Eva Birthistle

Eva Birthistle
Birthistle in 2007
Born (1974-04-16) 16 April 1974 (age 50)
Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland[1]
OccupationActress
Children2

Eva Birthistle (born 16 April 1974) is an Irish actress and writer.[1] She is best known for her roles in Bad Sisters and Ae Fond Kiss..., and also starred in The Last Kingdom between 2015 and 2022. She won the London Film Critics Circle British or Irish Actress of the Year Award in 2004, and has twice won the IFTA Best Actress in a Leading Role (Film) award.

Early life and education

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Birthistle was born in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland, but moved with her family to Derry, Northern Ireland when she was 14. She was raised Catholic but attended the non-denominational Foyle College.[2] After her GCSEs, she studied acting at The Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin.[1]

Career

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In 1995, she got her first TV role as Regina Crosbie in the serial Glenroe. She stayed for three years until 1998. She was offered her first feature film in 1997, All Souls' Day by Alan Gilsenan. She played a variety of roles in Irish films, including Drinking Crude (1997),[3] co-starring Colin Farrell, and TV movie Miracle at Midnight (1998), with Mia Farrow. In 2002, Eva appeared in Sunday, a dramatisation of the events of Bloody Sunday written by Jimmy McGovern.[3]

In 2003, she appeared in the TV series Trust before starring as Roisin Hanlon in the Ken Loach movie Ae Fond Kiss... (2003–04), which won her the 2005 London Critics Circle Film Award as "British Actress of the Year". She appeared in Breakfast on Pluto, Imagine Me & You and Save Angel Hope (by Lukas Erni) in 2005, and in Brian Kirk's Middletown in 2006. She starred as human rights lawyer Jane Lavery in the TV conspiracy drama The State Within, and played Rosaleen in the Taken at the Flood episode of Agatha Christie's Poirot in 2006. In late 2007, she featured as Rembrandt's wife Saskia van Uylenburg in the historical drama, Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway.[3]

She featured in the BBC drama The Last Enemy in early 2008, playing the role of Eleanor Brooke, a junior minister. In 2009, she portrayed Jenette in the last episode of the second season of the BBC hit series Ashes to Ashes.[4] She also appeared in two successful horror films The Children (2008) and Wake Wood (2011). In 2010, she won Best Actress at the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival for her acclaimed performance as a lovelorn paralegal in Curt Truninger's The Rendezvous.[5]

She played "Annette Nicholls" in the 2010 three-part TV series Five Daughters. She appeared as Detective Superintendent Sarah Cavendish in the ninth, and final, series of Waking the Dead. In 2011, Birthistle appeared in the Sky1 TV series Strike Back: Project Dawn as Captain Kate Marshall.[6] In 2013, Birthistle co-starred with Anna Friel in the Sky1 TV production The Psychopath Next Door.[7] In Brooklyn she played Georgina, the cabin-mate of Eilis (Saoirse Ronan), mentoring her in surviving the voyage to New York and dealing with immigration to the US. In 2014, she portrayed Sarah Bailey in the miniseries Amber. Since 2015, she has starred in The Last Kingdom as Hild, a nun turned warrior and friend of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. She appeared in the 2017 Irish film The Delinquent Season opposite Cillian Murphy.[1][3]

Personal life

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Birthistle's husband, Ross, is an acupuncturist. They have a son, Jesse, born in 2013, and a daughter, Joni (named after Joni Mitchell), born in 2017.[1]

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
Year Film Role Notes Ref.
1997 All Souls' Day Nicole [8]
Drinking Crude [9]
1998 Miracle at Midnight Karin Television film [10]
The American Noemie Nioche Television film [11]
Getting Close Jane Short film [12]
1999 Making Ends Meet Kathy [13]
2000 Saltwater Deborah McCeever [14]
Borstal Boy Liz Joyce [15]
Coolockland Bird Short film [16]
2002 Sunday Maura Young Television film [17]
2003 Mystics Samantha [18]
2004 Timbuktu Isobel [19]
Ae Fond Kiss ... Roisin Hanlon [20]
2005 The Baby War Megan Television film [21]
Breakfast on Pluto Eily Bergin [22]
Imagine Me & You Edie [23]
2006 Middletown Caroline [24]
2007 The Martyr's Crown Mrs. Clougherty Short film [25]
Nightwatching Saskia van Uylenburgh [26]
Save Angel Hope Renee Frye [27]
2008 The Daisy Chain Cat [28]
Reverb Maddy [29]
The Children Elaine [30]
2009 Wake Wood Louise Daley [31]
2010 The Crossing Short film [32]
The Rendezvous Jackie [5]
2012 Day of the Flowers Rosa [33]
2013 Life's a Breeze Margaret [34]
The Psychopath Next Door Marianne Moran Television film [7]
2014 Noble Sister Laura [35]
Here with Me Emily Short film [36]
2015 Brooklyn Georgina [37]
Swansong Karen Prince [38]
2016 The Circuit Nat Television film [39]
2018 The Delinquent Season Danielle [40]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1996–1998 Glenroe Regina Crosbie Recurring role [41]
1999 DDU: District Detective Unit Mary Kelly Episode: "Unforgiven" [42]
2001 In Deep Tina Shaw Episode: "Ghost Squad" [43]
2002 Holby City Vicky Episode: "Cruel to Be Kind" [42]
2003 Trust Maria Acklam Miniseries; 6 episodes [44]
Silent Witness Lauren Hathaway Episode: "Fatal Error" [45]
2006 Agatha Christie's Poirot Rosaleen Episode: "Taken at the Flood" [46]
The State Within Jane Lavery Miniseries; 6 episodes [47]
2008 The Last Enemy Eleanor Brooke Miniseries; 5 episodes [48]
2009 Ashes to Ashes Jenette Episode: "Series 2, Episode 8" [49]
2010 Five Daughters Annette Nicholls Miniseries; 3 episodes [50]
2011 Waking the Dead DSI Sarah Cavendish Series regular; 10 episodes [51]
Strike Back: Project Dawn Captain Kate Marshall Recurring role; 6 episodes [52]
2012 Case Sensitive Ruth Blacksmith Episode: "The Other Half Lives" [53]
2014 Amber Sarah Bailey Miniseries; 4 episodes [54]
Vera Kate Darrow Episode: "On Harbour Street" [55]
2015–2022 The Last Kingdom Hild Recurring role; 17 episodes [56]
2018 The Bisexual Laura Miniseries; 5 episodes [57]
2021 Fate: The Winx Saga Vanessa Peters Recurring role; 3 episodes [58]
Behind Her Eyes Marianne Episode: "Behind Her Eyes" [59]
2022–present Bad Sisters Ursula Flynn Series regular [60]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Shortall, Eithne (22 April 2018). "Changing the script: Eva Birthistle on screenwriting, motherhood and 'good work'". The Times. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  2. ^ Applebaum, Stephen. "Eva Birthistle A Fond Kiss..." BBC. Retrieved 13 September 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Eva Birthistle". BFI. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  4. ^ "Ashes to Ashes Episode #2.8 (2009)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  5. ^ a b "The Rendezvous". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Strike Back Project Dawn: Eva Birthistle Interview". Sky1.sky.com. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b Wallis, Sara (25 September 2013). "Anna Friel in The Psychopath Next Door wants viewers to hate her in the darkest role she's played". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  8. ^ Dwyer, Michael (1997). "All Souls' Day". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Drinking Crude". Irish Film Institute. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  10. ^ Joyner, Will (16 May 1998). "TELEVISION REVIEW; When Denmark Didn't Look the Other Way". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  11. ^ Rosenfeld, Megan (3 January 2001). "Henry James, Avert Your Eyes!". The Washington Post. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Getting Close". Northern Ireland Screen. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Making Ends Meet". Irish Film and Television Network. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  14. ^ Stratton, David (5 March 2000). "Saltwater". Variety. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  15. ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (6 March 2002). "Borstal Boy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Coolockland". Irish Film and Television Network. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  17. ^ McLean, Gareth (29 January 2002). "Troubles in mind". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Mystics". Irish Film Database. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  19. ^ Heffernan, Breda (13 February 2004). "Rising star Eva jets in for opening of Timbuktu". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  20. ^ Mackie, Rob (12 July 2005). "Review - Ae Fond Kiss ..." The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Fond Kiss star heads for Hollywood". Irish Examiner. 19 November 2004. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (13 January 2006). "Review - Breakfast On Pluto". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  23. ^ Wijaszka, Zofia (1 June 2020). ""Imagine Me & You" And Its Importance in Search of My Sexuality". intheirownleague.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  24. ^ French, Philip (4 March 2007). "Film - Middletown". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  25. ^ "The Martyr's Crown". parkfilms.ie. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  26. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (25 March 2010). "Review - Nightwatching". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  27. ^ "SAVE ANGEL HOPE". Brooklyn Film Festival. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  28. ^ "'The Daisy Chain' never fulfills promise". Irish Examiner. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  29. ^ "Reverb". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  30. ^ Bell, Sean (29 November 2008). "A PIECE OF MY MIND: Eva Birthistle, actress". The Herald. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  31. ^ French, Philip (27 March 2011). "Wake Wood – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  32. ^ "THE CROSSING - Christina Solomons Photography". christinasolomons.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  33. ^ Kermode, Mark (1 December 2013). "The Day of the Flowers – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  34. ^ Tallerico, Brian (19 September 2014). "Life's a Breeze". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  35. ^ Rabbitte, Eimear (21 March 2014). "Eva glad she wasn't a mum during Amber". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  36. ^ "Here With Me". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  37. ^ "Eva among cast and crew celebrating Oscar nomination for Brooklyn". Northern Ireland World. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  38. ^ McGowan, Sharon (8 July 2015). "Eva to star in comedy Swansong". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  39. ^ Ramaswamy, Chitra (26 August 2016). "The Circuit review: Pulling's creators take aim at the dinner party". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  40. ^ Brady, Tara (25 April 2018). "The Delinquent Season: A hugely disappointing Irish debut". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  41. ^ Milton, Stephen (30 November 2013). "How the girl from 'Glenroe' became 'the next big thing' again. . ". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  42. ^ a b "Eva Birthistle". 42 Management & Production. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  43. ^ "In Deep, Series 1, Ghost Squad: Part 1". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  44. ^ "Trust - Drama". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  45. ^ "Silent Witness, Series 7, Fatal Error, Part 1". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  46. ^ "Agatha Christie's Poirot - Series 10 - Episode 4". ITV. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  47. ^ "BBC ONE Autumn 2006". BBC. 18 July 2006. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  48. ^ Lowry, Brian (2 October 2008). "The Last Enemy". Variety. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  49. ^ "Ashes to Ashes, Series 2, Episode 8". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  50. ^ "Five Daughters: The true story". Manchester Evening News. 28 April 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  51. ^ Chater, David (12 March 2011). "Sunday's TV: Waking the Dead". The Times. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  52. ^ Riccio, Aaron (8 August 2011). "Review: Strike Back: Season One". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  53. ^ Mangan, Lucy (12 July 2012). "TV review: Bank of Dave; Case Sensitive". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  54. ^ "Eva Birthistle: 'I cried every day while filming new RTE show Amber'". Irish Independent. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  55. ^ Plaice, Andy (27 April 2014). "Vera, Series 4, ITV". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  56. ^ "Eva Birthistle: From Behind Her Eyes to Brooklyn stardom". Entertainment Daily. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  57. ^ Finnis, Alex (17 October 2018). "What time is The Bisexual on Channel 4 tonight, who's in the cast with Desiree Akhavan and what's it about?". i. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  58. ^ Craig, David (21 September 2022). "Meet the cast of Netflix's Fate: The Winx Saga". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  59. ^ Cremona, Patrick (20 February 2021). "Netflix's Behind Her Eyes left out this gruesome detail from the book". Radio Times. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  60. ^ Gallacher, Stephen (24 October 2022). "Back in black? Bad Sisters star Eva Birthistle reveals a possible second series". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
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