| Clelia Murphy | |
| Birth Date: | 1975 12, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Dublin, Ireland |
| Children: | 1 |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Education: | Gaiety School of Acting |
Clelia Murphy (born 5 December 1975) is an Irish actress. From 1996 to 2017, Murphy starred in the RTÉ soap opera Fair City as Niamh Cassidy. After leaving her role as Niamh, she competed in the third series of the Irish edition of Dancing with the Stars, where she reached the quarter-finals. In January 2022, Murphy was cast in the BBC soap opera Doctors as Maeve Ludlow, for which she moved from Dublin to Birmingham.
Murphy trained at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland. She also has an MA in screenwriting.[1] In 1998, Murphy gave birth to a daughter, Clarabelle.[2] Clarabelle is an actress.[3]
Murphy began her career in Fair City in 1996 playing schoolgirl Niamh Cassidy.[4] Her character was featured in numerous storylines, involving having an illegal relationship with teacher Barry O'Hanlon (Pat Nolan),[5] her tumultuous relationship with her husband, Paul Brennan (Tony Tormey),[6] [7] [8] [9] having an affair and eventually leaving her husband with his money. [10] [11] [12] In 2017, after 22 years on the soap, Murphy announced her decision to leave Fair City.[13] [14] [15] She revealed that she had been thinking about the decision since 2015 and eventually finalised her plans when she felt she was no longer learning anything from the experience. She added: "I felt like I was doing the same thing over and over again. It wasn’t fulfilling me anymore."[16]
In January 2019, Murphy appeared on the third series of the Irish edition of Dancing with the Stars.[17] Murphy was paired with Estonian dancer Vitali Kozmin in the competition.[18] They reached the quarter-finals of the competition before being eliminated after falling into the dance-off for the third consecutive week.[19]
In 2021, she appeared in an episode of the Channel 5 series The Madame Blanc Mysteries, which she described as an "amazing experience". In February 2022, it was reported that Murphy had been cast in the BBC soap opera Doctors. She played Maeve Ludlow, a new nurse in the Sutton Vale practice.[20] She had begun filming on Doctors in January of that year after receiving a direct offer from the casting team. She moved to Birmingham, England to appear in the soap.
| Year | Film | Role | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Odd Sock | Sandra | |
| 2001 | The Crooked Mile | Jane | |
| 2010 | Gift of the Magi | Simone | |
| 2012 | Grabbers | Irene Murphy | |
| 2015 | Dare to be Wild | Barbara Murphy | |
| 2015 | JFK. The Badge Man Conspiracy | Rose | |
| 2016 | The Gaelic Curse | Flo | |
| 2019 | DannyBoy | Kathleen Buckley |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–2017 | Fair City | Niamh Cassidy | Series regular | |
| 2017 | Nowhere Fast | Cyclist Lorraine | Episode: "Work" | |
| 2019 | Dancing with the Stars | Herself | Contestant | |
| 2021 | The Madame Blanc Mysteries | Georgina | 1 episode | |
| 2022 | Doctors | Maeve Ludlow | Recurring role |
| Year | Title | Role | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Spring Awakening | Frau Gabor | ||
| 2016 | Elvis is My Daddy | Lulubelle LaVelle | ||
| 2019 | The Sound of Music | Baroness Elsa |