Genevieve O'Reilly
Acting

Genevieve O'Reilly

January 6, 1977 (age 49)Dublin, Ireland

Genevieve O'Reilly is an Irish actress known for her versatility, having earned recognition for her performances across stage and screen. Most recently, Genevieve reprised her groundbreaking and legacy role of 'Mon Mothma' in the second and final season of Andor (2022), the Star Wars series on Disney+ described in 2025 by Vanity Fair as "the best television of the year so far." Her performance has been widely acclaimed: Variety praised her "excellent supporting turn," The Playlist highlighted her portrayal as "one of the finest seen from any actor on any screen," and Screen Rant called it "essentially flawless... eloquence and vulnerability." The second season has become the highest-rated live-action Star Wars series on Rotten Tomatoes to date. The first season was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2024 Emmy Awards, won a Peabody Award for Entertainment, and Genevieve was nominated for Supporting Actress - Drama at the 2023 IFTA Awards. For film, Genevieve was nominated as Best Lead Actress in Film at the AACTA Awards for her role in The Dry (2020), the adaptation of Jane Harper's multi-award-winning novel. The film opened at the top of the Australian box office on New Year's Day and achieved the fifth-highest opening day for a local film in history. Released by IFC Films in the US, The Dry (2020) garnered similar acclaim and was announced as runner-up for Best Narrative Feature at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Her other notable film appearances include Tolkien (2019), the biopic of the iconic author J.R.R. Tolkien. The film explored Tolkien's formative years against the brutal backdrop of the First World War. Additionally, Genevieve appeared in the acclaimed films The Legend of Tarzan (2016) and The Young Victoria (2009). Genevieve is also known for her leading role in Tin Star (2017), Her portrayal of Angela Worth earned her an Irish Film and Television Award nomination. The series, a significant success for the channel, accumulated more than 17 million downloads and views during its first season. Genevieve's further television credits include Episodes with Matt LeBlanc, the Peabody Award-winning drama The Honorable Woman (2014) alongside Maggie Gyllenhaal, the BAFTA-nominated The Secret for ITV, BBC's Spooks and The Snowman with Michael Fassbender. On stage, Genevieve delivered a powerful performance as Mary Carney in Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman, first at the Royal Court Theatre and later in London's West End. She reprised the role on Broadway following the production's record-breaking, sold-out run. Directed by Sam Mendes, the play won three Olivier Awards, Evening Standard Awards, and a UK Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play. The New York Times called the production 'fiercely gripping,' and The Hollywood Reporter praised Genevieve's performance, noting her 'gorgeous speech,' which 'spills out full of conflicting impulses of hurt and compassion.' Genevieve's additional theatre credits include Ibsen's epic Emperor and Galilean as Helena, wife to Andrew Scott's emperor Julian, and Mike Bartlett's 13 at the National Theatre, Splendour by Abi Morgan at the Donmar Warehouse, Richard II at the Old Vic, The Way of the World with the Sydney Theatre Company, and The Weir at the Gate Theatre Dublin.

Filmography

G.S.W. poster

G.S.W.

as Beth

0.020257m

G.S.W.

as Beth

Tank Boy poster

Tank Boy

as Serena

0.02025

Tank Boy

as Serena

Going poster

Going

as Val

0.0202428m

Going

as Val

Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look poster

Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look

as Mon Mothma (archive footage) (uncredited)

7.5202210m

Andor: A Disney+ Day Special Look

as Mon Mothma (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Dry poster

The Dry

as Gretchen Schoner

6.820211h 57m

The Dry

as Gretchen Schoner

Tolkien poster

Tolkien

as Mrs. Smith

6.920191h 52m

Tolkien

as Mrs. Smith

The Kid Who Would Be King poster

The Kid Who Would Be King

as Sophie

6.220192h 0m

The Kid Who Would Be King

as Sophie

The Snowman poster

The Snowman

as Birte Becker

5.220171h 59m

The Snowman

as Birte Becker

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story poster

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

as Mon Mothma

7.520162h 13m

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

as Mon Mothma

The Legend of Tarzan poster

The Legend of Tarzan

as Alice Clayton

5.920161h 49m

The Legend of Tarzan

as Alice Clayton

Survivor poster

Survivor

as Lisa Carr

5.720151h 36m

Survivor

as Lisa Carr

Forget Me Not poster

Forget Me Not

as Eve Fisher

5.420111h 33m

Forget Me Not

as Eve Fisher

The Young Victoria poster

The Young Victoria

as Lady Flora Hastings

7.220091h 45m

The Young Victoria

as Lady Flora Hastings

Diana: Last Days of a Princess poster

Diana: Last Days of a Princess

as Princess Diana

7.120072h 0m

Diana: Last Days of a Princess

as Princess Diana

The Time of Your Life poster

The Time of Your Life

as Kate

10.020076h 0m

The Time of Your Life

as Kate

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith poster

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

as Mon Mothma

7.520052h 20m

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

as Mon Mothma

Cyber Wars poster

Cyber Wars

as Dash MacKenzie

5.120041h 43m

Cyber Wars

as Dash MacKenzie

The Matrix Revolutions poster

The Matrix Revolutions

as Officer Wirtz

6.820032h 9m

The Matrix Revolutions

as Officer Wirtz

The Matrix Reloaded poster

The Matrix Reloaded

as Officer Wirtz

7.120032h 18m

The Matrix Reloaded

as Officer Wirtz

West the Road

0.0

West the Road