Caitríona Balfe

Caitríona Mary Balfe (/kəˈtriːnə ˈbælf/; born 4 October 1979)^[1] is an Irish actress, producer, director and former model. She began her career as a fashion model in Paris at age 18, working with fashion houses such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton, before transitioning to acting a decade later. Balfe gained early recognition with roles in The Beauty Inside (2012) and H+: The Digital Series (2012–2013), along with appearances in films like Super 8 (2011), Now You See Me (2013), and Escape Plan (2013). Her breakthrough came with her portrayal of Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama Outlander (2014–present), a role that has earned four Golden Globe Award nominations.

Caitríona Balfe
Balfe in 2024
Born	Caitríona Mary Balfe (1979-10-04) 4 October 1979 (age 45) Dublin, Ireland
Alma mater	Dublin Institute of Technology
Occupations	Actress producer director model
Years active	1998–present
Spouse	Anthony McGill ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1

Balfe's notable film credits include Money Monster (2016), Ford v Ferrari (2019), and Belfast (2021). For her performance in Belfast, she received nominations for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

Early life

Balfe was born in Dublin^[2] and grew up outside the village of Tydavnet, County Monaghan.^[3] She is the fourth of five children although her parents subsequently adopted a further two children. Her father was a Garda sergeant.^[4] She went to Dublin Institute of Technology to study drama, before being spotted by a model scout.^[3]

Career

Modelling

Balfe started modelling after she was scouted by an agent while she was collecting money for charity at a local shopping centre.^[4][5] At 18, after working as a model in Dublin for a few months, she caught the attention of a visiting Ford Models scout, who offered her the chance to work for them in Paris.^[4]

Balfe's modelling career highlights include opening and closing fashion shows for Chanel, Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, Moschino, Alberta Ferretti and Louis Vuitton. In a three-year period, she walked in more than 250 runway shows.^[6] At the height of her career, Balfe was considered to be among the twenty most in-demand models in the world.^[7][8]

Early acting roles

While living in New York, Balfe played an employee of the magazine Runway in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada.^[7] In 2009, after a decade-long modeling career, Balfe returned to her initial career choice and moved from New York to Los Angeles,^[4] spending her first year and a half in the city exclusively taking acting classes, first at the Warner Loughlin^[9] Studios and then at the Sanford Meisner Center and the Judith Weston^[10] Studios.^[11][12] Balfe appeared in Super 8 as the protagonist's mother, Now You See Me as Michael Caine's character's daughter, and Escape Plan as the CIA lawyer that hires Sylvester Stallone's character.^[4][13] In 2012 she portrayed Alex #34 in The Beauty Inside.^[14] In 2013 she starred in the music videos for "First Fires" by British musician Bonobo^[15] and for "Chloroform" by French band Phoenix, the latter directed by Sofia Coppola.^[16]

Balfe was part of the main cast of the Warner Bros. web series H+: The Digital Series during 2012 and 2013, in which she played Breanna Sheehan, one of the executives of a biotechnology company that develops an implanted computer which allows people to be connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.^[17]

Outlander

Balfe at the Outlander premiere in New York (2014)

In September 2013, Balfe was cast as the lead character, Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser, on the Starz television drama series Outlander, based on the novels written by Diana Gabaldon; the series premiered in August 2014. She plays a mid-20th-century nurse (later surgeon) who is transported back in time to the war-torn mid-18th-century Scottish Highlands.^[18] Both the series and her performance have received critical acclaim,^[19] with Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair saying "it helps immensely that Balfe is such an appealing actress, [she] makes Claire a spirited, principled, genuinely heroic heroine".^[20] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Balfe is "reason enough to watch; she's a confident actress who brings various shades to her character."^[21] James Poniewozik of Time labelled Balfe's portrayal as "wry, [and] infectiously engaging."^[22] Angelica Jade Bastién of The New York Times called Balfe "one of the most stunning actresses on television".^[23]

In December 2014, Entertainment Weekly named Balfe one of its 12 Breakout Stars of 2014;^[24] that month she was also voted "Woman Of The Year" at BBC America's Anglophenia Fan Favorites tournament.

In April 2015, Balfe received Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama and Rising Star Award nominations for the 12th Irish Film & Television Awards,^[25][26] and was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World". She won Saturn Awards for Best Actress on Television in 2015^[27] and 2016.^[28] In November 2016, Balfe won the Scottish BAFTA award for Best Actress on Television^[29] and in February 2018 she won the Irish IFTA for Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama.^[30] Balfe also received four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her role in Outlander.^[31]

Money Monster, Ford v Ferrari and Belfast

Caitriona Balfe at the press conference of Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Balfe co-starred in the film Money Monster (2016), directed by Jodie Foster and starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. She played the head of PR of a company whose stock bottoms out, causing a man to lose all of his savings and subsequently take hostages on a live TV show.^[32] Eric Hills of The Movie Waffler wrote "But it's relative newcomer Balfe who leaves the greatest impression; she's magnetic, stealing scenes even when her character is only glimpsed reacting to the situation on a background monitor. Expect to see a lot more of this Irish actress in the coming years."^[33]

In 2019, Balfe had a recurring voice role as Tavra in the Netflix fantasy series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. The series, which was a prequel to the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal and produced by the Jim Henson Company, was released to critical acclaim.^[34] Also in 2019, she had a starring role opposite Matt Damon and Christian Bale in the sports drama film Ford v Ferrari. Balfe portrayed Mollie Miles, the wife of professional race car driver Ken Miles, a role which earned her an IFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.^[35] The film received universal acclaim upon release and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.^[36]

In 2021, Balfe had a co-starring role in Kenneth Branagh's semi-autobiographical film Belfast, for which she received critical acclaim.^[37] Critic Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair lauded Balfe for her "modest, affable performance".^[38] Her performance earned her nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, and British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards.^[39] She has been a member of the Actors Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since June 2022.^[40]

Balfe stars in the 20th Century Studios film The Amateur.^[41]

Personal life

Balfe lives in London and, while filming Outlander, in Glasgow.^[42] She previously lived in Los Angeles, where she started acting professionally, and in New York City, Paris, London, Milan, Hamburg, and Tokyo while working as a model.^[11][43][44] Balfe used to be fluent in her native Irish language and still retains some phrases.^[45] Additionally, she is conversant in French.^[46]

On 10 August 2019, Balfe married her long-time boyfriend, former band manager and businessman Anthony "Tony" McGill at St. Mary's Church in Bruton, Somerset.^[47] She announced on 18 August 2021 that she had given birth to their son.^[48]

In an interview, Balfe was asked if she considered herself spiritual. Balfe responded "I would say I'm spiritual, though have long turned my back on institutionalised religion. I definitely believe in the inherent goodness of the universe."^[49]

Philanthropy and other ventures

In 2014, she became a patron of the organization World Child Cancer.^[50] She visited World Child Cancer facilities in Ghana in 2016, meeting with key healthcare staff in Accra and Kumasi.^[51] She also spent time with the children there receiving care and their families. In 2017, the organization reported that Balfe's fans raised over £100,000.^[52] In April 2018, she ran the London Marathon, raising over US$41,000 in support of the organization.^[53] She has also hosted several campaigns selling shirts featuring her Outlander character Claire Fraser with proceeds benefiting World Child Cancer.^[54] In June 2023, Balfe appeared on BBC Radio 4 Appeal to share the story of one of the children World Child Cancer has supported. The appeal raised a total of £28,101.^[55]

She is also a supporter of charitable causes involving refugee relief with ChooseLove, raising thousands of dollars in funds to help aid refugees in crisis globally, as well as a vocal supporter of charities that aid the environment.

In October 2020, a group of fans who met through Balfe’s pandemic online book club created a fundraising initiative they called Project CaiTREEna, to raise money for the environmental charity One Tree Planted in honor of Balfe’s 41st birthday. With Balfe’s support, fans raised nearly $50,000 that year. As of 2024, over US$217,000 has been raised and more than 217,000 trees planted worldwide in her honor.^[56]

In August 2020, Balfe launched Forget Me Not, a Scottish-based small-batch gin. Twenty-five per cent of the proceeds from sales go to funding arts programmes.^[57]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2006	The Devil Wears Prada	Clacker	Uncredited	[7]
2009	Picture Me	Herself	Documentary; also producer
	A Herculean Effort	Emily	Short film
2011	Super 8	Elizabeth Lamb
	Lust Life	Aubrey	Short film
2012	The Wolf	Sally
	Lost Angeles	Véronique
2013	Crush	Andie
	Now You See Me	Jasmine Tressler
	Escape Plan	Jessica Miller
2015	The Price of Desire	Gabrielle Bloch
2016	Money Monster	Diane Lester
2019	Ford v Ferrari	Mollie Miles
2020	Angela's Christmas Wish	Dorothy's Mother	Voice	[58]
2021	Belfast	Ma
2024	The Cut	Caitlin Harney		[59]
2025	The Amateur	Inquiline Davies		[41]

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2010	The Model Scouts	Herself / Runway Mentor	Cycle 2, Episode 2	[7]
2012	The Beauty Inside	Alex #34	Main role; 5 episodes
2012–2013	H+: The Digital Series	Breanna Sheehan	Main role; 7 episodes
2014–present	Outlander	Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser	Lead role; 91 episodes Also producer; 12 episodes Also Director; 2 episodes	[60]
2019	The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance	Tavra	Voice; 9 episodes
2019	The Christmas Letter	Ellie	Voice; Television film	[61]

Awards and nominations

Year	Work	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2015	Outlander	BBC America Anglophenia Fan Favourite Awards	Woman Of The Year	Won
		The Anglophile Channel Awards	Best Actress in a Television Series	Won
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Won
		Irish Film & Television Awards	Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama	Nominated
			Rising Star Award	Nominated
		EWwy Awards	Best Actress in a Drama Series	Won
2016		People's Choice Awards	Favorite Cable Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress	Won
		Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	Nominated
		Satellite Awards	Best Television Ensemble	Won
		Women's Image Network Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Won
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Won
		Irish Film & Television Awards	Best Actress in a Lead Role Drama	Nominated
		The Anglophile Channel Awards	Best Actress in a Television Series	Won
		EWwy Awards	Best Actress in a Drama Series	Won
		British Academy Scotland Awards	Best Actress on Television	Won
		Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
2017		People's Choice Awards	Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress	Won
		Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	Nominated
		Oscar Wilde Awards	—	Awarded
		Women's Image Network Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
		Irish Film & Television Awards	Best Actress in a Lead Role TV Drama	Nominated
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Nominated
2018		Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	Nominated	[62][63]
		Women's Image Network Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
		Satellite Awards	Best Actress in a TV Drama Series//Genre Series	Nominated
		Critics' Choice Television Awards	Best Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated
		Irish Film & Television Awards	Best Actress in a Lead Role TV Drama	Won
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Nominated
2019		Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress – Television Series Drama	Nominated	[64]
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on a Television Series	Nominated	[65]
2020		Irish Film & Television Awards	Best Actress in a Lead Role TV Drama	Nominated	[35]
	Ford v Ferrari		Best Actress in a Supporting Role Film	Nominated
	Outlander	Women's Image Network Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated	[66]
			Film/Show Produced by a Woman	Nominated
2021		Critics' Choice Super Awards	Best Actress In A Science Fiction/Fantasy Series	Nominated	[67]
		Satellite Awards	Actress in a Series, Drama/Genre	Nominated	[68]
		46th Annual Gracie Awards	Actress in a Leading Role – Drama	Won	[69]
		Saturn Awards	Best Actress on Television	Won	[70][71]
	Belfast	Napa Valley Film Festival Awards	Spotlight Award	Awarded	[72]
		Santa Barbara International Film Festival	Virtuosos Award	Awarded	[73]
		Palm Springs International Film Festival	Vanguard Award	Awarded	[74]
		British Independent Film Awards	Best Actress	Nominated	[75]
		San Diego Film Critics Society	Best Actress	Won	[76]
		Online Association of Female Film Critics	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[77]
			Best Acting Ensemble	Nominated
		Screen Actors Guild Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[78]
			Best Ensemble	Nominated
		Critics' Choice Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[79]
			Best Acting Ensemble	Won
		Las Vegas Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[80]
		Iowa Film Critics Association		Won	[81]
		IFTA Film & Drama Awards		Nominated	[82]
		North Dakota Film Society		Nominated	[83]
		Hawaii Film Critics Circle		Nominated	[84]
		Golden Globe Awards		Nominated	[85]
		British Academy Film Awards		Nominated	[86]
		Chicago Film Critics Association		Nominated	[87]
		Indiana Film Journalists Association		Nominated	[88]
		Phoenix Critics Circle		Nominated	[89]
		Columbus Film Critics Association		Nominated	[90]
		AACTA International Awards		Nominated	[91]
		Hollywood Critics Association		Nominated	[92]
			Best Ensemble Cast	Won
		Satellite Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Nominated	[93]
		Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards		Nominated	[94]
			Best Ensemble Cast	Nominated
2022		Online Film and Television Association		Nominated	[95]
	Outlander	Saturn Awards	Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television	Nominated	[96]
	BAFTA Scotland Award	Best Actress	Nominated	[97]
	Women's Image Network Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated	[98]
	Irish Film and Television Awards	Lead Actress Drama	Nominated	[99]
2023	Saturn Awards	Best Actress on a Television Series	Won	[100]
2024	Outlander	Critics' Choice Awards	Best Actress in a Drama Series	Nominated	[101]