Michelle Fairley

Michelle Fairley is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is best known for playing Catelyn Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2013). She has since appeared in the USA Network series Suits, the Fox series 24: Live Another Day (2014), the RTÉ miniseries Rebellion (2016), the science fiction series The Feed (2019), the Sky Atlantic crime drama Gangs of London (2020–present), and the Netflix series How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (2026).

Early life Fairley was born in Coleraine to parents Brian and Teresa Fairley, the second eldest of six children. Her father was a popular publican, owner of Fairley's Bar and several off-licences, in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, when Fairley remembers both Catholics and Protestants frequenting the pub.

Career Fairley appeared in a number of British television shows, including The Bill, Holby City and Casualty. Some of her earlier roles were as Cathy Michaels on ITV1's Inspector Morse in the episode titled "The Way Through the Woods", and as Nancy Phelan in Lovejoy in the episode 9 of Season 3 titled "Smoke Your Nose".

She took over the role of Mrs. Granger from Heather Bleasdale (who had played Mrs. Granger in Chamber of Secrets) in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows films. From 2011 to 2013, Fairley starred as Catelyn Stark (née Tully) in the first three seasons of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, replacing Jennifer Ehle who played the character in the original, unaired, pilot episode.

Fairley joined the cast of the USA Network series Suits for its third season, playing the recurring role of Dr. Ava Hessington, a chemical engineer and oil CEO accused of bribery, and after that, accused for murder. She played Margot Al-Harazi in 24: Live Another Day on Fox. Her film roles included The Invisible Woman (2013) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015). In 2014, Fairley was cast as Margaret Langston in the ABC TV Series Resurrection (2014–2015).

In 2017, it was announced Fairley would appear in a revival of Jim Cartwright's play Road at the Royal Court Theatre In 2018, she played Cassius in Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre, alongside David Calder, David Morrissey and Ben Whishaw. In 2019, Fairley led the Virgin Media and Amazon Prime science fiction series The Feed as Meredith Hatfield. As of June 2020, Fairley stars as Marian Wallace in the Sky Atlantic crime drama Gangs of London. She starred as Millie in the 2021 film Nobody Has to Know, alongside Bouli Lanners. In 2023, Fairley starred as Princess Augusta in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on Netflix. She also contributed to The Gone, a TVNZ and RTÉ co-production.

Personal life Fairley has been based in London since 1986, and keeps a low public profile. She said in an interview with The Telegraph in 2015, that she made the decision to separate from her boyfriend of seven years, in 2012. Since then, Fairley has had no known partners. Fairley said, in the same interview, that she "missed the gene" for motherhood. She never had the desire to have children like some of her siblings did.

While Fairley has worked on various American projects in the past, she has no love for Hollywood, and the West End theatres remain her home. She said that while television and movies provide a new challenge by making her "use a different muscle", theatre is where she feels her best work is done, where she started her career, and where she hopes to "end up".

Filmography Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2008 Olivier Awards Best Performance in a Supporting Role 2011 Irish Film & Television Award Best Actress - Television Game of Thrones Scream Award Best Ensemble Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2013 Irish Film & Television Award Best Actress - Television Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series 2015 Irish Film & Television Award Best Supporting Actress - Television 2019 Clarence Derwent Award Best Female in a Supporting Role WhatsOnStage Award Best Supporting Actress in a Play 2021 Chicago International Film Festival Best Actress