Party_Berlinale_2017.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cast & Crew bei der Weltpremiere von The Party im Rahmen der Berlinale 2017: v.l.n.r. Patricia Clarkson, Sally Potter, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas,](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-8aa7d45aa7eb.jpg) Cast & Crew bei der Weltpremiere von The Party im Rahmen der Berlinale 2017: v.l.n.r. Patricia Clarkson, Sally Potter, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, — Maximilian Bühn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Cast_%26_Crew_World_Premiere_The_Party_Berlinale_2017.jpg/1280px-Cast_%26_Crew_World_Premiere_The_Party_Berlinale_2017.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cillian Murphy](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-c0dcf919e6b5.jpg) Cillian Murphy — Image via TMDB
- ![Cast and director photo (Cillian Murphy, Sean Ellis (director), Jamie Dornan, and Sam Keeley at 'Anthropoid - ADIFF Premiere - 31 August 2016', uploaded to Vime](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-4014e33741df.jpg) Cast and director photo (Cillian Murphy, Sean Ellis (director), Jamie Dornan, and Sam Keeley at 'Anthropoid - ADIFF Premiere - 31 August 2016', uploaded to Vime — Dublin Film Festival, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Cast_of_Anthropoid_-_ADIFF_2016.jpg/1280px-Cast_of_Anthropoid_-_ADIFF_2016.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Cillian Murphy at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival](https://film.one/media/person/469/gallery-9b8a2b8cae52.png) Cillian Murphy at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival — JoshPopov, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/CillianMurphy-TIFF2025-01-Cropped.png/1280px-CillianMurphy-TIFF2025-01-Cropped.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 2024: Best Actor (won), for *Oppenheimer*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 2024: Best Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *Oppenheimer*
- 2007: BAFTA Rising Star Award (nominated)

### Golden Globes — 1 won, 1 nominated

- 2023: Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (won), for *Oppenheimer*
- 2005: Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (nominated), for *Breakfast on Pluto*

### SAG Awards — 1 won

- 2024: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role (won), for *Oppenheimer*

### Other awards — 1 won, 7 nominated

- British Independent Film Awards 2012: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Broken*
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show 2012: Drama Desk Award for Outstanding One-Person Show (won)
- British Independent Film Awards 2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film (nominated), for *Sunshine*
- British Independent Film Awards 2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a British Independent Film (nominated), for *The Wind That Shakes the Barley*
- European Film Award for Best Actor 2006: European Film Award for Best Actor (nominated), for *Breakfast on Pluto*
- MTV Movie Award for Best Villain 2006: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (nominated), for *Batman Begins*
- Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy 2005: Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (nominated), for *Breakfast on Pluto*
- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance 2004: Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Performance (nominated), for *28 Days Later*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/cillian-murphy