Cillian Murphy, best known for his role in Peaky Blinders, has turned 50 – but how much do you know about him? Here are some fun facts you might not know.
Cillian Murphy has the sort of acting CV that many would be envious of – he’s won numerous awards, including an Oscar – and has played a character that he has helped to make a global icon in Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders.
Perhaps his greatest moment – so far – came when he won the best actor Oscar for his role in Oppenheimer. His intense performance in the World War II drama helped make it one of the biggest movies of that year.
More recently, he has returned to the franchise that helped to catapult him to Stardom – 28 Days Later, by appearing as Jim in 28 Years later: The Bone Temple.
But how much do you know about Cillian Murphy? Here are some facts you might not know.
He originally wanted to be a rock star
When Cillian was in school, he did a little acting, but his ambition was to be a rock star. During his teens and early 20s he sang and played guitar in a string of bands, and almost got a record deal with one, called The Sons of Me Green Genes (the band name was taken from a Frank Zappa song). The band, which apparently specialised in wacky lyrics and endless guitar solos, were offered a five-album deal by the famous Acid Jazz Records label, but it was turned down. It was rejected as Cillian’s brother, Paidi, who was also in the band, was still in school, and they didn’t like the small amount of money offered for the rights to the songs.
A lot of people don’t know he is Irish
Cillian is Irish, but such is his mastery of accents that many people are shocked when they hear his normal speaking voice. He is well known for his Brummie accent in Peaky Blinders, as well as playing Americans in a variety of movies, but he doesn’t often use his natural Cork accent.
He’s known for working with Christopher Nolan
Over the years, Cillian has appeared in six movies directed by Christopher Nolan. This includes Oppenheimer, which was a huge hit at the Oscars. He has also appeared in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, as well as Dunkirk and Inception.
However, Cillian is not in Christopher’s upcoming epic, The Odyssey. Cillian has said he is relieved not to be in the movie, joking he has ‘ROMO’ – relief of missing out – meaning he can enjoy watching the film as a spectator. He added he is excited to see how the movie turns out, adding that only Christopher could take on such an epic story.
He keeps his private life private
Cillian is renowned for maintaining his privacy away from the screen. He has no interest in the celebrity scene, doesn’t like red carpet events, and does not engage in social media in any form. He lives quietly with his wife – to whom he has been married for 22 years – and two children.
He has had his own radio show
As mentioned, Cillian has a deep-rooted love of music. While the acting has taken precedence, he still does follow music closely and still listens to and buys a lot of music. So vast is his music knowledge that he has presented his own show on a UK radio station. Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition has been a recurring series of shows on BBC Radio 6 Music over recent years. This late-night show is billed as featuring music from all corners of his record collection. He has played everything from Iggy Pop to Boards of Canada to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (although not Red Right Hand).
