Niamh Cusack

Niamh Cusack ( ; born 20 October 1959) is an Irish actress. Born into a family with deep roots in the performing arts, she has performed extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and other prominent theatre ensembles.

Cusack is best known for her television role as Dr. Kate Rowan in the British series Heartbeat (1992–1995). Her further screen credits include the medical drama Always and Everyone (1999–2002), the animated series The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1995), and films such as The Closer You Get (2000), Testament of Youth (2014), and The Ghoul (2016). Notable television appearances include episodes of Agatha Christie's Marple ("4:50 from Paddington", 2004), Midsomer Murders (2008), A Touch of Frost (2010), Death in Paradise (2021), and The Tower (2023), alongside performances in dramas like In Love with Alma Cogan (2011), Departure (2015), and The Virtues (2019).

Cusack received a nomination for an IFTA Award for her role in the television film Too Good to be True (2003).

Early life Niamh Cusack was born on 20 October 1959 in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland. She is the daughter of actor Cyril Cusack and actress Maureen Cusack (formerly Mary Margaret Kiely). Among her siblings are actresses Sinéad Cusack and Sorcha Cusack, She later transitioned to acting, securing a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to undertake formal training. In 1986, she starred as Juliet opposite Sean Bean's Romeo in the RSC's Romeo and Juliet.

Throughout the 1990s, Cusack performed in prominent London productions, including Nora Clitheroe in Sam Mendes's staging of Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars at the Young Vic, and starred in Mark O'Rowe's Crestfall at Theatre503. In 2009, she portrayed Maggie in the Old Vic's revival of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa alongside her husband, Finbar Lynch.

In 2011, she appeared in The Painter by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, opposite Toby Jones and followed it with the role of Edith Davenport in Cause Célèbre by Terence Rattigan and the Widow Quin in The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge, both at the Old Vic. Cusack was nominated for a Whatsonstage.com Award in 2012 in the Best Supporting Actress in a Play category for The Playboy of the Western World role.

In August 2012, Cusack rejoined the National Theatre for the role of Siobhan in the world première of the stage adaptation of Mark Haddon's book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott. The show premièred on 2 August 2012. It also starred Luke Treadaway as Christopher, Nicola Walker as his mother Judy, Paul Ritter as his father Ed and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Alexander. The show transferred to the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London on 1 March 2013 with Cusack reprising her role. (which had been postponed owing to COVID-19). For her performance, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Support Role at the Irish Times Theatre Awards. In 2022, she starred as Gertrude in Hamlet by Bristol Old Vic along with husband Finbar Lynch. In 2023, she led the cast in the first major revival of Polly Stenham's That Face at London's Orange Tree Theatre. She starred as Dr. Kate Rowan in the popular 1990s television drama series Heartbeat (1992–1995),

She played Christine Fletcher in Always and Everyone (1999–2002), a British accident and emergency medical series alongside Martin Shaw; Grace Haslett in the miniseries State of Mind,

Radio In January 2013, she was nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for The Man with Wings by Rachel Joyce, produced by Gordon House, Goldhawk Essential Productions for Radio 4. Cusack played Molly Bloom in James Joyce's Ulysses for BBC Radio 4 which aired a new 9-part adaptation dramatised by Robin Brooks, produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer. The series began on Bloomsday (16 June) 2012.

Personal life Cusack is married to the actor Finbar Lynch.

Filmography Film Year Film Role Notes 1988 Paris by Night Jenny Swanton dir. David Hare 1990 Fools of Fortune Josephine dir. Pat O'Connor 1992 The Playboys Brigid Maguire 2000 The Closer You Get Kate dir. Aileen Ritchie 2007 Matterhorn Marie Short film 2009 Five Minutes of Heaven Alistair's Mum – 1975 dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel2010 The Kid 1980 school nurse Hereafter Marcus' foster mother dir. Clint Eastwood 2011 In Love with Alma Cogan Sandra dir. Tony Britten 2012 The Best of Men Sister Edwards dir. Tim Whitby 2014 Testament of Youth Sister Jones dir. James Kent 2015 Departure Sally 2016 ChickLit Claire dir. Tony Britten The Ghoul Fisher dir. Gareth Tunley 2020 Returning Mum dir. Lucy Bridger 2023 Unwelcome Niamh dir. Jon Wright In the Land of Saints and Sinners Rita dir. Robert Lorenz2024 We Live in Time Sylvia Four Mothers Maura 2026 Midwinter Break Kathy Once Upon a Time in a Cinema Mrs. Healy Television Year Title Role Notes 1988 A Shadow on the Sun TV film Screen Two Denise Slipper Episode: "Lucky Sunil" 1989 Agatha Christie's Poirot Valerie Saintclair Episode: "The King of Clubs"1991 Jeeves and Wooster Roberta 'Bobbie' Wickham Episode: "Wooster with a Wife (or, Jeeves the Matchmaker)"Chalkface Melanie 7 episodes 1992 Angels Ellen TV film1992–1995 Heartbeat Dr. Kate Rowan 49 episodes The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends Beatrix Potter 9 episodes1997 Living Proof – Cause of Death Mary McGuire TV series documentary1998 Colour Blind Bridget Paterson Mini-Series 1999 Rhinoceros Julie Flynn TV film 1999–2002 Always and Everyone Christine Fletcher 37 episodes2000 Little Bird Ellen Hall TV film 2003 State of Mind Dr. Grace Hazlett TV filmLoving You Chloe TV filmToo Good to Be True Tina TV film – IFTA Awards: Best Actress in Film or TV (Nom) 2004 Agatha Christie's Marple Emma Crackenthorpe Episode: "4.50 from Paddington"2005 The Last Detective Gill Episode: "Friends Reunited"2007 Fallen Angel Vanessa Byfield Episode: "The Judgement of Strangers"2008 Midsomer Murders Penny Galsworthy Episode: "Days of Misrule"2010 A Touch of Frost Sally Berland 2 episodesLewis Dr. Ellen Jacoby Episode: "Falling Darkness"2012 Henry IV, Part II Lady Northumberland TV filmThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Siobhan TV film for National Theatre Live2014 New Tricks Joanne Gibson Episode: "In Vino Veritas"2016 Rebellion Nelly Cosgrave 4 episodesSilent Witness Sylvie Blake 2 episodes2018 Macbeth Lady Macbeth Royal Shakespeare Company2019 The Virtues Janine 2 episodes, directed by Shane Meadows 2020 Father Brown Roisin Crayford Episode: "The Numbers of the Beast"2021 Death in Paradise Maggie O'Connell 2 episodes 2021 Brassic Clodagh 1 episode2023 The Tower Claire Mills Series two Archie Alma HitchcockEpisode #1.2 2024 Big Mood Gillian2 episodes 2025 I, Jack Wright Annie Rouse Series regular

Selected theatre credits 1985: Othello as Desdemona (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 1985: Mary, After the Queen (Royal Shakespeare Company) 1985: Anything Goes (Royal Shakespeare Company) 1985: Three Sisters as Irina (Royal Exchange, Manchester) 1986: Romeo and Juliet as Juliet (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 1987: The Art of Success (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 1987: Portrait of a Marriage (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican Theatre, London) 1988: The Tutor (Old Vic, London) – Alongside half sister Catherine Cusack 1988: The Admirable Crichton (West End – Theatre Royal Haymarket, London) 1990: Three Sisters as Irina (Gate Theatre, Dublin & Royal Court Theatre, London – Alongside sisters Sinead Cusack (Masha) & Sorcha Cusack (Olga) & her father Cyril Cusack) 1991: The Plough and the Stars as Nora Clitheroe (Young Vic Theatre, London) 1991: The Phoenix (Bush Theatre, London) 1993: A Doll's House as Nora (Gate Theatre, Dublin) 1995: Indian Ink as Flora (West End – Aldwych Theatre) 1996: As You Like It as Rosalind (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 1996: The Learned Ladies as Armande (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 1997: The Maids (Donmar Warehouse, London) 1998: Nabokov's Gloves (Hampstead Theatre, London) 2003: The Merchant of Venice as Portia (Chichester Festival Theatre) 2003: His Dark Materials as Serafina Pekkala (Royal National Theatre, London) 2005: Breathing Corpses (Royal Court Theatre/Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, London) 2006: Mammals (The Bush, London) 2007: The Way of the World (Royal Theatre, Northampton) 2007: The Enchantment (Royal National Theatre, London) 2007: Ghosts as Mrs Alving (Gate Theatre – Notting Hill, London) 2007: Crestfall (Theatre503, London) 2008: The Portrait of a Lady (Theatre Royal Bath) 2009: Dancing at Lughnasa as Maggie (West End – Old Vic Theatre) 2010: Anderson's English (Hampstead Theatre/Out of Joint and on tour) 2010: Women, Power and Politics (Tricycle Theatre, London) 2011: Cause Célèbre (West End – Old Vic Theatre) 2011: The Painter (Arcola Theatre, London) 2011: The Playboy of the Western World as Pegeen Mike (West End – Old Vic Theatre) 2012: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as Siobhan (Royal National Theatre, London) 2013: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as Siobhan (West End – Apollo Theatre) 2014: Afterplay as Sonya (Crucible Theatre, Sheffield) 2016: The Winter's Tale as Paulina (Shakespeare's Globe, London) 2016: Unfaithful (Theatre 111, London) 2017: My Brilliant Friend as Lenú (Rose Theatre, London) 2018: Macbeth as Lady Macbeth (Royal Shakespeare Company/Barbican, London) 2019: The Remains of the Day as Kenton (Out of Joint/UK Tour) 2019: My Brilliant Friend as Lenú (Royal National Theatre, London) 2022: Faith Healer as Grace (Abbey Theatre, Dublin) 2022: Hamlet as Gertrude (Bristol Old Vic) 2023: That Face as Martha (Orange Tree Theatre, London)

Awards and nominations Nominated: BBC Audio Drama Awards 2013 – Best Supporting Actress for The Man with Wings by Rachel Joyce, for BBC Radio 4 Nominated: Whatsonstage.com Awards 2012 – Best Supporting Actress in a Play for Playboy of the Western World at Old Vic Nominated: Irish Film & Television Academy IFTA 2004 – Best Actress in a TV Drama for Too Good to be True Winner: Received an Irish Life Award Winner: Received an Irish Post Award Nominated: Irish Times Theatre Awards 2021/22 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Faith Healer by Brian Friel at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin