Marie Kean

Marie Kean (27 June 1918 – 29 December 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actress whose career spanned more than four decades, earning her a reputation as one of Ireland’s most impressive performers. Born in the small seaside village of Rush, County Dublin, she received her early education at Loreto College on North Great George’s Street before honing her craft at the Gaiety School of Acting. Kean joined the Abbey Theatre company, where she remained a repertory member until 1961, appearing in productions ranging from J.M. Synge’s rural dramas to Sean O’Casey’s politically charged works. Her powerful presence and emotional depth quickly made her a favorite with both audiences and critics, and The Stage later praised her as 'an artist of considerable emotional depth and theatrical command.'

Kean’s fame expanded beyond the stage when she originated the beloved matriarch Mrs. Kennedy in the long‑running Radio Éireann serial The Kennedys of Castleross, a role she sustained for the programme’s 18‑year lifespan. In 1968 she earned a Jacob’s Award for her television performance as Winnie in RTÉ’s adaptation of Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, a part she later described as her favourite. Subsequent screen work included a memorable turn as Barry Lyndon’s scheming mother in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and a gritty Irish shopkeeper in David Lean’s Ryan’s Daughter. She also appeared in John Huston’s The Dead (1987) as Mrs. Malins, her final film role. Kean’s stage achievements were recognised internationally when she won the State of New York Best Actress award for her lead in John B. Keane’s Big Maggie in 1978. She married William Mulvey, who predeceased her in 1977, and died peacefully in Donnybrook, Dublin, at the age of 75.