Saoirse Ronan Biography

Saoirse Ronan was born in The Bronx, New York City, on April 12, 1994, to Irish parents, Paul Ronan and Monica Ronan.

Her father was an actor and her mother was a former child actor. Her family moved to Dublin, Ireland when Saoirse was 3 years old.

Saoirse attended the ‘Ardattin National School’ in County Carlow, where she lived for a brief period of time. She was later home-schooled before she moved back to Dublin to live with her parents.

In 2003, Ronan earned a role in the Irish medical drama ‘The Clinic,’ followed by a role in a miniseries named ‘Proof.’ She also auditioned for the role of ‘Luna Lovegood’ in ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,’ before she moved to the US to venture into Hollywood.

Her first Hollywood role was in the romantic comedy ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman,’ alongside Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd. The movie did not have a theatrical release in the US but was given a direct-to-video release in 2008.

Her most notable role was in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel ‘Atonement.’ She played a teenage aspiring novelist, ‘Briony Tallis.’ It was a role that earned her various awards and immense recognition.

She also appeared in ‘Death Defying Acts’ (2007), alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, and in ‘City of Ember’ (2008). She scored another hit with the 2009 movie ‘The Lovely Bones,’ in which she played ‘Susie Salmon,’ a 14-year-old girl who is raped and murdered but avenges the wrong done to her after dying.

She was deluged with a swarm of good reviews from both the media and the critics. However, ‘The Lovely Bones’ was a box-office failure. In 2010, she starred in the war drama ‘The Way Back,’ in which she played an orphan named ‘Irena’ who treks to India with Siberian convicts during World War II.

In 2011, she played a 15-year-old assassin in the action flick ‘Hanna.’ Her self-performed action sequences attracted a lot of appreciation from critics.

She played a more mature and gothic character in the 2012 film ‘Byzantium,’ which featured her as a young vampire alongside Gemma Arterton.

In 2013, she became part of the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel ‘The Host.’ The film was a major disappointment, but Ronan’s screen presence was appreciated.

2013 also saw the release of ‘How I Live Now,’ which was a drama movie about a teenager being sent to a farm in the UK during the ‘Third World War,’ and ‘Justin and the Knights of Valour,’ in which she lent her voice to the character ‘Talia.’

In 2014, she played a supporting role in the comedy ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel.’ The movie became a grand hit and was ranked as one of the greatest movies of the century by ‘BBC.’

Her next big role was in the 2015 film called ‘Brooklyn.’ This was based on Colm Tóibín’s novel of the same name and had Ronan playing the lead role of ‘Eilis Lacey.’

Her performance in the movie was widely appreciated by film lovers and the media. In 2016, she made her ‘Broadway’ debut in the play ‘The Crucible,’ in which she played ‘Abigail Williams,’ a witchy maid accused of killing 150 people.

In 2017, she voiced the character of ‘Marguerite Gachet’ in the animated drama ‘Loving Vincent.’ She also had a starring role in the romantic comedy ‘On Chesil Beach,’ opposite Billy Howle.

She next starred in Greta Gerwig’s ‘Lady Bird,’ which became the best-reviewed film on ‘Rotten Tomatoes.’ Ronan played ‘Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson,’ a high school student who shares a turbulent relationship with her mother and friends.

Her performance in the movie was judged to be the best of the year. She also hosted a ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode in 2017.

She will be seen in the film adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play ‘The Seagull,’ alongside Annette Bening, in May 2018. She will also play ‘Mary Stuart’ in ‘Mary Queen of Scots,’ alongside Margot Robbie, later in the year.

She next starred in films such as ‘Little Women,’ ‘Ammonite,’ ‘The French Dispatch,’ and ‘See How They Run.’ She portrayed ‘Henrietta’ in the 2023 sci-fi psychological thriller ‘Foe’ directed and co-written by Garth Davis. The film holds a 24% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Her brilliant performance in ‘Atonement’ earned her the first ‘Academy Award’ nomination of her career, for the ‘Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.’ She thus became one of the youngest actors ever to get an ‘Academy Award’ nomination.

She was also nominated for the ‘BAFTA’ and the ‘Golden Globe’ for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for her performance in ‘Atonement.’ She earned another ‘BAFTA’ nomination for ‘The Lovely Bones.’

In 2016, she was nominated for an ‘Academy Award’ and a ‘Golden Globe’ for her performance in ‘Brooklyn.’ In 2017, she won a ‘Golden Globe’ for the ‘Best Actress,’ a ‘BAFTA Award’ nomination, and a ‘SAG Award’ nomination for ‘Best Actress’ for her role in ‘Lady Bird.’

She also won her first ‘Academy Award’ for the ‘Best Actress in a Leading Role’ for her performance in ‘Lady Bird.’

Ronan currently lives in Greystones, County Wicklow, Ireland. She holds both American and Irish citizenship.

She was invited to join the ‘Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ in 2010. She is the ambassador for the ‘Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.’

She is said to have dated Irish singer Hozier in the past. She also appeared in the singer’s music video, ‘Cherry Wine.’

She was linked with Max Irons and George MacKay in the past. She is currently dating Jack Lowden.