Deirdre Mullins

Last updated

Deirdre Mullins
Born
Education Trinity College Dublin
University of St Andrews (BA)
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
OccupationActor
Years active2009–present

Deirdre Mullins is an Irish actress, director and activist. In 2017, she won a Scottish BAFTA for Best Actress in Film for her role in The Dark Mile. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Born in Dublin, Mullins grew up in Stoneybatter on the city's Northside. Her family moved to the suburb Howth when she was 10. [2] She was head girl at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf. She began her studies in Drama and Theatre at Trinity College Dublin. She then transferred to the University of St Andrews where she studied Anthropology and later graduated with a degree in English Literature in 2006. She participated in the Trinity Players and the St Andrews Mermaids. She went on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 2006 to 2008 before moving to London. [3]

Career

Mullins starred as Naomi in the Channel 4 series Man Down . [4] Her theatre work includes playing Rosalind in As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe, [5] [6] [7] Lika in Marina Carr's 16 Possible Glimpses at the Abbey Theatre, [8] and Jessie Taite in Seán O'Casey's The Silver Tassie at the National Theatre. [9]

Mullins' directing debut, a production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, was set in a hotel swimming pool and won her rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe 2006 including The Scotsman 's top 5 shows to see at the Fringe. [10] [11] It was in Time Out's top 3 shows at the Fringe; [12] giving it 5 stars, Rachel Halliburton said 'This is the kind of unexpected discovery that critics live for at Edinburgh'. [13] A decade later, Mullins directed her second show, an experimental new play by Bea Roberts, Infinity Pool, which won a Toast of the Fringe Award [14] at Plymouth Fringe Festival and went on to enjoy a place on The Guardian's list of recommended shows at the Edinburgh Fringe & International Festival 2016. The critic Lyn Gardner described it as 'painfully funny'. [15] Giving it 5 stars from The Stage , Stewart Pringle said it was 'utterly unique and exceptional in every way, it's a heart-breaking story of a stunted life, told with theatrical verve and palpable compassion'. [16] The play was short-listed for the highly prestigious Total Theatre Award. [17]

Mullins is a core committee member of ERA 50:50, [18] a campaign calling for equal representation of women on screen and stage. She made an impassioned speech about this when picking up her BAFTA (Scotland). [19] [20]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009 Holy Water Kate Mulvey
2012 Comedown Newsreader 1
2013DoghouseJulie SteptonShort film
2015 My Name Is Emily Emily's Mother
2016 Tank 432 Sarah Karlsson
2017The Dark MileClaire
2018Ötzi & the Mystery of TimeHelena
2019Crime Lessons: The MuggeningChloeShort film
2019Mumford & Sons: BelovedMotherMusic Video
2020The Christmas BallClare
2022MandrakeCathy Madden
2025 In the Lost Lands Mara [21]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009 Ashes to Ashes Nurse1 episode
2010De Troon (The Throne)JoannaEpisode: "Maak er maar een republiek van"
2010 Midsomer Murders Libby MorrisEpisode: "The Noble Art"
2011TriviaGráinne4 episodes
2012 Whitechapel Heather Green1 episode
2012The Best Possible Taste: The Kenny Everett StoryBBC ReceptionistTelevision film
2013 Doctors Chrissie WelshEpisode: "Over a Barrel"
2013 Vikings Peasant WomanEpisode: "A King's Ransom"
2013BreathlessDiana FairfaxMiniseries; 1 episode
2013 Man Down NaomiMain role (series 1)
2015 Inspector George Gently Valerie CullenEpisode: "Breath in the Air"
2015 The Frankenstein Chronicles Agnes Marlott4 episodes
2016 Father Brown Bebe FontaineEpisode: "The Mask of the Demon"
2017 Will Anne Shakespeare3 episodes
2018 The Romanoffs Natalie BurrowsEpisode: "The One That Holds Everything"
2019 Flack JanetEpisode: "Calvin"
2020 Miss Scarlet and The Duke Tabitha ButlerEpisode: "The Woman in Red"
2021 The Drowning Kate4 episodes
2021 Shadow and Bone Tante Heleen2 episodes
2021 Angela Black Emma1 episode
2022 London Kills Dr Cassidy HodgesEpisode: "Control Freak"
2023 The Couple Next Door Lena

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Overkill's The Walking Dead Heather

Stage

YearTitleRoleTheatreDirector
2008 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Viola Redgrave TheatreJohn Hartoch
2008 A Month in the Country by Ivan Turgenev (trans. Brian Friel)Lizaveta Tobacco Factory Theatre Sue Wilson
2009 Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Mariana Thelma Holt Ltd/Theatre Royal, Plymouth Jamie Glover
2009 The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices Actor The Old Vic Alice Lacey
2011Old Vic 24 Hour Plays Celebrity GalaActor The Old Vic Alexander Ferris
201116 Possible Glimpses (world premiere) by Marina Carr Lika Abbey Theatre Wayne Jordan
2011 A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Helena Headlong Natalie Abrahami
2012 As You Like It by William Shakespeare Rosalind Shakespeare's Globe James Dacre
2013 The Man Who Pays The Piper by GB Stern Daryll Orange Tree Theatre Helen Leblique
2014 The Silver Tassie by Seán O'Casey Jessie Taite Lyttelton, National Theatre Howard Davies

Audio

Radio

YearTitleRoleChannelNotes
2009CavityJemma BBC Radio 4 dir Alison Crawford
2009The LakeReader BBC Radio 4 dir Sarah Blunt
2011PositiveTess BBC Radio 4 dir Sara Davies
2017The Cold God of Bad Luck by Colin BarrettReader BBC Radio 4 prod Duncan Minshull
2019 The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien Martha BBC Radio 4 dir Sally Avens & Jessica Dromgoole
2020For the Love of LeoMary Grace BBC Radio 4 dir Marilyn Imrie
2021The HealerReader BBC Radio 4 dir Maggie Ayre
2022English RoseSiobhán BBC Radio 4 dir Mary Ward-Lowery

Drama

YearTitleRoleProduction companyNotes
2015 The Confessions of Dorian Gray Scarlet Moore Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2015 Dracula Mina Harker Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2016 Doctor Who – "The Very Dark Thing"Admiral Effenish Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2016 Charlotte Pollard Naomi Big Finish Productions dir Nicholas Briggs
2017 The Prisoner S2Number 2 Big Finish Productions dir Nicholas Briggs
2017 Hamlet Ophelia Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2017Doctor Who – "The War Master"Osen Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2018 Cicero Vitellia Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock (nominated for Best Audio Drama 2018 Audie Awards) [22]
2018 Class – "Gifted"Mab Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2019Doctor Who – "Feast of Fear"The Spae Wife Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2019 Torchwood – "Serenity"Kelly Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2020Doctor Who – "The Headless Ones"Amanda Latimer Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock
2020 Dracula's War Mina Harker Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock

References

  1. BAFTA Scotland website
  2. Battersby, Eileen (3 August 2012). "'It was the one part I would dream about'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  3. List of graduates from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School since 1984 Archived 8 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Interview with Greg Davies about playing Naomi in Man Down
  5. Interview in Irish Independent about As You Like It
  6. Interview in Irish Examiner about As You Like It
  7. As You Like It on Shakespeare's Globe website
  8. "16 Possible Glimpses info, pics, trailer on the Abbey Theatre website". Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  9. Profile on the National Theatre website Archived 12 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  10. "British Theatre Guide's 5 Star review of Metamorphoses". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  11. Edinburgh Guide review of Metamorphoses
  12. Time Out's Fringe Favourites 2006
  13. Rachel Halliburton's review of Metamorphoses for Timeout [ permanent dead link ]
  14. Plymouth Fringe website
  15. "Edinburgh festival 2016: The shows we recommend". TheGuardian.com . 9 August 2016.
  16. "Infinity Pool review at Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh – 'unique and exceptional'| Review | Theatre | the Stage". Archived from the original on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  17. "Total Theatre Awards Edinburgh Fringe shortlist announced | WhatsOnStage".
  18. ERA 50:50 website
  19. BAFTA speech about ERA 50:50
  20. Interview in The Guardian about the ERA 50:50 campaign
  21. Grobar, Matt (19 September 2024). "Vertical Acquires Paul W. S. Anderson's Fantasy Actioner 'In The Lost Lands' Starring Milla Jovovich & Dave Bautista". Deadline.
  22. "Audie Award website". Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.