Michelle Fairley Biography

(Northern Ireland Actress Best Known for Her Role as ‘Catelyn Stark’ in the TV Series ‘Game of Thrones’)

Birthday: July 11, 1963 (Cancer)

Born In: Northern Ireland

Michelle Fairley is an actor from Northern Ireland, best known for her role as the ‘Lady of Winterfell, Catelyn Stark’ in ‘HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones.’ Though ‘Catelyn Stark’ was “killed” in the third season, the infamous episode featuring her death, ‘The Red Wedding,’ remains one of the most talked-about episodes of the series. It has become a phrase of reference for many writers. Fairley started her acting career in the 1980s, with theater, but quickly moved to TV. Fairley’s might have been a known face on British TV, but she owes her new-found fame and recognition to ‘Game of Thrones.’ It is in retrospect that most people recognize her in some of her earlier works, such as ‘The Others,’ ‘The Duel,’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part - 1.’ It is believed that her performance as ‘Emilia’ in the 2007 production of the Shakespeare play ‘Othello’ helped her bag the role in ‘Game of Thrones.’ Fairley continues to keep her private life away from the media.

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Quick Facts

Age: 61 Years, 61 Year Old Females

Born Country: Northern Ireland

Actresses Cancer Actresses

Height: 5'5" (165 cm), 5'5" Females

More Facts

awards: 2014; 2012 · Game of Thrones - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2008 · Othello - Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role
2019 · Julius Caesar - WhatsOnStage Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play

  • 1

    What role did Michelle Fairley play in Game of Thrones?

    Michelle Fairley played the role of Catelyn Stark in the popular TV series Game of Thrones.
  • 2

    Is Michelle Fairley Irish?

    Yes, Michelle Fairley is Irish. She was born in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
  • 3

    Did Michelle Fairley star in the TV series Suits?

    Yes, Michelle Fairley had a recurring role as Ava Hessington in the TV series Suits.
  • 4

    Has Michelle Fairley appeared in any movies?

    Yes, Michelle Fairley has appeared in movies such as Philomena, The Invisible Woman, and The Others.
  • 5

    What other TV shows has Michelle Fairley been a part of?

    Michelle Fairley has also appeared in TV shows like 24: Live Another Day, Resurrection, and Rebellion.
Childhood & Early Life
Michelle Fairley was born on January 17, 1964, in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Her mother, Theresa, was a nurse before quitting her job for motherhood. Her father, Brian, owned a chain of pubs in County Antrim.
Young Michelle Fairley and her sister, Simone, were raised with high moral attributes. Fairley once stated in an interview that her parents had instilled strong values in them, such as respect, strong work ethics, honesty, and fairness.
Born a Catholic, Fairley attended a Roman Catholic grammar school in Ballycastle. Her family is full of avid readers. However, she was the only one who developed an interest in drama during her formative years. Sadly such activities were not part of the curriculum at the convent.
A career in acting was just a fleeting thought initially. However, Fairley decided to take up acting seriously after joining the ‘Ulster Youth Theatre.’ Following her graduation, Fairley moved to Belfast and joined an amateur theater group called ‘Fringe Benefits.’
Fairley moved to Manchester after being in Belfast for several years. She then joined ‘Manchester Polytechnic,’ now known as the ‘Manchester Metropolitan University.’ A tutor there helped Fairley earn her first professional stage work.
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Career
In 1986, Fairley moved to the capital to work in her first play, Christina Reid’s ‘Joyriders,’ at the ‘Tricycle Theatre’ in London. She has lived in London ever since.
It was not long after her first stage performance that Fairley began her TV career with ‘ITV’s British drama series ‘Saracen’ (1989). A year later, she was seen on the silver screen for the first time, in Ken Loach’s political thriller ‘Hidden Agenda.’
For the next decade or so, Fairley was mostly seen in single episodes of various series, such as the medical dramas ‘Casualty’ (1991) and ‘Cardiac Arrest’ (1994), the ‘BBC1’ mystery drama ‘Lovejoy’ (1992), the British police-procedural series ‘The Bill’ (1995), and the famous detective drama series ‘Inspector Morse’ (1995).
Fairley appeared in her first lead role in ‘Safe and Sound,’ as ‘Eleanor Delaney,’ in 1996. She then appeared in the ‘BBC One’ crime drama ‘The Broker’s Man’ in 1997. The series featured her as ‘Gabby Rodwell.’ She did a number of made-for-TV films during this time, namely, ‘Comics’ (1993), ‘Life After Life’ (1995), ‘A Mug’s Game’ (1996), ‘The Precious Blood’ (1996), and ‘Vicious Circle’ (1999).
Fairley continued appearing in theater productions concurrently during the 1990s. She played ‘Carol’ in David Mamet’s ‘Oleanna,’ at the ‘Royal Court Theatre,’ in 1993. Five years later, in 1998, she performed as ‘Elisabeth’ at the same venue, in the classic ‘Never Land.’ She played ‘Valerie’ in the world premier of Conor McPherson’s ‘The Weir’ at the ‘Walter Kerr Theatre,’ in 1999.
Fairley’s career remained steady and uneventful for most of the next decade. After a hiatus of 8 years, Fairley returned to the silver screen, with ‘A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries’ and ‘Suffering’ in 1998. Her first major motion picture was a supernatural psychological horror, ‘The Others’ (2001), starring Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan.
Fairley started the millennium with a short-lived drama series named ‘McCready and Daughter’ (2000). She appeared in ‘Holby City’ (2003), ‘The Clinic’ (2003), ‘The Golden Hour’ (2005), ‘Strictly Confidential’ (2006), and ‘Trial & Retribution’ (2007).
In 2004, Fairley was seen at the ‘Lyric Theatre,’ playing ‘Rebecca’ in ‘Ashes to Ashes,’ a play written by English playwright Harold Pinter. However, it was her performance as ‘Emilia’ in the 2007 production of the Shakespeare classic ‘Othello’ at the ‘Donmar Warehouse’ that transformed her career. It is rumored that Fairley’s performance in the final scenes of the play, which showed ‘Emilia’ being murdered, helped her bag the career-defining role of ‘Catelyn Stark.’
After appearing in some famous British TV films such as ‘A Short Stay in Switzerland’ and ‘Best: His Mother’s Son’ in 2009, Fairley played the role of a quintessential matriarch in ‘Game of Thrones,’ the TV adaptation of GRR Martin’s epic fantasy series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire,’ in 2011. Most of her international fans know her as ‘Lady Catelyn Stark,’ her character in the series. Though she was “killed” in the third season of the series, the impact of Fairley’s performance remained throughout the series.
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Fairley earned quite a few award nominations for her performance in ‘Game of Thrones,’ including two ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ nominations, one each in 2011 and 2013. She won the ‘Irish Film & Television Award’ in 2013, after being nominated once in 2011.
Fairley has worked in some of the most popular TV series since her days in ‘Game of Thrones,’ which include the legal drama series ‘Suits’ (2013), the ‘Fox’ action thriller ‘24:Live Another Day’ (2014), the fantasy series ‘Resurrection’ (2014–2015), and the historical drama ‘The White Princess’ (2017). She will soon be seen in the psychological thriller ‘The Feed.’
Her more recent stage projects include Abi Morgan’s ‘Splendour’ at the ‘Donmar Warehouse,’ in 2015. Fairley also played ‘Cassius’ in ‘Julius Caesar’ at the ‘Bridge Theatre,’ in 2018.
Personal & Family Life
Fairley had a long and steady relationship for 7 years. However, it ended in 2012. She continues to stay alone in Kensal Rise, West London. In an interview given to ‘The Telegraph,’ Fairley spoke candidly about her decision of abstaining from motherhood, alluding to the heavy responsibility of parenthood.
Fairley is a lapsed Catholic and is lightly remorseful about it. However, her decision to quit her faith was based on years of observation of the church life.
Facts About Michelle Fairley
Michelle Fairley is a talented actress with a diverse range of roles, including playing Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones.
She is known for her dedication to her craft and has received critical acclaim for her performances on both stage and screen.
In addition to acting, Fairley is passionate about environmental causes and has been involved in various conservation efforts.
She has a great sense of humor and is known for keeping the mood light on set with her jokes and playful banter.
Fairley is also a skilled equestrian and enjoys horseback riding in her free time.

See the events in life of Michelle Fairley in Chronological Order

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- Michelle Fairley Biography
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