Laura Donnelly
Biography
Laura Donnelly is an actress born on June 24, 1982, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She received her professional training at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before beginning her career in stage and screen productions. Throughout her professional life, Donnelly has gained recognition for her work in theatre, film, and television. She is a recipient of a Laurence Olivier Award and has received two Tony Award nominations for her performances. Donnelly is noted for her frequent collaborations with playwright Jez Butterworth. She maintains a career that spans both West End and Broadway stages, as well as various television series for networks including Starz, ITV, and HBO.
Career overview
Donnelly made her on-screen debut in 2005 in the Channel 4 drama Sugar. Her television career includes roles in the Starz series Outlander, where she portrayed Jenny Fraser Murray, and the ITV series Beowulf in 2016. She later starred as Amalia True in the HBO series The Nevers, which aired from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, she is known for her role as Elsa Bloodstone in the production Werewolf by Night.
In the realm of theatre, Donnelly is recognized for her long-standing collaboration with playwright Jez Butterworth. She has appeared in both West End and Broadway productions of his plays, including The River, which ran from 2012 to 2015, and The Ferryman, which ran from 2017 to 2019. Her performance in The Ferryman earned her the Best Actress award at the Laurence Olivier Awards in April 2018. More recently, she appeared in the 2024 production of The Hills of California.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Dark (2026) as DI Monica Kennedy
- Sugar (2024) as Charlotte Fischer
- The Heist Before Christmas (2023) as Patricia Collins
- Werewolf by Night (2022) as Elsa Bloodstone
- Director by Night (2022) as Self
- The Nevers (2021) as Amalia True
- Tolkien (2019) as Mabel Tolkien
- Britannia (2018) as Hella
- Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016) as Elvina
- The Program (2015) as Emma O'Reilly
- Outlander (2014) as Jenny Fraser Murray
- Heart of Lightness (2014) as Elida
- Goldfrapp: Tales Of Us (2014)
- The Fall (2013) as Sarah Kay
- Hello Carter (2013) as Tara Stephens
- Sail Away (2013) Casting Director
- Missing (2012) as Violet Heath
- Dread (2009) as Abby
- Best: His Mother's Son (2009) as Barbara Best
- Occupation (2009) as Katy Hibbs
- Right Hand Drive (2009) as Ashley
- Merlin (2008) as Freya
- Insatiable (2008) as Rachel
- Sugar Rush (2005) as Beth
- Hex (2004) as Maya Robertson
- The Bill (1984) as Jody MacMillan
- Kennedy as Rose Kennedy