Orla Brady is a renowned Irish actress, who has been credited with several Irish Television Academy nominations, and is widely known for her role as Elizabeth in the JJ Abrams-produced sci-fi “Fringe.”
Age, Early Life, Education Background
Orla Brady, whose birthplace is Dublin, Ireland, was born under the Aries zodiac sign on 28 March 1961, which makes her 60 years old as of late 2021. She was brought up by her dedicated Catholic parents, Catherine and Patrick, who relocated to Bray, Wicklow where she was brought up alongside her siblings, after living in her birth town for seven years.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CU2B3DSoLBK/
She was enrolled at the Loreto Convent, which is in the Roman Catholic group’s educational system – she completed her studies in 1979, and matriculated to Dublin’s Ursuline Convent, which is an Italian system of schools, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1983. Although Brady had a knack for acting as a child, she didn’t pursue her dreams in her early years. She revealed during an interview that she was very insecure about how she looked ,saying ‘I was a little bit overweight as a teenager, which may be why I’m more comfortable playing with clothes than showing my body…”
Interesting Facts and Hobbies
Despite being brought up in a religious family, Brady identifies herself as an atheist.
The “Into the Badlands” star is an animal lover, who volunteers frequently at several Los Angeles-based animal shelters.
She likes yoga, and practices it daily to boost her mental wellbeing.
Brady likes traveling, and has journeyed through many American, Asian, and European countries both for work and pleasure. Her favorite destination is Miami, Florida.
Whenever she visits a new city, Orla is spotted at art galleries, since she’s a big art lover.
She has Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman as her favorite entertainers and “Apocalypse Now” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” are her favorite films.
Career Beginning and Rise to Stardom
Career Beginning
Orla was 25 years old when she relocated to Paris to pursue professional acting; here, she joined the famous L’Ecole Philippe Gaulier, one of France’s most distinguished theatre schools, to develop her skills and to be trained by Marcel Marceau, better known for his mime artistry and praised acting achievements. She subsequently went to Balloonatics Theatre Company for further studies, and during her time there was seen in a couple of stage plays, including “Hamlet” and “Finnegans Wake”. She later returned to France, having performed in several projects, where she appeared in local theatres, in productions such as “House of Bernarda Alba” before being cast as Natasha in “Three Sisters” by Anton Chekhov – it originated in 1901.
Brady moved to London in search of greener pastures, and she landed a role in “Philadelphia, Here I Come” production, which put her name into the limelight, and shortly afterwards she was selected to appear in “Blinded by the Sun.”
Orla made her film debut with a guest-starring role in 1994 in the film “Words Upon a Window Pane” alongside Ian Richardson and Geraldine Chaplin, and also landed the role of Sheila in the 1999 film “A Love Divided”, and was awarded the Best Actress Award (Golden Nymph) for her skillful performance. She afterward appeared in the British show “Mistress,” which is based on the lives of several women, and was tehn seen in “The Luzhin Defense” (2000).
She moved to Los Angeles in 2001, and was cast in the final season of “Family Law,” a legal drama about a freshly divorced lawyer who after being left by her husband, is determined to start a law firm alone.
The role earned her recognition, and she was later cast for a guest role in the “Nip/Tuck” TV show, which began airing in 2003. She was then selected for a recurring role as James Wood’s ex-wife in CBS’s legal drama “Shark.”
During that time, she was also involved in BBC projects in the UK, and became popular for her appearance in “Wallander” British drama, and the TV series “Hustle,” which began airing in 2004 and ran for eight seasons. In 2009, she was seen portraying Elizabeth, Peter Bishop’s mother, in the “Fringe” TV series, which was inspired by “Lost” and “The X-Files” fictional shows. She appeared in three seasons, before working in other productions such as “Dr. Who” and “Agatha Christie’s Poirot.”
Rise to Stardom
Orla landed her breakthrough role in 2015 in AMC’s “Into the Badlands,” in which she worked alongside Aramis Knight, Sarah Bolger and Daniel Wu. The show was a commercial success, judging by its high number of viewers – it follows the story of a skilled warrior, who journeys through a post-apocalypse world set five centuries after a catastrophe has destroyed civilization, and the then world relies on melee weapons and crossbows – it aired for three seasons before it was cancelled, and she appeared in all of them. She was later cast for a recurring role in the anthology series “American Horror Story: 1984.”
Orla made her most recent appearance in 2020’s “Star Trek: Picard”, alongside Patrick Stewart – the film was met with mixed reviews, particularly positive ones for its unique setting.
Awards and Nominations
Orla boasts of seven Irish Television and Film Award nominations, and an Academy of Science Fantasy, Horror, and Fiction Film category of Saturn Award in 2012 nomination, for her praised performances in “Sinbad,” “Servants” mini-series, and “Mistresses.”
Personal Life
Shortly after she moved to California in 2001, the Irish actress met the British photographer Nick Brandt, famous for his environment and disappearing nature pictures, whom she started dating.
The duo tied the knot a year later in a private wedding ceremony that was conducted in Kenya’s Chyulu Hills mountain range in December 2002. They are now living in Southern California together – they don’t have children.
Height and Weight
Orla has a slim athletic body, is 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, and weighs approximately 133lbs (61kgs). She has brown eyes and long brown hair.
Net Worth
Since she joined showbiz in the early ’90s, Brady has featured in several hit films and TV series, which have significantly contributed to her net worth, which according to authoritative sources, is around $3 million as of late-2021.
