Niamh Cusack

Niamh Cusack (/ˈ n iː v / NEEV ; born 20 October 1959) is an Irish actress. Born into a family with deep roots in the performing arts, she has performed extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and other prominent theatre ensembles.

Cusack is best known for her television role as Dr. Kate Rowan in the British series Heartbeat (1992–1995). Her further screen credits include the medical drama Always and Everyone (1999–2002), the animated series The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1995), and films such as The Closer You Get (2000), Testament of Youth (2014), and The Ghoul (2016). Notable television appearances include episodes of Agatha Christie's Marple ("4:50 from Paddington", 2004), Midsomer Murders (2008), A Touch of Frost (2010), Death in Paradise (2021), and The Tower (2023), alongside performances in dramas like In Love with Alma Cogan (2011), Departure (2015), and The Virtues (2019).

Cusack received a nomination for an IFTA Award for her role in the television film Too Good to be True (2003).

Niamh Cusack was born on 20 October 1959 in Dalkey, County Dublin, Ireland. She is the daughter of actor Cyril Cusack and actress Maureen Cusack (formerly Mary Margaret Kiely). Among her siblings are actresses Sinéad Cusack and Sorcha Cusack, as well as half-sister Catherine Cusack. Her brothers include Paul Cusack, a television producer, and Pádraig Cusack, a producer for the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain.

Cusack received a bilingual education in Dublin, and is fluent in both Irish (Gaeilge) and English. Initially pursuing a career in music, she trained as a professional flautist and earned a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Following this, she worked as a freelance musician with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. She later transitioned to acting, securing a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to undertake formal training.

Cusack began her stage career in 1985, playing Irina in Kasparov Wrede’s production of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, followed by portraying Desdemona opposite Ben Kingsley in the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of Othello. In 1986, she starred as Juliet opposite Sean Bean's Romeo in the RSC’s Romeo and Juliet.

Throughout the 1990s, Cusack performed in prominent London productions, including Nora Clitheroe in Sam Mendes's staging of Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars at the Young Vic, Rosalind in As You Like It at the Barbican Centre, Flora Crewe in Tom Stoppard's Indian Ink at the Aldwych Theatre, and a role in Jean Genet's The Maids at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2003, she played Portia in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice at the Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Gale Edwards.

In 2004, she joined the National Theatre's adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials as Serafina Pekkala, alongside Anna Maxwell Martin, Ben Wishaw, and Patricia Hodge. In 2007, She returned to the National Theatre in 2007 for The Enchantment and starred in Mark O'Rowe's Crestfall at Theatre503. In 2009, she portrayed Maggie in the Old Vic's revival of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa alongside her husband, Finbar Lynch. In 2010, she played Catherine Dickens in Andersen's English, by Sebastian Barry.

In 2011, she appeared in The Painter by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, opposite Toby Jones and followed it with the role of Edith Davenport in Cause Célèbre by Terence Rattigan and the Widow Quin in The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge, both at the Old Vic.[ 11] Cusack was nominated for a Whatsonstage.com Award in 2012 in the Best Supporting Actress in a Play category for The Playboy of the Western World role.

In August 2012, Cusack rejoined the National Theatre for the role of Siobhan in the world première of the stage adaptation of Mark Haddon's book The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott. The show premièred on 2 August 2012. It also starred Luke Treadaway as Christopher, Nicola Walker as his mother Judy, Paul Ritter as his father Ed and Una Stubbs as Mrs. Alexander. The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time secured the most nominations, with eight, for the 2013 Olivier Awards.[ 12] [ 13] The show transferred to the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London on 1 March 2013 with Cusack reprising her role.

Cusack returned to the London stage in 2016 as Paulina in The Winter's Tale at the Globe and Owen McCafferty's Unfaithful at Found 111 in the West End.

In 2017, she was cast in the leading role of Lenú in the world premiere of the stage adaptation of the multi-award-winning tetralogy of books My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante at the Rose Theatre, which transferred to the Olivier Theatre of the Royal National Theatre in 2019. In between the transfer in 2018, Cusack returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company in another leading role as Lady Macbeth opposite Christopher Eccleston which transferred to London's Barbican Theatre. In the first stage adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel The Remains of the Day by Barney Norris, Cusack was cast as Miss Kenton. Cusack also returned television as Janine in the acclaimed 4-part series The Virtues directed by Shane Meadows.

In 2022, Cusack appeared at Abbey Theatre in Brian Friel's Faith Healer opposite Aidan Gillen and directed by Joe Dowling[ 14] (which had been postponed owing to COVID-19). For her performance, she was nominated for Best Actress in a Support Role at the Irish Times Theatre Awards. In 2022, she starred as Gertrude in Hamlet by Bristol Old Vic along with husband Finbar Lynch.[ 15] In 2023, she led the cast in the first major revival of Polly Stenham's That Face at London's Orange Tree Theatre.

In 1989 Cusack appeared in the ninth episode of the first series of Agatha Christie's Poirot entitled The King of Clubs.[ 16] She starred as Dr. Kate Rowan in the popular 1990s television drama series Heartbeat (1992–1995), set in the 1960s in the North Riding of Yorkshire. She left the show after becoming pregnant. Cusack was nominated in the category of Best Actress in a TV Drama in 2004 at the 2nd Irish Film & Television Awards for her performance in the Cartlon Television TV film Too Good to Be True.[ 17]

She played Christine Fletcher in Always and Everyone (1999–2002), a British accident and emergency medical series alongside Martin Shaw; Grace Haslett in the miniseries State of Mind,[ 16] alongside Andrew Lincoln; Julie Flynn in the one-off drama Rhinoceros alongside Robson Green and Beatrix Potter in the TV series The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends (1992–1995).[ 16] She played Wodehouse's Bobbie Wickham in the ITV series Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). She was also in Agatha Christie's Marple series[ 16] ("4:50 from Paddington", 2004),[ 16] and has appeared in episodes of Midsomer Murders (2008) and A Touch of Frost (2010),[ 16] alongside David Jason. She starred in the film The Closer You Get (2000),[ 16] alongside Seán McGinley. She appeared in Testament of Youth (2014), Departure (2015),[ 16] Chick Lit (2016),[ 16] and in the British psychological crime horror The Ghoul (2016).[ 16]

In 2021, she appeared in two episodes of Death in Paradise (2021).[ 16] In 2023, she appeared in series two of The Tower, alongside Tamzin Outhwaite.[ 18]

In January 2013, she was nominated for a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for The Man with Wings by Rachel Joyce, produced by Gordon House, Goldhawk Essential Productions for Radio 4. Cusack played Molly Bloom in James Joyce's Ulysses for BBC Radio 4 which aired a new 9-part adaptation dramatised by Robin Brooks, produced and directed by Jeremy Mortimer. The series began on Bloomsday (16 June) 2012.[ 19]

Cusack is married to the actor Finbar Lynch. They met when rehearsing in Dublin in the theatre production of Three Sisters in 1990. They have one son, actor Calam Lynch. Cusack is a keen athlete and has run the London Marathon for the charity St Joseph's Hospice in 2003.[ 20]