Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish-born Australian actress. She is best known for portraying Mon Mothma in the '' Star Wars'' franchise beginning with ''

Revenge of the Sith Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...

'' (2005), a role which earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in '' Andor'' (2022-2025). She has also starred in the films '' The Young Victoria'' (2009), '' Forget Me Not'' (2010) and '' The Legend of Tarzan'' (2016). She is also known for voicing the character Moira in the video games '' Overwatch'' (2017) and '' Overwatch 2'' (2022).

Early life and education

O'Reilly was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland, and at age ten immigrated to

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia. She is the eldest of four siblings. At the age of 20 O'Reilly moved to

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art, graduating in 2000.

Career

Theatre

O'Reilly was cast as the understudy in director Gale Edwards' production of '' The White Devil'' a week after graduating from drama school. She went on to appear in Edwards' Sydney Theatre Company production of '' The Way of the World''. Other theatre credits include '' The Weir'' by Conor McPherson, at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, and '' Richard II'' 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, Mai ...

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

Royal National Theatre The National Theatre (NT), officially the Royal National Theatre and sometimes referred to in international contexts as the National Theatre of Great Britain, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England, ...

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, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

's epic '' Emperor and Galilean''. In July 2012, O'Reilly performed in

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

's '' The Doctor's Dilemma''. In 2015 she played Kathryn in '' Splendour'' by Abi Morgan at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit Off-West End theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage, Josie Rourke and Michael Longhurst have all served as artistic direc ...

. 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 West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

and later at the

Gielgud Theatre The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, at the corner of Rupert Street, in the City of Westminster, London. The house currently has 994 seats on three levels. The theatre was designed by W. G. R. Sprague and ...

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 film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

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

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

'', 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 ''

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 14 years after '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' (2005 ...

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

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

series '' Andor'' that premiered in September 2022. She returned to the role in the Disney+ series '' Ahsoka'' in 2023 and the second season of Andor in 2025.

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 to 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 ...

. Later in 2014, O'Reilly appeared in the television mini series '' The Honourable Woman'' as Frances Pirsig. In 2015, O'Reilly appeared in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television series ''Banished'' as Mary Johnson. In 2016, O'Reilly appeared in the British drama ''The Secret'', for which she gained acclaim and was reported to play her character "beautifully". Since moving to the UK, O'Reilly has starred in the political mini-series ''

The State Within ''The State Within'' is a six-part British television political thriller series, written and created by Lizzie Mickery and Daniel Percival (director), Daniel Percival, that was broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom from Thursday, 2 Novembe ...

'', 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 Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

in the 2007 television

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

'' Diana: Last Days of a Princess'', and taken the lead role in '' The Time of Your Life''. She played

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

liaison officer Sarah Caulfield in the eighth series of

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''. 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 an internationally co-produced crime drama television series created and executive produced by Edward Allen Bernero and Rola Bauer. The series premiered on June 9, 2013, at the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo. ...

'' 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'', 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 ...

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

Glitch A glitch is a short-lived technical fault, such as a transient one 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 pl ...

'', 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. In 2017, she was cast alongside Tim Roth as Angela Worth in the British TV Series ''Tin Star''.

Personal life

In 2005, O'Reilly moved to London with her husband, Luke Mulvihill, intending to stay for a couple of years, but were still living there in 2020. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Genevieve O'Reilly
at United Agents {{DEFAULTSORT:Oreilly, Genevieve Year of birth missing (living people) 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