Elaine Cassidy (born 31 December 1979
) is an Irish actress. She is best known for playing DC Dinah Kowalska in ''
No Offence
''No Offence'' is a British television police procedural drama on Channel 4, created by Paul Abbott. It follows a team of detectives from Friday Street police station, a division of the Manchester Metropolitan Police (a fictional version of the ...
'',
Abby Mills in the American television series ''
Harper's Island
''Harper's Island'' is an American horror mystery limited series created by Ari Schlossberg for CBS. Schlossberg, Jeffrey Jackson Bell and Jon Turteltaub served as executive producers. The series features an ensemble cast led by Elaine Cassidy ...
'' for
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
, Felicia in ''
Felicia's Journey
''Felicia's Journey'' is a novel written by Irish author William Trevor, first published by Viking Press in 1994. The novel was made into a 1999 film of the same name.
The book won the Whitbread Prize and ''The Sunday Express'' Book of the Ye ...
'', Runt in ''
Disco Pigs
''Disco Pigs'' is a 2001 Irish film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Enda Walsh, who adapted it from his 1996 play of the same name. Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy star as two young people from Cork who have a lifelong, but unhealt ...
'', Lydia in ''
The Others'', Amy Harris in ''
The Ghost Squad
''The Ghost Squad'' is a British crime drama series produced by Company Pictures, for Channel 4, broadcast from 15 November to 27 December 2005. Created by Tom Grieves, the series was inspired by the real life "Ghost Squad" that existed betwee ...
'' and Katherine Glendenning in ''
The Paradise''.
Early life
Cassidy was born in
Raheny
Raheny () is a northern suburb of Dublin, Ireland, halfway from the city centre to Howth. It is centred on a historic settlement, first documented in 570 CE ( Mervyn Archdall). The district shares Dublin's two largest municipal parks, Saint Anne ...
, and moved with her family to
Kilcoole
Kilcoole () is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is three kilometres (2 miles) south of Greystones, 14 kilometres (9 miles) north of Wicklow, and about 28 kilometres (17 miles) south of Dublin. It was used as the set for the Irish tel ...
when she was three years old.
Her first role was as the title character in a school production of ''
Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
'' when she was five.
Career
In 1996, Cassidy was nominated for the Most Promising Actress at the
Geneva Film Festival
The Geneva Film Festival is an annual event that takes place in Geneva, Illinois. The festival shows films from around the world and puts on a workshop for those interested in the technical aspects of the film making process.
Official selec ...
for her role in ''The Sun, the Moon and the Stars''.
She played the starring role in ''
Felicia's Journey
''Felicia's Journey'' is a novel written by Irish author William Trevor, first published by Viking Press in 1994. The novel was made into a 1999 film of the same name.
The book won the Whitbread Prize and ''The Sunday Express'' Book of the Ye ...
'', for which she was nominated Best Actress at the
20th Genie Awards
The 20th Genie Awards were held on January 30, 2000, by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, to honour films released in 1999. The ceremony aired live on CBC Television, and a post-event highlights show aired on Radio Canada.Maria Topalovi ...
.
She has won 2
Irish Film and Television Awards
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
(IFTA) for Best Actress in a Lead Role in Film in 2003 for her role as Runt in ''
Disco Pigs
''Disco Pigs'' is a 2001 Irish film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Enda Walsh, who adapted it from his 1996 play of the same name. Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy star as two young people from Cork who have a lifelong, but unhealt ...
'', and in 2010 for Best Actress in a Lead Role in Television for her role as Abby Mills in the American CBS TV series ''
Harper's Island
''Harper's Island'' is an American horror mystery limited series created by Ari Schlossberg for CBS. Schlossberg, Jeffrey Jackson Bell and Jon Turteltaub served as executive producers. The series features an ensemble cast led by Elaine Cassidy ...
''.
She was also nominated for an
IFTA
Ifta is a former municipality in the Wartburgkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. Since 1 January 2019, it has been part of the town Treffurt
Treffurt () is a small town in the western region of the Wartburgkreis district which belongs to the f ...
in 2005 as Best Actress in a Lead Role in Television for her role as "Maud Lilly" in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 2007 as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Film for her role as Sandra in ''
'', and in 2009 as Best Actress in a Lead Role in Television for her role as Annie Mulcahy in ''
in 2007. She appeared in the music video for
". She plays DC Dinah Kowalska in ''
.
She also plays Maureen in the one-off ITV drama special of the book ''Just Henry'', which was made into film in August 2011 and screened on ITV on 18 December 2011.
'', on 31 December 2007. They live in