Biography

Orla Brady studied acting at the Ecole Phillippe Gaulier in Paris. Upon returning to Dublin, she won the role of Adela in the House of Bernarda Alba at the Gate Theatre. She is currently working on both sides of the Atlantic with a career mix of television, film, and stage to her credit.

In 1999, Orla played the lead role of Sheila Cloney in A Love Divided. For her role in this critically acclaimed movie, Orla won the Monte Carlo Film and Television Festival's Best Actress award in 1999. She was also nominated for the Irish Film and Television (IFTN) best actress award that year. Besides leading lady roles, Orla has taken on such diverse characters as a hunger-striking political prisoner in Silent Grace, a housekeeper in Servants, a Russian aristocrat in The Luzhin Defence, a veterinarian in Noah's Ark, a homicide detective in Out of the Blue, and a wife and mistress in Mistresses. Along with her first performance in House of Bernarda Alba, Orla has a string of classic roles to her credit, such as Cathy in Wuthering Heights, Natasha in Three Sisters, Pegeen Mike in The Playboy of the Western World, and Ophelia in Hamlet.

Born in County Wicklow, Ireland, Orla has lived in Bray, Dublin, London, Paris, and California. She is the daughter of Catherine and Patrick Brady, who used to own the Oak Bar in Temple Bar, Dublin. In 2002, Orla married Nick Brandt in a ceremony overlooking Mount Kilimanjaro followed by a safari honeymoon. 

When she isn't busy filming or off on safari with her husband, Orla likes horseback riding, reading, and has a great love of animals.