Susan Lynch
Born (1971-06-05) 5 June 1971 (age 52)
Corrinshego, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Alma materRoyal Central School of Speech and Drama
OccupationActress
Years active1991–present
Spouse
​
(sep. 2019)​
Children1
RelativesJohn Lynch (brother)
Leah O'Rourke (niece)

Susan Lynch (born 5 June 1971) is a Northern Irish actress.[1] A three-time IFTA Award winner, she also won the British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 2003 film 16 Years of Alcohol. Her other film appearances include Waking Ned (1998), Nora (2000), Beautiful Creatures (2000), and From Hell (2001). In 2020, she was listed as number 42 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.[1]

Early life

Lynch was born in Corrinshego, County Armagh, Northern Ireland to an Italian mother (from Trivento) and an Irish father.[2] She has four siblings; her eldest brother is actor John Lynch.[3]

Career

She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and in August 2004, she starred in The Night Season at the Royal National Theatre in London. In 2008, she was one of the leads in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the Almeida Theatre.

Her film roles include Beautiful Creatures (2000),[4] Waking Ned Devine (1998), and the title role in Nora (2000), about Nora Barnacle, James Joyce's wife.[5][6]

Lynch played Alison Garrs in the award-winning, critically acclaimed, and hugely popular BBC television series, Happy Valley, alongside Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran and James Norton. Creator and writer of Happy Valley, Sally Wainwright, wrote the part of Alison Garrs with Lynch in mind. She was delighted that she was able to accept the highly challenging role, particularly in the 2016 series, where her character murders her own son, a product of incestuous rape, when she discovers he has murdered several prostitutes. In the final 2023 series, Lynch appears again as Alison, where her storyline is happily resolved.

Personal life

Lynch and her husband, actor Craig Parkinson, lived in Painswick, Gloucestershire.[7] They have one son together and previously had lived in the Camden area of London.[citation needed] The couple separated in 2019.[8]

Awards

Lynch has won three Irish Film and Television Academy Awards, including Best Leading Actress for her work in the film County Armagh, Northern Ireland2000 Nora, about Nora Barnacle and her husband, Irish author James Joyce.[citation needed]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1994 The Secret of Roan Inish Selkie
1994 Interview with the Vampire Paris Vampire
1997 Downtime Chrissy
1998 Waking Ned Devine Maggie O'Toole Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1999 Deceit Corinna
2000 Nora Nora Barnacle IFTA Award for Best Actress
2000 Beautiful Creatures Dorothy Nominated — British Independent Film Award for Best Actress
2001 Happy Now? Tina Trent
2001 From Hell Liz Stride
2001 Morlang Ann Morlang
2001 Dumping Elaine Beth Short film
2001 Mapmaker Jane Bates Nominated — IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Feature Film
2002 Jedermanns Fest Maria
2003 16 Years of Alcohol Mary British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress
2003 Casa de los babys Eileen
2003 Bye-Child Woman Short film
2003 Red Roses and Petrol Catherine Doyle
2004 School of Life Teacher Short film
2004 Mickybo and Me Torch Woman
2004 Enduring Love Rachel
2005 Duane Hopwood Gina
2006 A Woman in Winter Marianne
2006 Soundproof Penny Nominated — RTS Television Award for Best Actress
2006 Someone Else Lisa
2007 Elizabeth: The Golden Age Annette Fleming
2009 City Rats Gina
2009 Holy Water (Hard Times) Geraldine
2009 The Race Katey Kensay
2009 The Scouting Book for Boys Sharon
2010 Capture Anthologies: Love, Lust and Tragedy Woman (segment: "Bye-Child") Direct-to-video
2011 Hideaways Mrs. O'Mara
2011 Stop the World Susan Short film
2014 Here and Now Lucy
2015 Cleaned Helen (Nurse) Short film
2016 Away Angie
2016 The Secret Scripture Nurse Caitlin
2017 Bad Day for the Cut Frankie Pierce
2018 Ready Player One Aunt Alice
2018 Dead to the World Emily Tennison Short film
2019 Downton Abbey Miss Lawton
2020 Cold Blow Lane Mademoiselle
2020 Here Are the Young Men Lynn Connolly

Television

Year Film Role Notes
1991 The Bill Trainee investigator Episode: "Six of One"
1992 Screen One Receptionist 2 Episode: "Running Late"
1993 Cracker Tina Brien 3 episodes
1995 Dangerous Lady Maura Ryan 4 episodes
1995 The Perfect Match Erica Television film
1996 Truth or Dare Mel Television film
1997 Ivanhoe Rebecca 6 episodes
1997 A Royal Scandal Caroline of Brunswick Television film
1998 Kings in Grass Castles Sarah 2 episodes
Television miniseries
1998 Amongst Women Maggie 4 episodes
Television miniseries
2001 Sweet Revenge Madeleine 2 episodes
2002 Any Time Now Stevie McCutcheon 4 episodes
IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Television Drama
2002–2005 Kelly Herself 2 episodes
2004 Bodies Maria Orton 6 episodes
Nominated – IFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress in Film/TV
2005 Dalziel and Pascoe Janet Rix 2 episodes
2006 The Ten Commandments Miriam Television film
2006 Soundproof Penny Television movie
Nominated – RTS Television Award for Best Actress
2007 The Robber Bride Charis White Television film
2009 The Unloved Lucy's Mother Television film
2010 The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister Isabella "Tib" Norcliffe Television film
2010 Marple: The Pale Horse Sybil Stamfordis Television film
2010 Moving On Tina Episode: "Malaise"
2011 Monroe Anna Monroe 6 episodes
2011 New Tricks Claudia Scott Episode: "Moving Target"
2011 Great Expectations Molly 3 episodes
Television miniseries
2012 The Secret of Crickley Hall Lili Peel 2 episodes
2013 Ambassadors Caitlin 3 episodes
Television miniseries
2014 Common Margaret Ward Television film
2014 Chasing Shadows Dr Ellesmere 2 episodes
Television mini-series
2016 National Treasure Christina Farnborough 2 Episodes
2016–2023 Happy Valley Alison Garrs 4 episodes
2017 Apple Tree Yard Susannah 4 episodes
Television miniseries
2018 Save Me Stace
2018 Killing Eve Anna 2 episodes
2018 Doctor Who Angstrom Episode: "The Ghost Monument"
2019 Wild Bill Angie Episode: "#1.1"
2020 Sex Education Tara Gibbs Episode: "#2.3"
2021 Unforgotten Liz Baildon Series 4
2021 Bloodlands DCI Heather Pentland Episode 4
2021 Close to Me Cathy
2023 The Change Agnes TV series[9]

References

  1. ^ a b Clarke, Donald; Brady, Tara. "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  2. ^ Flint Marx, Rebecca "Susan Lynch Biography Archived 13 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine", allrovi.com; retrieved 15 August 2011.
  3. ^ Dwyer, Michael (26 January 1997). "What a Difference A Year Makes". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  4. ^ Dicker, Ron (2001) "Rachel Weisz's Moment: Three New Movies Will Test British Actress' Box-Office Power In U.S.", Hartford Courant, 18 March 2001, retrieved 15 August 2011
  5. ^ Maddox, Brenda (8 August 1999). "Film; Where Nora Joyce Fell For a Talented Nobody". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  6. ^ Ojumu, Akin (14 May 2000). "Susan Lynch's portrayal of James Joyce's wife". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  7. ^ Tate, Gabriel (26 April 2016). "Line of Duty's Craig Parkinson on playing TV's nastiest man: 'I'm a master at lurking'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
  8. ^ Domachowski, Lucy (27 October 2020). "Line Of Duty actor Craig Parkinson 'splits from wife Susan Lynch after 12 years'". Mirror Online. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  9. ^ "The Change". channel4.com. 22 June 2023.

External links

British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
Irish Film and Television Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Film
Authority control databases
Categories