Cillian Murphy (/ˈkɪliən/ KILL-ee-ən) (born May 25, 1976) is an acclaimed Irish actor known for his performances on both the stage and screen. His career is distinguished by numerous honors, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Murphy made his professional debut in 1996 with the play *Disco Pigs* by Enda Walsh, a role he reprised for the film adaptation. His early acting roles include the horror film *28 Days Later* (2002), the dark comedy *Intermission* (2003), the thriller *Red Eye* (2005), the Irish war drama *The Wind That Shakes the Barley* (2006), and the science fiction thriller *Sunshine* (2007). In *Breakfast on Pluto* (2005), he portrayed a transgender Irish woman, earning his first Golden Globe nomination. In 2005, Murphy began collaborating with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, playing the Scarecrow in *The Dark Knight* trilogy (2005–2012) and appearing in *Inception* (2010) and *Dunkirk* (2017). He achieved widespread recognition as Tommy Shelby in the BBC period drama *Peaky Blinders* (2013–2022) and starred in the horror sequel *A Quiet Place Part II* (2020). Murphy's portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan’s *Oppenheimer* (2023) led to his winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2011, he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for the one-man play *Misterman*. In 2020, *The Irish Times* named him one of the greatest Irish film actors of all time.