Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish actress. She is known for her work in the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' franchise as Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in ''

Revenge of the Sith Revenge is committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Francis Bacon described revenge as a kind of "wild justice" that "does... offend the law ndputteth the law out of office." P ...

'', ''

Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by L ...

'', and the Disney+ series '' Andor'', as well as her voice role as the character in ''

Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animated science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' and progressing ...

'', and as Moira in ''

Overwatch ''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: '' Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fe ...

''. Alongside her appearances in television, O'Reilly is also known for her career in films with her credits in the movie industry notably including the 2004 film ''Avatar'' in which she portrayed Dash MacKenzie, the 2009 period drama ''

The Young Victoria ''The Young Victoria'' is a 2009 British period drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée and written by Julian Fellowes, based on the early life and reign of Queen Victoria, and her marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Produce ...

'' in which she played

Lady Flora Hastings Lady Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings (11 February 1806 – 5 July 1839) was a British aristocrat and lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent. Her death in 1839 was the subject of a court scandal that gave the Queen a nega ...

, and the 2010 romantic movie ''Forget Me Not'' where she played Eve. In 2016, O'Reilly appeared in the role of Tarzan's mother in ''The Legend of Tarzan''.

Early life and education

O'Reilly was born on 6 January 1977 in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Ireland, and raised in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia. She is the eldest of four siblings. At the age of twenty O'Reilly moved to Sydney to attend the

National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) is an Australian educational institution for the performing arts is based in Sydney, New South Wales. Founded in 1958, many of Australia's leading actors and directors trained at NIDA, including Cat ...

, graduating in 2000.

Personal life

In 2005, she moved to the United Kingdom with her husband, Luke Mulvihill, and lives in

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...

. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Career

Theatre

O'Reilly was cast as the

understudy In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to a ...

in director

Gale Edwards Gale Edwards (born 14 November 1954) is an Australian theatre director, who has worked extensively throughout Australia and internationally. She has also directed for television and film. Professional career Edwards began her career at Adelaid ...

' production of ''

The White Devil ''The White Devil'' (full original title: ''The White Divel; or, The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano. With The Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan'') is a tragedy by English playwright John W ...

'' a week after graduating from drama school. She went on to appear in Edwards'

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

production of ''

The Way of the World ''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best Restoration comedies and is stil ...

''. Other theatre credits include ''

The Weir ''The Weir'' is a play written by Conor McPherson in 1997. It was first produced at The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London, England, on 4 July 1997. It opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre on 1 April 1999. As well as several oth ...

'' by

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

, at the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

, Dublin, and ''

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

'' at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

.United Agents – Genevieve O'Reilly
Retrieved 24 October 2009. Recent parts at the

Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...

have been in new play, Mike Bartlett's ''13'', and as Helena, wife to Andrew Scott's emperor Julian in the 2011 production of

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's epic ''

Emperor and Galilean ''Emperor and Galilean'' (in no, Kejser og Galilæer) is a play written by Henrik Ibsen. Although it is one of the writer's lesser known plays, on several occasions Henrik Ibsen called ''Emperor and Galilean'' his major work. ''Emperor and Gal ...

''. In July 2012, O'Reilly performed in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

's '' The Doctor's Dilemma''. In 2015 she played Kathryn in '' Splendour'' by

Abi Morgan Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as ''Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films ''Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', '' Shame'' and '' Suffragette''. Early l ...

at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

. In 2017, she played Mary Carney in '' The Ferryman,'' first at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and later at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End of London.

Film

O'Reilly has appeared in several productions filmed in Australia, including the first two sequels to ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

''. She was also in the 2004 Singaporean science fiction film ''

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appear ...

'', playing the lead role of Dash MacKenzie.

''Star Wars''

In 2005, O'Reilly played the young Mon Mothma in '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'', though most of her scenes were ultimately cut. The scenes were included as bonus material for the 2005 DVD release. In 2016, she reprised her role as Mon Mothma in '' Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'', and voiced the same character in the animated TV show ''

'' in early 2017. In April 2020, she was revealed to be again reprising her role as Mon Mothma in the

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

series '' Andor'' that premiered in September 2022.

Television

In television, O'Reilly's first appearance was in 2001 in the Canadian television series ''BeastMaster'' as a guest star in "Slayer's Return". The following year O'Reilly appeared in ''Young Lions'' as Kimberly Oswald in the episode "Asylum Seekers". O'Reilly then appeared as a prominent character in ''All Saints'' from 2002 - 2005 as Leanne Curtis. From 2011 to 2014, O'Reilly appeared in the series ''Episodes'' as a recurring character alongside

Matt LeBlanc Matthew Steven LeBlanc (; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' and in its spin-off series, ''Joey''. For his work on ''Friends'', LeBlanc r ...

. Later in 2014, O'Reilly starred in the television mini series '' The Honourable Woman'' as Frances Pirsig in which she starred in six episodes. In the following year of 2015, O'Reilly starred in the BBC television series ''Banished'' as Mary Johnson. In 2016, O'Reilly starred in the British drama ''The Secret'' from which she gained acclaim and was reported to play her character "beautifully". In Australia she starred as Leanne Curtis in the medical drama '' All Saints''. She also starred alongside Tim Roth in '' Tin Star''. Since moving to the UK, O'Reilly has starred in the political mini-series '' The State Within'', played

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

in the 2007 television

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television and film, which features dramatized re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of documentary and drama and "a fact-based representation of real event". Docudramas typic ...

'' Diana: Last Days of a Princess'', and taken the lead role in ''

The Time of Your Life ''The Time of Your Life'' is a 1939 five-act play by American playwright William Saroyan. The play is the first drama to win both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. The play opened on Broadway in 1939. Ch ...

''. She played

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

liaison officer Sarah Caulfield in the eighth series of BBC drama '' Spooks''.BBC – Press Office – Network TV Programme Information BBC Week 44
Retrieved on 24 October 2009. She played Julie Rees in ''Harbinger'', S9:E1&2 of '' Waking the Dead'' broadcast 17 June 2009. O'Reilly also played the character of Michelle Beadley in the remake of ''The Day of the Triffids'' that aired on BBC One in December 2009. In June 2013, O'Reilly appeared in the pilot episode of the international crime drama ''

Crossing Lines ''Crossing Lines'' is a German-French-Italian-American action crime thriller television series created by Edward Allen Bernero and Rola Bauer. The series premiered on June 9, 2013, at the screening for the Opening Ceremonies of the 53rd editi ...

'' cast as detective and interrogation specialist Sienna Pride, attached to the ICC team from Britain's Scotland Yard. In early 2015, O'Reilly starred as Mary Johnson in

Jimmy McGovern James Stanley McGovern (born September 1949) is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama series '' Cracker'' (1993–1995), for which he received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He als ...

's ''

Banished Banished may refer to: * ''Banished'' (TV series), a 2015 drama television series * ''Banished'' (film), a 2007 documentary * ''Banished'' (video game), a city-building strategy game by Shining Rock Software * Banished (Halo) The ''Halo'' vi ...

'', a television drama focusing on British convicts in an Australian

penal colony A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer to ...

. In 2015, O'Reilly starred as Dr Elishia McKellar, in an Australian paranormal drama ''

Glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...

'', set in fictional small country town called Yoorana. Series 1 with 6 episodes won major awards. Series 2 was broadcast on ABC1 and Netflix toward the end of 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Genevieve O'Reilly
at United Agents {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Genevieve 1977 births Living people Actresses from Adelaide Actresses from Dublin (city) National Institute of Dramatic Art alumni Irish emigrants to Australia Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom Irish film actresses Irish Shakespearean actresses Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Irish video game actresses Irish voice actresses 20th-century Irish actresses 21st-century Irish actresses