All eyes are on Cillian Murphy, known for his strong jawline and striking blue eyes, who starred in “Oppenheimer.” Here’s the scoop of the Irish actor, spotted at the 2024 Oscars. Beyond his silver screen success lies a tangle of secrets and scandals that has gossip columns buzzing.
Here’s the lowdown on Murphy’s journey and all you need to know about the Oscar winner.
Cillian Murphy: Family & Background
Murphy was born in Cork City, Ireland. His dad was a civil servant and his mom taught French. Murphy headed to University College Cork to study law. However, he flunked his first-year exams. Murphy strummed the guitar in a Frank Zappa-inspired acid jazz band called “The Sons of Mr. Green Genes.” Murphy has been hitched since 2004 to Irish visual artist Yvonne McGuinness. The pair has two teenage sons.
Big and Small Screen Journey!
After his music career fizzled, Murphy turned to acting. In 1996, he landed a major role in Enda Walsh’s play “Disco Pigs.” Murphy’s breakthrough in cinema came with Danny Boyle’s “28 Days Later” (2002), a surprise hit zombie thriller. Director Christopher Nolan noticed Murphy in a newspaper photo from “28 Days Later.” Murphy collaborated with Nolan in subsequent Batman films, “Inception,” “Dunkirk,” and “Oppenheimer.” In the U.K. and Ireland, Murphy gained widespread acclaim as the gangster Tommy Shelby in the BBC-originated, Netflix-acquired series, “Peaky Blinders,” which aired from 2013 to 2022, earning him numerous awards.
Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer Paycheck Revealed?
Several reports claim that Murphy earned $10 million from the film, although this figure remains unconfirmed. Murphy expressed discomfort with the magnitude of his earnings as an actor in a 2019 interview. “I’m fortunate. Sometimes, I feel awkward about it, but the Catholic guilt kicks in right away, and I’m like—something’s bound to go wrong. I don’t deserve this. And I don’t.”
Eclipsing the Spotlight
Murphy has shared his thoughts on the downside of fame, likening it to a daily commute. “Fame is like that tedious journey you endure to reach your destination,” he quipped to Rolling Stone. “I’m not much of a social butterfly. You’ll mostly find me at home or hanging out with my pals unless there’s a movie I’m promoting. The paparazzi snapping away? Yeah, that doesn’t sit well with me,” he admitted with a hint of disdain.
