Emmy Award-winning actress Fionnula Flanagan was born on December 10, 1941 in Dublin, Ireland. Fluent in both Irish and English, she studied both in England and Switzerland, and eventually trained with the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. She rose to prominence in her home country after her performance in the television play An Triail, for which she won a Jacob’s Award in 1965. She further gained recognition for her performance in the film Ulysses, which premiered in 1967.
Flanagan then moved to the United States, and further established her name on Broadway. After making her debut in a production of Lovers in 1968, she appeared in several adaptations of James Joyce’s works—Ulysses in Nighttown, where she earned a Tony nomination, and the one-woman show James Joyce’s Women, which eventually earned her Critic’s Circle Awards in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was turned into a film in 1988. She also established her name in television, appearing in several television movies, and eventually winning an Emmy for her role in the 1976 miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man.
Flanagan soon also appeared in several weekly programs, most notably How The West Was Won in 1977, which earned her another Emmy nomination. She appeared in three Star Trek programs as a guest: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise. She had roles in acclaimed miniseries such as the Emmy-nominated Revelations. Most recently, she took a major role in the drama series Brotherhood, playing Rose Caffee, the highly manipulative mother of the Caffee brothers (Jason Isaacs and Jason Clarke).
Flanagan also has an established film career, although it’s only more recently when she was her work became well-known. Her films include A State of Emergency, Mad at the Moon, Waking Ned, With or Without You, The Others, Transamerica, Four Brothers and Slipstream.
1967
Ulysses
1969
Sinful Davey
1974
The Godchild
The Picture of Dorian Gray
1975
The Legend of Lizzie Borden
1976
Rich Man, Poor Man
In the Region of Ice
1977
Mary White
1979
Young Love, First Love
1980
Mr Patman
1984
Reflections
The Ewok Adventure
Scorned and Swindled
1985
James Joyce's Women
1986
State of Emergency
A Winner Never Quits
Youngblood
1987
Through Naked Eyes
P.K. and the Kid
1987-2003
Murder She Wrote
1991
Final Verdict
1992
Death Dreams
Mad at the Moon
1993
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Star Trek The Next Generation
Money for Nothing
1996
Some Mother's Son
1998
Waking Ned Divine
Kings in Grass Castles
To Have & to Hold
With or Without You
1999
A Secret Affair
2001
The Others
2002
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
2003
Man About Dog
Tears of the Sun
2004
SEXual Life
2005
Four Brothers
Transamerica
2006-2008
Brotherhood
2007
Slipstream
2007-
Lost
2008
Yes Man
2009
This Side of the Truth