Cillian Murphy (born May 25, 1976) is an Irish actor known for his performances on both the stage and screen. His career is distinguished by numerous honors, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Murphy began his acting career in 1996 with the play *Disco Pigs* by Enda Walsh, a role he took up again for the 2001 adaptation. His early film roles include the thriller *28 Days Later* (2002), the dark comedy *Intermission* (2003), the thriller *Red Eye* (2005), the Irish war drama *The Wind That Shakes the Barley* (2006), and the science fiction thriller *Sunshine* (2007). In *Breakfast on Pluto* (2005), he portrayed a transgender Irish woman, earning his first Golden Globe nomination. In 2005, Murphy teamed up with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, playing the Scarecrow in *The Dark Knight* trilogy (2005–2012) and appearing in *Inception* (2010) and *Dunkirk* (2017). He achieved widespread recognition as Tommy Shelby in the BBC period drama *Peaky Blinders* (2013–2022) and starred in the horror sequel *A Quiet Place Part II* (2020). Murphy's portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan’s *Oppenheimer* (2023) won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2011, he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for the one-man play *Misterman*. In 2020, *The Irish Times* named him one of the most celebrated Irish film actors of all time.