Hannah Murray

Hannah Murray

Murray at the Bridgend premiere, 2015.
Born Tegan Lauren-Hannah Murray
1 July 1989
Bristol, England
Occupation Actress
Years active 2007–present

Tegan Lauren-Hannah Murray (born 1 July 1989), known professionally as Hannah Murray, is an English actress. She is best known for portraying Cassie Ainsworth in the E4 teen drama series Skins from 2007 to 2008 (and again in 2013) and Gilly in the HBO series Game of Thrones.

Early life

Murray was born and raised in Bristol. Her parents both work at Bristol University, her father as a professor and her mother as a research technician. She earned an English degree at Queens' College, Cambridge.[1] She attended North Bristol Post 16 Centre,[2] and was a member of the Bristol Old Vic Young Company.

Career

At the age of 16, Murray heard about an audition for young actors in Bristol, and decided to audition for the experience. The auditions were for the E4 teen drama series Skins. She impressed the producers of the series and was cast as Cassie Ainsworth, a gentle and creative but self-destructive teenager with an eating disorder. Murray and April Pearson were the first two to get cast for the show.[3] Murray went on to appear in the first two series, from 2007 to 2008. She left at the end of the show's second series to make way for a new generation of characters. On the decision to replace the cast, Murray has said that "it would be really silly to be in a teenage drama if you're no longer a teenager".[4]

Following Skins in May 2008, Murray made her stage debut as Mia in the critically acclaimed That Face, a West End production at the Duke of York's Theatre. She was highly praised for her acting in the play, alongside the cast, and it was considered a milestone in her career as she abandoned her well-known "Cassie way".[5] That same year, she had a small role in the black comedy In Bruges, but her scene was eventually cut from the final version of the film.[6]

Murray (right) and the cast of God Help The Girl at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014.

In 2009, Murray appeared in the ITV adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel Why Didn't They Ask Evans? where she played Dorothy Savage. Murray also appeared in the thriller film Womb (2010). Later that year, Murray starred in an adaptation of Enda Walsh's Chatroom. The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.[7] In early January, she appeared in the British television thriller Above Suspicion: the Red Dahlia,[8] an adaptation of Linda La Plante novel, in a small role.

On 8 August 2011, HBO confirmed that Murray would portray Gilly in the second and third seasons of Game of Thrones. She was upgraded to a series regular for the fourth season. Her character is a young woman who has a baby by her own father, and becomes protected by the character Samwell Tarly.[9] In 2012, she appeared in the action thriller film The Numbers Station.

In 2013, Murray appeared in a two-episode feature, in the seventh and final series of Skins, where she continued her role as a more serious, solemn, and independent Cassie Ainsworth, who returns as an adult to the series.[10] She also starred in the music video for "Your Cover's Blown" by Belle & Sebastian.[11]

In 2014, Murray starred in God Help the Girl, about three musicians in Glasgow. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2014, and Murray shared the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the Delightful Ensemble Performance. Later the year she continued her role as Gilly in Game of Thrones season 4. She also starred the acclaimed revival of the Jean-Jacques Bernard’s play Martine, in which she plays the title role. Her performance was considered one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking of the year, by the public and critics, and it was nominated for Best female Performance at the Off West End Awards.[12]

Murray starred in Lily & Kat (2015), an independent american film and first feature length directed by Micael Preysler, about inseparable best friends who struggle to make the best of their last few days together, savouring the city nightlife with an enigmatic artist one of them takes a liking for.

In 2015 she played Sara at the Danish film Bridgend, based on the mystery Bridgend suicides of South Wales. The film premiere was at the Rotterdam Film Festival, and already received good reviews. After that the film had it's North American premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in which it was completely acclaimed and received 3 awards, including Best Actress to Murray.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2008 In Bruges Prostitute Deleted scene
2010 Womb Monica
2010 Chatroom Emily
2011 Wings Ellie Short Film
2012 Dark Shadows Hippie Chick
2012 Little Glory Jessica
2013 The Numbers Station Rachel Davis
2014 God Help the Girl Cassie
2015 Lily & Kat Kat
2015 Bridgend Sara
2016 The Chosen Sylvia Ageloff Filming

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2008
2013
Skins Cassie Ainsworth 19 episodes
2009 Agatha Christie's Marple Dorothy Savage
2010 Above Suspicion: the Red Dahlia Emily Wickenham
2012–present Game of Thrones Gilly Recurring Seasons 2-3, Series Regular Season 4-present

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
2008 That Face Mia Duke of York's Theatre
2014 Martine Martine Finborough Theatre

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
2013-2014 Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully Lucy Alexander 11 episodes

Music videos

Year Artist Title
2013 Belle and Sebastian "Your Cover's Blown (Miaoux Miaoux Mix)"

Awards and nominations

Year Work Award Category Result
2008 Skins Monte Carlo Television Festival Outstanding Actress in a Drama SeriesNominated
2008 Skins NXG Awards Best Actress Nominated
2009 Skins Bafta Awards Audience Award (TV)Won
2014 Game of Thrones Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated
2014 God Help The Girl Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the Delightful Ensemble PerformanceWon
2014 Martine Off West End Awards Best Female PerformanceNominated
2015 Bridgend Tribeca Film Festival Best Actress in a Narrative Feature FilmWon

References

  1. Sauma, Luiza (10 February 2008). "Hannah Murray". The Independent (FindArticles). Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2009.
  2. "Hannah Murray". TV.com.
  3. Goodhart, Benjie (14 January 2007). "April Pearson". The National Student Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  4. Alkayat, Zena (21 April 2008). "Skins actress is the perfect problem child". Metro. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  5. Rynn, Melissa; Jackson, Kate (12 May 2008). "Review Round-up: Stenham Saves West End Face". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  6. Weiss, Keely (25 July 2009). "'Skins' veteran Hannah Murray". Goodprattle.com. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  7. Bamigboye, Baz (30 April 2009). "Hannah tangles with the sinister side of the web". Daily Mail. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  8. "Hannah Murray". Troikatalent.com. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  9. Elio (8 August 2011). "Updated: Gilly Cast (Confirmed)". Westeros.org. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  10. Hannah Murray, Jack O'Connell and Kaya Scodelario return to Skins – Channel 4 – Info – Press. Channel 4 (16 October 2012).
  11. G1 – Atriz de 'Game of thrones' estrela novo clipe de Belle & Sebastian – notícias em Música. G1.globo.com (28 August 2013).
  12. http://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/2014/martine.php

External links

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