Elaine Cassidy

Elaine Cassidy is an Irish actress whose career spans over three decades, beginning with her first professional role in 1994 after an early passion for performance sparked by a school production of Pinocchio at the age of five. Born on 31 December 1979 in Raheny, County Dublin, she moved to Kilcoole at three and honed her craft through drama classes in secondary school, eventually making a notable film debut in The Sun, the Moon and the Stars (1996) which earned her a Most Promising Actress nomination at the Geneva Film Festival. Her breakthrough came with the critically acclaimed Felicia's Journey (1999), securing a Best Actress nomination at the 20th Genie Awards, and she was honoured as an EFP European Shooting Star in 2001. Throughout the 2000s, Cassidy demonstrated remarkable versatility across cinema and television, delivering powerful performances in Disco Pigs (2002) – winning an IFTA for Best Actress in a Lead Role in Film – and the chilling CBS series Harper's Island (2009), for which she received another IFTA. She continued to captivate audiences with roles in The Others (2001), And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007), and the period drama Fingersmith (2005), where her portrayal of Maud Lilly garnered further acclaim. In recent years, Cassidy has maintained a strong presence on screen with appearances in No Offence (2015‑2018), The Wonder (2022) alongside her daughter Kíla, and the epic The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2023). Her theatrical contributions include work with the Royal Shakespeare Company in The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2002) and The Crucible (2006), as well as performances at the Almeida Theatre. Beyond her artistic achievements, Elaine is married to English actor Stephen Lord and is a mother of two, balancing a vibrant family life in Greenwich, London with her ongoing artistic pursuits.