Irish actor Cillian Murphy has been in a ton of films but he is most known for his role as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders. The popular BBC series is gearing uo for its sixth and final season, and it continues to follow the exploits of the Shelby family gang in 1920s Birmingham. Murphy is the star of the show and has won a National Television Award for Outstanding Drama Performance for his work on the program.
His acting career spans over two decades with a handful of notable roles. Murphy started off as a rock musician, but he turned down a record deal to pursue a career in film. His fans are surely thankful for that, because no one can pull off Thomas Shelby the way that Cillian Murphy does. Murphy has nearly sixty acting credits under his belt and counting. The 45-year-old has a whopping net worth of $20 million. This is where 25 years of dedication to the field of acting gets you.
6 Cillian Murphy: Early Life
Cillian Murphy was born on May 25th, 1976, in Douglas, Ireland. Cillian is the oldest child of Brendan Murphy, an employee of the Irish Department of Education, and his wife who taught French. The Murphy family is Roman Catholic so Cillian attended the Catholic school Presentation Brothers College. He initially started his career as the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the rock band, "The Sons of Mr. Green Genes." His band was offered a record deal in the late 1990s but Murphy turned it down and began acting on stage and in independent films.
5 Cillian Murphy's Early Acting Career
In 1996, Murphy debuted as a professional actor in the play Disco Pigs. Three years later he starred alongside Paloma Baeza and Sinead Keenan in the feature film Sunburn. Murphy appeared in an abundant amount of independent films until he was cast the lead role in 28 Days Later. This 2002 sci-fi horror directed by Danny Boyle was made with an $8 million budget and ended up earning $84.7 million at the box office.
