Deirdre Mullins

Deirdre Mullins is an Irish actress, director and activist. In 2017, she won a Scottish BAFTA for Best Actress in Film for her role in The Dark Mile.

Early life and education Born in Dublin, Mullins grew up in Stoneybatter on the city's Northside. Her family moved to the suburb Howth when she was 10. She was head girl at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Clontarf. She began her studies in Drama and Theatre at Trinity College Dublin. She then transferred to the University of St Andrews where she studied Anthropology and later graduated with a degree in English Literature in 2006. She participated in the Trinity Players and the St Andrews Mermaids. She went on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 2006 to 2008 before moving to London.

Career Mullins starred as Naomi in the Channel 4 series Man Down. Her theatre work includes playing Rosalind in As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe, Lika in Marina Carr's 16 Possible Glimpses at the Abbey Theatre, and Jessie Taite in Seán O'Casey's The Silver Tassie at the National Theatre.

Mullins' directing debut, a production of Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, was set in a hotel swimming pool and won her rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe 2006 including The Scotsmans top 5 shows to see at the Fringe. It was in Time Outs top 3 shows at the Fringe; giving it 5 stars, Rachel Halliburton said 'This is the kind of unexpected discovery that critics live for at Edinburgh'. A decade later, Mullins directed her second show, an experimental new play by Bea Roberts, Infinity Pool, which won a Toast of the Fringe Award at Plymouth Fringe Festival and went on to enjoy a place on The Guardians list of recommended shows at the Edinburgh Fringe & International Festival 2016. The critic Lyn Gardner described it as 'painfully funny'. Giving it 5 stars from The Stage, Stewart Pringle said it was 'utterly unique and exceptional in every way, it's a heart-breaking story of a stunted life, told with theatrical verve and palpable compassion'. The play was short-listed for the highly prestigious Total Theatre Award.

Mullins is a core committee member of ERA 50:50, a campaign calling for equal representation of women on screen and stage. She made an impassioned speech about this when picking up her BAFTA (Scotland).

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2009 Holy Water Kate Mulvey 2012 Comedown Newsreader 1 2013 Doghouse Julie Stepton Short film 2015 My Name Is Emily Emily's Mother 2016 Tank 432 Sarah Karlsson 2017 The Dark Mile Claire 2018 Ötzi & the Mystery of Time Helena 2019 Crime Lessons: The Muggening Chloe Short film 2019 Mumford & Sons: Beloved Mother Music Video 2020 The Christmas Ball Clare 2022 Mandrake Cathy Madden 2025 In the Lost Lands Mara

Television

Video games Year Title Role Notes 2018 Overkill's The Walking Dead Heather

Stage

Year Title Role Theatre Director 2008 Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Viola Redgrave Theatre John Hartoch 2008 A Month in the Country by Ivan Turgenev (trans. Brian Friel) Lizaveta Tobacco Factory Theatre Sue Wilson 2009 Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Mariana Thelma Holt Ltd/Theatre Royal, Plymouth Jamie Glover 2009 The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices Actor The Old Vic Alice Lacey 2011 Old Vic 24 Hour Plays Celebrity Gala Actor The Old Vic Alexander Ferris 2011 16 Possible Glimpses (world premiere) by Marina Carr Lika Abbey Theatre Wayne Jordan 2011 A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Helena Headlong Natalie Abrahami 2012 As You Like It by William Shakespeare Rosalind Shakespeare's Globe James Dacre 2013 The Man Who Pays The Piper by GB Stern Daryll Orange Tree Theatre Helen Leblique 2014 The Silver Tassie by Seán O'Casey Jessie Taite Lyttelton, National Theatre Howard Davies

Audio Radio Year Title Role Channel Notes 2009 Cavity Jemma BBC Radio 4 dir Alison Crawford 2009 The Lake Reader BBC Radio 4 dir Sarah Blunt 2011 Positive Tess BBC Radio 4 dir Sara Davies 2017 The Cold God of Bad Luck by Colin Barrett Reader BBC Radio 4 prod Duncan Minshull 2019 The Country Girls by Edna O'Brien Martha BBC Radio 4 dir Sally Avens & Jessica Dromgoole 2020 For the Love of Leo Mary Grace BBC Radio 4 dir Marilyn Imrie 2021 The Healer Reader BBC Radio 4 dir Maggie Ayre 2022 English Rose Siobhán BBC Radio 4 dir Mary Ward-Lowery

Drama Year Title Role Production company Notes 2015 The Confessions of Dorian Gray Scarlet Moore Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2015 Dracula Mina Harker Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2016 Doctor Who – "The Very Dark Thing" Admiral Effenish Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2016 Charlotte Pollard Naomi Big Finish Productions dir Nicholas Briggs 2017 The Prisoner S2 Number 2 Big Finish Productions dir Nicholas Briggs 2017 Hamlet Ophelia Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2017 Doctor Who – "The War Master" Osen Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2018 Cicero Vitellia Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock (nominated for Best Audio Drama 2018 Audie Awards) 2018 Class – "Gifted" Mab Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2019 Doctor Who – "Feast of Fear" The Spae Wife Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2019 Torchwood – "Serenity" Kelly Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2020 Doctor Who – "The Headless Ones" Amanda Latimer Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock 2020 Dracula's War Mina Harker Big Finish Productions dir Scott Handcock