Rose Byrne

Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. Renowned for her versatility across screen and stage, she is particularly recognised for her leading roles in blockbuster comedies, independent dramas, and horror films. Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, National Board of Review Award, New York Film Critics Circle Award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, Independent Spirit Award, a Silver Bear and a Volpi Cup, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, BAFTA, Actor Award, National Society of Film Critics Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Tony Award. She is one of the few actors to be nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting.

Byrne made her screen debut in the film Dallas Doll (1994), and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. She gained her first leading film role in The Goddess of 1967 (2000), which earned her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 57th Venice International Film Festival. She further demonstrated her range as an actress with roles in the comedy The Rage in Placid Lake (2003), the historical drama Marie Antoinette (2006), and the horror film 28 Weeks Later (2007).

Byrne established herself as a prominent comedienne with roles in films such as Get Him to the Greek (2010), Bridesmaids (2011), Neighbors (2014), Spy (2015), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), and Instant Family (2018). During this period, she also starred in the horror franchise Insidious (20102023), the X-Men prequel films (20112016), and the family comedy films Peter Rabbit (2018) and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021). For her performance as a troubled mother in the psychological drama If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025), she received the Silver Bear and the Golden Globe Award as well as a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

On television, Byrne starred as Ellen Parsons in the legal thriller series Damages (2007–2012), which earned her two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations. She portrayed Gloria Steinem in the miniseries Mrs. America (2020), and led the Apple TV comedy series Physical (2021–2023) and Platonic (2023–present). She starred on Broadway in a revival of the screwball comedy You Can't Take It With You (2014–2015) and in the Noël Coward farce Fallen Angels (2026), the latter of which earned her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play nomination.

Early life and education Mary Rose Byrne was born on 24 July 1979 in the Sydney suburb of Balmain. She has Irish and Scottish ancestry. Byrne is the youngest of four children born to Jane and Robin Byrne. She has an older brother, George, and two older sisters, Lucy and Alice. In a 2009 interview, Byrne said that her mother was an atheist, while both she and her father were agnostic. Her family was described by The Daily Telegraph as "close-knit", and frequently kept her grounded as her career took off.

Byrne attended Balmain Public School, Australian Theatre for Young People (at age eight, encouraged by one of her sisters), before attending Bradfield Senior College for years 11 and 12.

She later lived in the Sydney suburbs of Newtown and Bondi.

In 1999, she studied acting at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy.

Career 1994–2006: Beginnings Byrne obtained her first film role in Dallas Doll (1994) when she was 15 years old. Throughout the 1990s, she appeared in several Australian television shows, such as Wildside (1997) and Echo Point (1995), and starred as the love interest in the film Two Hands (1999), opposite fellow up-and-coming actor Heath Ledger. A role in the award-winning film My Mother Frank (2000) was followed by her first leading role in Clara Law's The Goddess of 1967 (also 2000), which gained her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 57th Venice International Film Festival. Byrne revealed in a post-award interview that, prior to winning the Venice Film Festival Award, she was surprised by her own performance and found it confronting watching the film because her acting was "too depressing". Byrne admitted that "watching myself is confronting because I'm convinced I can't act and I want to get out, that's how insecure I am."

On stage, Byrne starred in La Dispute and in a production of Anton Chekhov's classic Three Sisters at the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2002, she made a brief appearance as Dormé, the handmaiden to Natalie Portman's Senator Padmé Amidala, in George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. She then transitioned to Hollywood as she appeared in the 2002 thriller City of Ghosts, with Matt Dillon. Byrne had flown to the UK to shoot I Capture the Castle (2003), Tim Fywell's adaptation of the 1948 novel of the same title by Dodie Smith. In it, she portrayed Rose Mortmain, the elder sister of Romola Garai's Cassandra.

In 2003, Byrne starred in three Australian films; The Night We Called It a Day, with Melanie Griffith and Dennis Hopper; The Rage in Placid Lake, with Ben Lee; and Take Away, alongside Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, John Howard and Nathan Phillips. All films were comedies and opened to varying degrees of success at the box office, but The Rage in Placid Lake earned Byrne an AACTA Award nomination for Best Actress. In the epic drama Troy (2004), she took on the role of Briseis, the captured priestess presented to "amuse" Brad Pitt's Achilles. Variety'''s review of the film stated: "Byrne's spoils-of-war chattel plays more as a convenient invention than as a woman who could possibly turn Achilles' head and heart around". In her other 2004 film release, the thriller Wicker Park, Byrne appeared, opposite Josh Hartnett and Diane Kruger, as the girlfriend of a young advertising executive's old friend. Wicker Park director Paul McGuigan described her as the best actress he has worked with, and her Troy co-star Peter O'Toole described her as "beautiful, uncomplicated, simple, pure actress and a very nice girl".

Byrne reunited with Peter O'Toole, playing a young servant, in the BBC TV drama Casanova (2005), a three-episode production about 18th century Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova. In 2005, she also starred with Snoop Dogg in The Tenants, based on Bernard Malamud's novel. In 2006, Byrne portrayed Gabrielle de Polastron, duchesse de Polignac, a French aristocrat and friend of Marie Antoinette, in Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, with Kirsten Dunst; and appeared as a medical examiner who thinks the dead woman she is prepping is her missing sister in the critically acclaimed thriller The Dead Girl, directed by Karen Moncrieff.

2007–2010: Damages and comedic film roles In 2007, Byrne had significant parts in two studio sci-fi thriller films. She played a space vessel's pilot in Danny Boyle's Sunshine, alongside Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans, and also an army medical officer in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to Boyle's 28 Days Later. While Sunshine was mildly received, 28 Weeks Later was a critical success and grossed over US$64.2 million globally. In 2007, Byrne began playing Ellen Parsons, a bright, young attorney, in the FX legal thriller television series Damages, alongside Glenn Close. Her performance was widely praised; she was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2009 and 2010, and for Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film in 2008 and 2010. She appeared in all 59 episodes of the series until its finale in September 2012.

Following starring roles in the 2008 independent films Just Buried, directed by Chaz Thorne, and The Tender Hook, with Hugo Weaving, Byrne returned to the mainstream with the role of the mother of a teen, alongside Nicolas Cage, in the sci-fi thriller Knowing (2009); it made US$186.5 million worldwide and received mixed reviews. Byrne said she had not yet become strategic about her film choices. "You gravitate to where you want to go, but so much is out of your control", she remarked. After the success of Damages, she asked her agents to send her out for comedies. "I was doing all of this really heavy, dramatic stuff, and I just needed a break,” she said.

2011 was a turning point in Byrne's career, when she appeared in three high-profile theatrical films, leading to a trajectory that included three to four films per year. In her first 2011 release, James Wan's horror film Insidious, she starred as a mother whose son inexplicably enters a comatose state and becomes a vessel for malevolent spirits in an astral realm. Budgeted at US$1.5 million, it grossed US$97 million and began a franchise. The comedy Bridesmaids featured Byrne as the rich, beautiful, elite wife of the groom's boss, alongside Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey. It was a critical and commercial success, it grossed US$26 million in its opening weekend and eventually over US$288 million worldwide. Byrne appeared in X-Men: First Class, directed by Matthew Vaughn, as Moira MacTaggert, a CIA agent in the 1960s and a character Byrne described as: "a woman in a man's world, she's very feisty and ambitious—you know, she's got a toughness about her which I liked". She said she was unfamiliar with both the comics and the film series, except for "what a juggernaut of a film it was". She was cast late into production, which had already begun. Her third and final 2011 film, First Class, was also a box office success, grossing US$353.6 million worldwide.

2013–2019: Continued success

Byrne had four film releases and one short film in 2013. She obtained the part of the newlywed wife, opposite Rafe Spall, in I Give It a Year, a comedy about the trials and tribulations of a couple during their first year of marriage. The Hollywood Reporter found Byrne and Spall to be "mismatched", while Variety praised their chemistry and noted: "Year will do nothing but enhance the reputations of its core actors, especially Byrne, who's shaping up into an ace comedienne perfectly suited to screwball". The film was a commercial success in the UK and Australia, where it was given a wide release in theatres. In The Place Beyond the Pines, a generational drama directed by Derek Cianfrance, she appeared with Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, as the wife of a police officer who shoots a bank robber and has to deal with the consequences. She played a Google executive in the film The Internship, opposite Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, as she was drawn to "the way it addressed the generational gaps and the ever-changing landscape of the technological world".

Byrne filmed The Turning, a short film installment in a Tim Winton omnibus feature, and worked again with fellow Australians Wan and Whannell for the sequel Insidious: Chapter 2, reuniting with Patrick Wilson and Lin Shaye. The film received mixed reviews from critics and became the biggest opening day in North America box office history for the month of September following its release. It eventually made over US$160 million against a budget of US$5 million. 2014 saw Byrne star in the family dramedies Adult Beginners and This Is Where I Leave You as well as the comedy Neighbors, alongside Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, in which she played one half of a couple who come into conflict with a fraternity that has recently moved in next door. Critics highlighted her performance in Neighbors, with The Atlantic writing: "Byrne walks away with the film by making [her character] a well-rounded, conflicted person, rather than the film's fun cop who has to tell everyone the boring truth". The film was a box office success, taking in US$270.1 million worldwide.

A critically panned but commercially successful remake of the 1982 classic Annie In 2016, she reprised her roles in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and X-Men: Apocalypse, The following year she filmed the black comedy I Love You, Daddy (2017) where she played a beautiful Hollywood actress. The film was directed by and also starring Louis C.K. which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival but was dropped by its distributor following sexual misconduct accusations made against C.K. Byrne said of the experience that "Louis was very sweet with me, and I had a very respectful experience. But it's obviously very complicated" adding, "I think it will be a while before that film can be seen, and I think that's right."

In 2018, Byrne voiced Jemima Puddle-Duck and played a local woman named Bea who spends her time painting pictures of the rabbits in the live-action comedy Peter Rabbit, She reprised her role in the 2021 sequel Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway. In Juliet, Naked (also 2018), Byrne appeared as the voice of the titular character in I Am Mother (2019), a thriller and sci-fi movie with Clara Rugaard and Oscar winner Hilary Swank. Byrne costarred with Adam DeVine, Alexandra Shipp, and Wanda Sykes, voicing a virtual assistant in the movie Jexi (2019). in the episodes, "Onesies" and "The Sign".

2020–present: Career expansion

In 2020, she starred opposite her husband Bobby Cannavale playing the title role in a revival of the greek tragedy Medea at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Adam Feldman of Time Out praised the performance describing her as "riveting". Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter noted that while "Byrne has proven herself a fine dramatic actress in the past" she has been overshadowed recently by her onscreen comedic roles.

In 2025, Byrne received widespread acclaim for her performance as a troubled mother in the Mary Bronstein directed psychological drama If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, which premiered to positive reviews at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, winning her the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. Her performance was widely praised and it earned her numerous Best Actress awards, including the National Board of Review and Golden Globe, as well as nominations for the Academy, Actor, BAFTA and Critics' Choice Awards. She is the eighth Australian to be nominated for the Oscar in Best Actress.

In March of 2026, Byrne appeared on Broadway in the revival of Noël Coward's comedic farce Fallen Angels opposite Kelli O'Hara. She received positive reviews with Jason Zinoman of The New York Times praising their chemistry writing, "The dynamite performances of Byrne and O'Hara are the main event". For her performance she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.

Public image Byrne has been considered one of the world's most beautiful women. She ranked 9th and 16th in Australian FHMs "Sexiest Women in the World", in 2001 and 2006 respectively. She has been featured several times in "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces from Around the World", ranking 15th (2004), 3rd (2005), 7th (2006), 5th (2007), 8th (2008), 1st (2009), and 15th (2010). She was also featured in the "Most Beautiful People" list of 2007 in Who Magazine, and ranked 5th in Hallmark Channel's 2008 "TV's Sexiest Leading Woman" poll. She was voted 78th on Ask Men's Top 99 'most desirable' woman of 2012 list, and People ranked her 7th in its "Best Dressed Celebrities" list of 2015. Byrne was the face of Max Factor between 2004 and 2009, and in 2014, she became the face of Oroton, the Australian producer of luxury fashion accessories.

Since the beginning of her career, her performances have been acclaimed by critics. In 2018, Byrne was noted for her comedic work. She consciously made the transition to less dramatic material in the late 2000s, finding the idea of being "boxed in" to be "insufferable". Decider wrote a story titled "How Did Rose Byrne Become One of Our Best Comedic Actresses?", in which it was remarked: "Byrne's emergence as one of the brightest stars in the Apatowverse is all the more remarkable for her lack of a comedy background. [...] Any doubts about Byrne's massive comedic talent—and after Bridesmaids and Neighbors, you'd have to be pretty stubborn to still have doubts—were put to rest with 2015's Spy, where she again steals the show as merciless terrorist Rayna. Byrne and McCarthy's private-plane banter is the highlight of the film and could have gone on another 30 minutes as far as I'm concerned".

Personal life

In 2013, Byrne lived in New York and said she remained insecure about a stable career: "I don't think that insecurity ever leaves you. You're a freelancer. There's always an element of uncertainty." in 2007. She is a graduate and ambassador for NIDA's (National Institute of Dramatic Art) Young Actors Studio.

Through her brother George's marriage, Byrne is a sister-in-law of New Zealand actress Rose McIver. Byrne was in a relationship with Australian actor Brendan Cowell for over six years. He moved from Sydney to New York City following Byrne's success on Damages''. Their relationship ended in January 2010. Byrne has been in a relationship with American actor Bobby Cannavale since 2012. They have two sons, born in February 2016 and November 2017. In 2026, Byrne referred to Cannavale as her husband.

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Notes 1994 Dallas Doll Rastus Sommers 1999 Two Hands Alex 2000 My Mother Frank Jenny The Goddess of 1967 B.G.2002 Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the ClonesDormé City of Ghosts Sabrina 2003 I Capture the Castle Rose Mortmain The Night We Called It a Day Audrey Appleby The Rage in Placid Lake Gemma Taylor Take Away Sonja Stilano 2004 Troy Briseis Wicker Park Alex Denver 2005 The Tenants Irene Bell 2006 Marie Antoinette Yolande de Polastron The Dead Girl Leah Segment: "The Sister" 2007 Sunshine Cassie 28 Weeks Later Major Scarlet Levy 2008 Just Buried Roberta Knickle The Tender Hook Iris 2009 Knowing Diana Wayland Adam Beth Buchwald 2010 I Love You Too Drunk Passenger Cameo Get Him to the Greek Jackie Q Insidious Renai Lambert 2011 Bridesmaids Helen Harris III X-Men: First Class Moira MacTaggert 2012 The Place Beyond the Pines Jennifer Cross 2013 I Give It a Year Nat Redfern The Internship Dana Simms The Turning Raelene Segment: "The Turning" Insidious: Chapter 2 Renai Lambert 2014 Neighbors Kelly Radner Adult Beginners Justine This Is Where I Leave You Penny Moore Annie Grace Farrell Unity Narrator Documentary 2015 Spy Rayna Boyanov The Meddler Lori Minervini 2016 Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising Kelly Radner X-Men: Apocalypse Moira MacTaggert 2017 I Love You, Daddy Grace Cullen 2018 Insidious: The Last Key Renai Lambert Archive footage Juliet, Naked Annie Platt Peter Rabbit Jemima Puddle-Duck (voice) / Bea Instant Family Ellie Wagner 2019 I Am Mother Mother (voice) Jexi Jexi (voice) 2020 Like a Boss Mel Paige Irresistible Faith Brewster 2021 Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway Jemima Puddle-Duck (voice) / BeaPuff: Wonders of the Reef Narrator 2022 Seriously Red EP Spirited Ms. BlanskyCameo 2023 Insidious: The Red Door Renai Lambert Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Leatherhead (voice) Ezra Jenna 2025 If I Had Legs I'd Kick You Linda Also executive producer Tow Amanda Ogle Also producer

Television Year Title Role Notes 1995 Echo Point Belinda O'Connor Main role, 130 episodes 1997 Fallen Angels Siobhan Episode: "Lerve, Lerve, Lerve" Wildside Heidi Benson 2 episodes 1999 Big Sky Angie Episode: "A Family Affair" Heartbreak High Carly Whitely 4 episodes 2000 Murder Call Sarah Watson Episode: "Still Life" 2005 Casanova Edith 3 episodes 2007–2012 Damages Ellen Parsons Main role, 59 episodes 2012 American Dad! Jenny (voice) Episode: "Ricky Spanish" 2013 Portlandia Fred's date Episode: "Soft Opening" Hollywood Game Night Herself Episode: "Purr-ty People" 2016 No Activity Elizabeth Main role (season 2), 5 episodes 2016, 2024 Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Chloe, ReporterBoeing employee in fake ad Episode: "Journalism"Episode: "Boeing" 2017 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot Television film 2018 War on Waste Herself Episode 2.1 Angie Tribeca Norrah Newt Episode: "Trader Foes" 2019 At Home with Amy Sedaris Mary Finkleton Episode: "All About Amy" 2020 Mrs. America Gloria Steinem Miniseries, 9 episodes 2021–2023 Physical Sheila Rubin Main role, 30 episodes; also executive producer 2022 The Boys Herself Episode: "Herogasm"; cameo The Last Movie Stars Estelle Parsons (voice) Episode: "Chapter Three: The Legend of Paul Leonard Newman" 2022–2024 Bluey Brandy (voice) 2 episodes 2023–present Platonic Sylvia Greeves Main role, 20 episodes; also executive producer 2024–2025 Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leatherhead (voice)6 episodes Samantha QuinnPost-production; also executive producer

Theater Year Title Role Venue 2000 La Dispute Adine Sydney Theatre Company 2001 Three Sisters Irina Sergeyevna Prozorova Sydney Theatre Company 2014–2015 You Can't Take It with You Alice Sycamore Longacre Theatre, Broadway 2016 Speed-the-Plow Karen Rosyln Packer Theatre, Sydney 2020 Medea Medea Brooklyn Academy of Music 2026Fallen AngelsJane BanburyTodd Haimes Theatre

Music videos Year Song Artist Notes 2000 "Black the Sun" Alex Lloyd 2002 "I Miss You" Darren Hayes 2007 "Digital Versicolor" Glass Candy

Awards and nominations