Cillian Murphy First Irish Man To Win Best Actor BAFTA

 

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Cillian Murphy picked up his first BAFTA win on Sunday night.

The Cork man was nominated for his first BAFTA Film Awards this year for his role in Oppenheimer.

And it was no surprise that he picked up the gong in London.

Accepting the award, he immediately thanked director Christopher Nolan, who has been working with for over two decades.

 

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“I want to thank my fellow nominees and my Oppenhomies and, in fact, all of you in the room. I know it’s a cliché to say I’m in awe of you, but I genuinely am in awe,” he went on to say.

Cillian was a 2007 nominee for the BAFTA Rising Star award. In 2023, he scored his first Leading Actor nomination at the BAFTA TV Awards for Peaky Blinders.

Speaking backstage after accepting his award, he said he’s a “really, really proud Irishman”.

“I have to say that, of course. And it means a lot to me to be Irish,” he said. “I don’t know what else to say. Should I sing a rebel song?”

 

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Cillian actually made history after becoming the first Irish-born man to win Best Actor at the BAFTAs.

Robert Downey Jr won Best Supporting Actor for his role as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, beating out Irish actor Paul Mescal for his role in All of Us Strangers.

• baftas
• Cillian Murphy