He schooled at Presentation Brothers College Cork.
Has a younger brother, Páidi, a design engineer.
Married wife Yvonne in 2004.
Father is a school inspector.
Lives in London, England
He plays in a Frank Zappa-influenced band called 'Sons of Mr. Greengenes'.
Has two sisters, Sile & Orla
First name pronounced "Kill-ian"
He was planning a career in law until he discovered the world of acting.
Although he is a vegetarian, he learned to chop up meat in an abattoir for his role as butcher in Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003).
Auditioned for the role of Batman in Batman Begins (2005). The role was eventually given to Christian Bale. But, director Christopher Nolan liked Cillian's audition so much that he gave him a role as Batman's arch-nemesis Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, who is a developing character in this movie.
He was one of 4 children and is the oldest.
Cillian Murphy Detailed Biography
Born in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, in 1976, Cillian Murphy's father was a
school inspector and his mother, a French teacher. Cillian Murphy attended
school at Presentation Brothers College Cork intending to enter
into a career in law, but was turned on to the Corcadorca
Theater's unique stage productions in his fourth year. Cillian Murphy soon
signed up for a workshop with Corcadorca's Pat Tiernan and it
quickly became apparent that he had a natural flair for the stage.
Soon cast as the wildly emotional Pig in Corcadorca's production
of Disco Pigs, Cillian Murphy debuted to rave reviews and was soon
skipping school to go on tour with the production. Though his
acting had initially begun as a hobby and a way to kill time on
the weekends, it was quickly taking over his life and a career in
law seemed less and less appealing. Though Cillian Murphy would attempt to
continue his law studies, it was soon obvious to Cillian that his
heart just wasn't in it.
Subsequently cast in a series of interesting and complex roles,
Cillian Murphy made his feature debut in the 1998 film The Tale of
Sweety Barrett and quickly followed with the coming-of-age
comedy-drama Sunburn. Though it was obvious that his stage
talents translated well to the silver screen, Cillian Murphy still
maintained that the rush of theater couldn't be touched by
celluloid. The problem in Ireland of suicide and poor mental
health among young men prompted Cillian to accept a role in the
2000 drama On the Edge, and his role of a suicidal psychiatric
patient proved memorable and affecting. Following How Harry
Became a Tree (2001), it was time to adapt Disco Pigs into a
feature film, and with director Kirsten Sheridan at the helm,
Cillian Murphy reprised his role of Pig to enthusiastic results. By the time
28 Days Later rolled around, it seemed that everyone except US
audiences were familiar with the rising star, all that was soon to
change. Noting that, in his opinion, the best actors alternate
frequently between stage and screen, Cillian Murphy strived to keep a
balance as his growing popularity found his film career taking
precedence. Following 2003's Zonad, Murphy began preparation
for such features as Intermission and The Girl With A Pearl
Earring and Cold Mountain (all in 2003).
Cillian Murphy has recently portrayed the "Irish" Hamlet in Ireland's Druid
Theatre's production of The Playboy of the Western World, and is
currently filming Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. Most
recently, Cillian Murphy has signed on to act in Neil Jordan's upcoming
project Breakfast on Pluto, where he will portray Patrick McCabe's
protagonist, Patrick "Pussy" Braden, a transvestite prostitute, in
the same-titled novel.
