Helen Behan
Born
Laytown, County Meath, Ireland[1]
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Known for This Is England '88 and The Virtues
SpouseCaimin[2]
Children4[2]

Helen Behan is an Irish actress. Her most notable roles include This Is England '88 and The Virtues. Behan was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020.

Early life and career

Behan is from Laytown, County Meath, Ireland.[1] During her student days in college, Behan attended part-time acting courses at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.[2]

Career

After a chance meeting in a pub, Shane Meadows invited Behan to audition for a part in the film This Is England '88, where she landed the role of Evelyn, nurse and later friend to Lol Jenkins (Vicky McClure). In 2019, Behan played the role of Anna, sister of Joseph (Stephen Graham)[3][4] in The Virtues for which she received a nomination as Best supporting actress at the 2020 BAFTA TV awards.[5]

Behan was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the TV & film industry of Great Britain and Ireland.[6][7]

In 2020, Behan starred in the Cathy Brady directed Irish drama thriller film Wildfire alongside Danika McGuigan and Nora-Jane Noone.[8] In 2021, she took on a main role of police psychologist Tory Snow, in the Swedish supernatural psychological thriller series The Box, co-starring Anna Friel and Peter Stormare.[9]

in 2022, Behan played the role of Abigail Ross in the ITV miniseries Holding, a four part adaptation of Graham Norton's bestselling novel.[10] In 2023, Behan portrayed Monica Nolan in the Dublin sleuth film Barber alongside the protagonist played by Aidan Gillen.[11]

Personal life

Behan is married with four children; Her husband supported her move away from nursing into acting. During the COVID-19 outbreak she returned to her previous vocation.[9][12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Wildfire Joanne Film [8]
2021 Wolf Jacob's mother Film
2023 Barber Monica Nolan Film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 This Is England '88 Evelyn 3 episodes
2013 Love/Hate Marie 1 episode (4.1)
2015 This Is England '90 Evelyn 3 episodes
2018 Taken Down Tia 4 episodes
2019 The Virtues Anna 3 episodes
2019 Elizabeth Is Missing Helen TV film
2021 Soulmates Darcy 1 episode - The (Power) Ballad of Caitlin Jones
2021 Intruder Angela 4 episodes
2021 The Box Tory Snow TV series - 7 episodes
2021 Holding Abigail Ross 4 episodes [10]
2023 Malpractice Dr.Norma Callahan 5 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2020 IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role - TV Drama The Virtues Won [12][13]
2020 British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress - TV The Virtues Nominated [5][13]

References

  1. ^ a b "Helen Behan: I had impostor syndrome at the start, now I'm like a giddy child". irishtimes.com. 11 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Who Is Helen Behan? 'The Virtues' Actor Began Her Career With A Chance Encounter In An Irish Pub". bustle.com. 15 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Helen Behan, the nurse who became the star of Shane Meadows' The Virtues: 'It was my carpe diem moment'". inews.co.uk. 6 September 2019.
  4. ^ "The Virtues: Interview with Helen Behan (Anna)". channel4.com. 17 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Bafta TV Awards 2020: Nominees in full". bbc.co.uk. 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Stars of Tomorrow 2020: Helen Behan (actor)". screendaily.com. 28 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Screen unveils the 2020 Stars of Tomorrow". screendaily.com. 28 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Wildfire". watershed.co.uk. 15 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b "How 40-year-old nurse and mum Helen Behan became a TV star". Evoke.ie . 1 February 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Brenda Fricker, Siobhán McSweeney, Charlene McKenna, Helen Behan and Pauline McLynn cast alongside Conleth Hill in ITV drama Holding". itv.com. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021.
  11. ^ "New Irish film Barber Starring Aidan Gillen Wraps Shoot in Dublin". screenireland.ie. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Irish BAFTA nominee Helen Behan returns to nursing during Covid-19". RTÉ. 4 June 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Helen Behan Awards". imdb.com (Index source only). Retrieved 11 February 2022.

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