Michelle fairley
“She comes from a very honorable family. Her whole life has been about honor and doing the right thing. She’s constantly questioning her motives and actions. This is one where she doesn’t — “I’m not questioning this, I’m just doing it.” I think its incredibly liberating. There’s nothing left for her, she’s dead already, she wants it. She can’t go on.”
ALSO KNOWN FOR
24: Live Another Day (2014)
Suits (2013)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (2010)
The White Princess (2017)
Michelle Margaret Fairley is a Northern Irish actress born July, 1965 in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Fairley is the second child of six born to publican Brian and nurse Theresa Fairley. As a teenager she attended the Ulster Youth Theatre before moving to Belfast , where she was a member of Fringe Benefit, a repertory company where she acted alongside Conleth Hill, with whom she would later appear in HBO’s juggernaut fantasy series Game of Thrones. In 1986 she came to London and established herself as a considerable stage actress in 'Oleanna 'at the Royal Court, 'Dancing at Lughnasa' at the Old Vic, as Lady Macbeth with the West Yorkshire Playhouse and as Emilia, wife of the villainous Iago in the Donmar Warehouse's production of 'Othello', for which she was nominated for an Olivier award and on the strength of which she was offered the part of the fiercely matriarchal Lady Catelyn Stark in 'Game of Thrones', the role Fairley is most well-known for.
Fairley appeared in a number of British television shows, including The Bill, Holby City and Casualty. Some of her earlier roles were as Cathy Michaels on ITV1's Inspector Morse in the episode titled "The Way Through The Woods" and as Nancy Phelan in Lovejoy in the episode 9 of Season 3 titled "Smoke Your Nose".
She took over the role of Mrs. Granger from Heather Bleasdale (who had played Mrs. Granger in Chamber of Secrets) with a cameo appearance in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1. In 2013, after the demise of her character in Game of Thrones, Fairley then joined the cast of the USA Network series Suits for its third season, playing the recurring role of Ava Hessington.
In 2017, it was announced that Fairley would appear in a revival of Jim Cartwright's play Road at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2018, she played Cassius in Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre, alongside David Calder, David Morrissey and Ben Whishaw. Michelle Fairley's most recently released work is her role as Marian Wallace in the new Sky Atlantic series, Gangs of London.
GANGS OF LONDON
THE WHITE PRINCESS
24: LIVE ANOTHER DAY
SUITS
HARRY POTTER: DEATHLY HALLOWS, PART 1
MISFITS
HIDEOUS KINKY
INSPECTOR MORSE
HIDDEN AGENDA
FILMOGRAPHY
2022 An Irish Goodbye (Short)
Grainne
2021 Nobody Has to Know
Millie
2020 Gangs of London (TV Series)
Marian Wallace (8 episodes)
2019 Responsible Child (TV Movie)
Kerry
2019 The Feed (TV Series)
Meredith Hatfield (10 episodes)
2018 To Provide All People (TV Movie)
Intensive Care Nurse
2018 National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar
Cassius
2017 The White Princess (TV Mini-Series)
Margaret Beaufort
2017 Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (TV Series)
Queen Igneous (voice - 1 episode)
2017 Fortitude (TV Series)
Freya Lennox (10 episodes)
2016 Edith (Short)
Shelia
2016 Rebellion (TV Mini-Series)
Dolly Butler
2015 In the Heart of the Sea
Mrs. Nickerson
2015 Crossing Lines (TV Series)
Sophie Baines (2 episodes)
2015 The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (TV Mini-Series)
Aideen Trotwood
2014-2015 Resurrection (TV Series)
Margaret Langston (13 episodes)
2014 Montana
DCI Rachel Jones
2014 Common (TV Movie)
Shelagh
2014 24: Live Another Day (TV Mini-Series)
Margot Al-Harazi
2014 Ironclad: Battle for Blood
Joan De Vesci
2013 Suits (TV Series)
Ava Hessington (8 episodes)
2013 Philomena
Sally Mitchell
2013 The Invisible Woman
Caroline Graves
2011-2013 Game of Thrones (TV Series)
Catelyn Stark (25 episodes)
2012 Coming Up (TV Series)
Jen (1 episode)
2011 Silent Witness (TV Series)
DI Suzy Harte (2 episodes)
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Mrs. Granger
2010 Midsomer Murders (TV Series)
Iris Holman (1 episode)
2010 Chatroom
Rosie
2010 The Duel
Marya
2010 Cup Cake
Annie McNabb
2009 Misfits (TV Series)
Louise Young (2 episodes)
2009 Taggart (TV Series)
Joan Revie (1 episode)
2009 Best: His Mother's Son (TV Movie)
Ann Best
2009 Lark Rise to Candleford (TV Series)
Mrs. Lizbeth Patterson (1 episode)
2009 A Short Stay in Switzerland (TV Movie)
Mrs Savery
2007 The Street (TV Series)
Paul's Mum (1 episode)
2007 Trial & Retribution (TV Series)
Janet Jenkins (2 episodes)
2006 Strictly Confidential (TV Series)
Carol Machin (1 episode)
2006 The Catherine Tate Show (TV Series)
Nurse (1 episode)
2005 The Golden Hour (TV Mini-Series)
Julia Harper
2005 Ahead of the Class (TV Movie)
Sonia Venning
2003 Holby City (TV Series)
Heidi Drury (1 episode)
2001 Rebus (TV Series)
Janice Mee (2 episodes)
2001 The Others
Mrs. Marlish
2001 In Deep (TV Series)
Eva / Phoebe (2 episodes)
2000 The Second Death (Short)
Aisling
2000 McCready and Daughter (TV Movie)
Bernadette
1999 Births, Marriages and Deaths (TV Series)
Pat (4 episodes)
1999 Vicious Circle (TV Movie)
Frances
1998 Hideous Kinky
Patricia
1998 A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries
Miss O'Shaunessy
1997 The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (TV Mini-Series)
Mrs. Fitzpatrick
1997 The Broker's Man (TV Series)
Gabby Rodwell (6 episodes)
1996 Safe and Sound (TV Series)
Eleanor Delaney (6 episodes)
1996 A Mug's Game (TV Series)
Kathy Cowan (1 episode)
1995 Inspector Morse (TV Series)
Cathy Michaels (1 episode)
1995 The Bill (TV Series)
Beth Spence (1 episode)
1994 Cardiac Arrest (TV Series)
Casualty Sister Karen Teller (2 episodes)
1991-1993 Casualty (TV Series)
Kate Maguire / Kathy Emerick (2 episodes)
1993 Comics (TV Series)
Nula O'Reilly (2 episodes)
1992 Lovejoy (TV Series)
Nancy Phelan (1 episode)
1991 Children of the North (TV Series)
Kate (2 episodes)
1990 Theatre Night (TV Series)
Ruth (1 episode)
1990 Hidden Agenda
Teresa Doyle
1989 Saracen (TV Series)
Maeve (1 episode)
