Laura Donnelly

For the fictional character, see Laura Donnelly (Love Is a Many Splendored Thing).

Laura Donnelly (born 24 June 1982) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before her early roles on stage and screen. She is known for her collaborations with playwright Jez Butterworth acting in The River (2012, 2015), The Ferryman (2017–2019) and The Hills of California (2024). She is the recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award as well as a nomination for a Tony Award.

Laura Donnelly
Donnelly in 2019
Born	(1982-06-24) 24 June 1982 (age 42) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Alma mater	Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Partner	Jez Butterworth
Children	2

On television, she is known for her roles in the Starz series Outlander (2014–2017), the ITV series Beowulf (2016), and the HBO series The Nevers (2021–2023).

Early life and education

Donnelly grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2004.^[1]

Career

She made her on-screen debut in 2005 in the Channel 4 drama Sugar Rush.^[1] She is also known for her regular appearances in Outlander,^[1] and Britannia,^[1] and as a main character in the Irish film Insatiable (2008).^[1]

In 2013, Donnelly played a main role: that of Sarah Kay in The Fall.^[1]

In 2018, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance in The Ferryman.^[2] In 2019 she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress for the same role on Broadway.^[3]

She played a lead role as Amalia True in HBO's The Nevers (2021).^[1]

Personal life

She lives in London (2021) with her partner Jez Butterworth, and their two daughters.^[4]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	Insatiable	Rachel	Lead
2009	Dread	Abby
	Right Hand Drive	Ashley
2013	Hello Carter	Tara
2014	Heart of Lightness	Ellida
2015	The Program	Emma O'Reilly
2019	Tolkien	Mabel Tolkien
2023	The Heist Before Christmas	Patricia

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Sugar Rush	Beth	2 episodes
	Casualty	Fleur Butler	7 episodes
	Hex	Maya Robertson	4 episodes
2006	The Bill	Jody Macmillan	1 episode
2007	Rough Diamond	Aoife	1 episode
2009	Occupation	Katy Hibbs	2 episodes
	Merlin	Freya	2 episodes
	Best: His Mother's Son	Barbara Best	TV film
2012	Missing	Violet Heath
2013	The Fall	Sarah Kay	5 episodes
2014–2017	Outlander	Janet "Jenny" Fraser Murray	8 episodes
2016	Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands	Elvina	Main role
2018–2021	Britannia	Hella	6 episodes
2021–2023	The Nevers	Zephyr Alexis Navine / Amalia True	Main role
2022	Werewolf by Night	Elsa Bloodstone	Disney+ television special
2024	Say Nothing	Older Helen McConville	Miniseries; 3 episodes

Theatre

Year	Title	Role	Playwright	Venue	Ref.
2004	A Boston Marriage	Catherine		B*Spoke/Project Theatre Dublin
2007	Dancing at Lughnasa	Chrissie	Brian Friel	Lyric Theatre Belfast
2008	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Hermia	William Shakespeare	Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
	Romeo & Juliet	Juliet	William Shakespeare	Regent's Park Open Air Theatre	[1]
2009	Judgement Day	Anna	Christopher Hampton	Almeida Theatre, West End	[5]
2012	Philadelphia, Here I Come!	Katie Doogan	Brian Friel	Donmar Warehouse, West End	[6]
	The River	Other Woman	Jez Butterworth	Royal Court Theatre, West End	[7]
2013	Tutto Bene Mamma?	The Women	April De Angelis	The Print Room, London	[8]
2014–2015	The River	Other Woman	Jez Butterworth	Circle in the Square, Broadway	[9]
2015	The Wasp	Heather	Morgan Lloyd Malcolm	Trafalgar Studios, West End	[10]
2017–2018	The Ferryman	Caitlin Carney	Jez Butterworth	Royal Court Theatre / Gielgud Theatre	[11]
2018–2019				Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, Broadway	[12]
2024	The Hills of California	Veronica / Joan		Harold Pinter Theatre, West End	[13]
				Broadhurst Theater, Broadway	[14]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
2010	Fright Meter Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Dread	Nominated	[15]
2017	Evening Standard Theatre Award	Best Actress	The Ferryman	Nominated	[3]
2018	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actress		Won	[16][2]
2019	Tony Award	Best Actress in a Play		Nominated	[17]
2022	Critics' Choice Super Awards	Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series	The Nevers	Nominated	[15]
2024	Laurence Olivier Award	Best Actress	The Hills of California	Nominated	[18]
2025	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Lead Performance in a Play		Pending	[19]
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play		Pending	[20]