Michelle Fairley

Acting

Michelle Fairley

Born

1963-07-11 (63)

Place of birth

Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK

Known for

Acting

Credits

83 titles

Michelle Fairley (born 11 July 1963) is an actress from Northern Ireland. She is best known for playing Catelyn Stark in the HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2013). She has since appeared in the USA Network series Suits (2013), the Fox series 24: Live Another Day (2014), the RTÉ miniseries Rebellion (2016), the science fiction series The Feed (2019), and the Sky Atlantic crime drama Gangs of London (2020–). Fairley was born in Coleraine to parents Brian and Teresa Fairley, the second eldest of six children. Her father was a popular publican, owner of Fairley's Bar and several off-licences, in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, but Fairley remembers both Catholics and Protestants frequent…

Known for

Film credits

2020s · 10 titles

Whistle poster
6.3

When a misfit group of unwitting high school students stumbles upon a cursed Aztec Death Whistle, they discover that blowing it unleashes a terrifying sound that summons their future deaths to hunt them down.

Whistle

2026

Small Things Like These poster
6.7

In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.

Small Things Like These

2024

Nobody Has to Know poster
6.7

After a stroke and no memories from his past, Phil encounters Millie who inhabits a desert part of Isle of Lewis. She will shortly entrust him with his deepest secret : they were in love.

Nobody Has to Know

2022

No Ordinary Heist poster
6.7

Inspired by the true 2004 Northern Bank robbery, two feuding bank employees are forced to execute Ireland’s biggest heist after criminals kidnap their families and threaten to kill them.

No Ordinary Heist

2026

The Trap poster
NR

A woman who has shut herself off from the world is slowly brought back to life through her friendship with a damaged young man. Feature adaptation of the 2019 short film of the same name.

The Trap

2023

An Irish Goodbye poster
6.6

In rural Northern Ireland, following the untimely death of their mother, a young man with Down syndrome and his estranged brother discover her unfulfilled bucket list.

An Irish Goodbye

2022

No artwork available
NR

On the 22nd June 1921, King George V and Queen Mary arrived in Belfast for the official opening of the first Northern Ireland parliament. Fearful for their lives, they had come to a city scarred by bitter sectarian violence. The King’s visit to Belfast was the culmination of three centuries of history – and three years of political brinkmanship and brutal communal violence. The occasion marked the creation of the new state of Northern Ireland. A line had been drawn on the map – a new border that separated the north and south of the island. One hundred years on, this is the story of the dramatic events that led to the partition of Ireland - one that continues to reverberate to the present day and to dominate relationships between the islands of Britain and Ireland. (BBC Genome)

The Road to Partition

2021

You'll Never Believe Who's Dead poster
NR

As the Cosgrove family gather for a traditional Irish Christmas, and their financial problems come to the fore, a solution presents itself in the form of a robbery of local reclusive farmer Charlie Bann. But the Cosgrove’s have bitten off more than they can chew, as Charlie Bann is not who he seems to be…

You'll Never Believe Who's Dead

2026

Lesson 7 poster
NR

Having downloaded a self help program devised and narrated by the enigmatic MAX, we follow ASH, as he prepares to tackle Lesson 7: Confronting death. What begins as a seemingly innocent and melancholic trip to a near deserted hospital ward in the late night hours, becomes a twisting journey of anguish and manipulation.

Lesson 7

2020

Untameable poster
NR

Exploring the Nobel Prize winning 'bog poems' of Seamus Heaney and the wild Irish bog landscape. Written by novelist Colm Tóibín, the film features poem readings by Michelle Fairley and is narrated by Oscar nominated actor Ciarán Hinds.

Untameable

2023

2010s · 17 titles

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 poster
7.7

Harry, Ron and Hermione walk away from their last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

2010

In the Heart of the Sea poster
6.8

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.

In the Heart of the Sea

2015

Philomena poster
7.3

A woman searches for her adult son, who was taken away from her decades ago when she was forced to live in a convent.

Philomena

2013

Game of Thrones: The Last Watch poster
7.0

For a year, acclaimed British filmmaker Jeanie Finlay was embedded on the set of the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” chronicling the creation of the show’s most ambitious and complicated season. Debuting one week after the series 8 finale, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH delves deep into the mud and blood to reveal the tears and triumphs involved in the challenge of bringing the fantasy world of Westeros to life in the very real studios, fields and car-parks of Northern Ireland. Made with unprecedented access, GAME OF THRONES: THE LAST WATCH is an up-close and personal portrait from the trenches of production, following the crew and the cast as they contend with extreme weather, punishing deadlines and an ever-excited fandom hungry for spoilers. Much more than a “making of” documentary, this is a funny, heartbreaking story, told with wit and intimacy, about the bittersweet pleasures of what it means to create a world – and then have to say goodbye to it.

Game of Thrones: The Last Watch

2019

The Invisible Woman poster
5.9

In 1857, at the height of his fame and fortune, novelist and social critic Charles Dickens meets and falls in love with teenage stage actress Nelly Ternan. As she becomes the focus of his heart and mind, as well as his muse, painful secrecy is the price both must pay.

The Invisible Woman

2013

Chatroom poster
5.8

When strangers Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online in his new 'Chelsea Teens!' chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character. But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth. William is a dangerous loner, channeling all his energies into cyberspace. He's become an analyser, a calculating manipulator who finds it almost impossible to interact normally with others in the real world, instead turning his hand to manipulating people online.

Chatroom

2010

No artwork available
8.0

To mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of the NHS, acclaimed poet Owen Sheers takes us on a journey that weaves the extraordinary story of the birthing of Nye Bevan's vision of free healthcare for all people with personal stories of the NHS in British society today.

To Provide All People

2018

National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar poster
7.5

Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital. Nicholas Hytner’s production will thrust the audience into the street party that greets Caesar’s return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake.

National Theatre Live: Julius Caesar

2018

The Trap poster
6.0

Isolation and loneliness converge on an unexpected journey when intrigue and new come to town.

The Trap

2019

Responsible Child poster
6.5

Ray, a twelve-year-old boy, must confront the British legal system when he is accused of murder.

Responsible Child

2019

Lost Lives poster
6.0

This poignant testament to the physical and emotional cost of war, centres on the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Lost Lives

2019

Edith poster
7.4

Edith explores the heartbreaking inevitability that is old age.

Edith

2016

Anton Chekhov's The Duel poster
5.9

Set in a seaside resort in the Caucasus, the story centers on n'er do well, Laevsky and his illicit relationship with his mistress Nadya. Laevsky has convinced Nadya to leave her husband for him, but now wants to abandon her.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel

2010

Common poster
6.5

When 17-year-old Johnjo gives his cousin and his friends a lift, he finds himself implicated in a stabbing.

Common

2014

Montana poster
6.1

In the mean streets of London's East End, a former Serbian commando and a fourteen-year old boy plot revenge against a powerful crime lord and his ruthless lieutenants. As our heroes prepare to take on their enemies, the boy is mentored in the dark arts of assassination and learns the true meaning of friendship, honor and respect.

Montana

2014

Cup Cake poster
6.0

PJ is in a pickle: his parents are missing, he is a spectacular failure at running their bakery called Cup Cake, and he is up to his neck in debt with the local loan sharks. To add to his misery, he has been duped into marriage by their impossibly tanned and serially jilted sister, Kitty. Enter Gala, a mysterious, beautiful artist with a few tricks of her own. PJ, a robot-obsessed dreamer, and his hapless friends—aided by the ever resourceful Gala—set about cooking up the revival of Cup Cake's fortunes and spicing up PJ's love life along the way.

Cup Cake

2010

Ironclad 2: Battle for Blood poster
4.8

A survivor of the Great Siege of Rochester Castle fights to save his clan from from Celtic raiders. A sequel to the 2011 film, "Ironclad."

Ironclad 2: Battle for Blood

2014

2000s · 5 titles

The Others poster
7.6

Grace is a religious woman who lives in an old house kept dark because her two children, Anne and Nicholas, have a rare sensitivity to light. When the family begins to suspect the house is haunted, Grace fights to protect her children at any cost in the face of strange events and disturbing visions.

The Others

2001

Best: His Mother's Son poster
5.0

Best – His Mother’s Son (BBC Two) was a gloomy drama about Ann Best, mother of George, who was strictly teetotal until her mid-40s, when she had her first sip of sherry to celebrate her son’s footballing success. Ten years later, she was dead from alcoholism-related heart disease. The recreation of late-Sixties Belfast was accurate and, thank goodness, intelligently subdued: no comedy Ulster accents and no point-scoring subplot about the Troubles.

Best: His Mother's Son

2009

The Second Death poster
6.2

On a lonely country road, James Mangan hears a voice from his past and comes to realise he is damned.

The Second Death

2000

A Short Stay in Switzerland poster
6.9

Just after losing her husband to a similar condition, Dr Anne Turner is diagnosed with a fatal neurological condition. So she plans to end her life herself. Based on a true story.

A Short Stay in Switzerland

2009

Ahead of the Class poster
7.4

Drama based on real-life events. Marie Stubbs, a diminutive Glaswegian headmistress who is coming up to retirement age, takes on one last challenge: to improve the fortunes of St George's School in north west London which was facing closure after the notorious murder of its previous headmaster, Philip Lawrence, in 1995 as he was breaking up a fight between his pupils and those from a rival school.

Ahead of the Class

2005

1990s · 9 titles

Hideous Kinky poster
5.9

In 1972, disenchanted about the dreary conventions of English life, 25-year-old Julia heads for Morocco with her daughters, six-year-old Lucy and precocious eight-year-old Bea.

Hideous Kinky

1999

Hidden Agenda poster
7.0

In Ireland, American lawyer Ingrid Jessner and her activist partner, Paul Sullivan, struggle to uncover atrocities committed by the British government against the Northern Irish during the "Troubles." But when Sullivan is assassinated in the streets, Jessner teams up with Peter Kerrigan, a British investigator acting against the will of his own government, and struggles to uncover a conspiracy that may even implicate one of Kerrigan's colleagues.

Hidden Agenda

1990

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries poster
6.1

This fictionalized story, based on the family life of writer James Jones, is an emotional slice-of-life story. Jones is portrayed here as Bill Willis, a former war hero turned author who combats alcoholism and is starting to experience health problems. Living in France with his wife, daughter, and an adopted son, the family travels an unconventional road which casts them as outsiders to others. Preaching a sexual freedom, his daughter's sexual discovery begins at an early age and betrays her when the family moves to Hanover in America. Her overt sexuality clashes with the values of her teenage American peers and gives her a problematic reputation. Meanwhile, her brooding brother copes with his own interior pain regarding his past, only comfortable communicating within the domestic space.

A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries

1998

Vicious Circle poster
8.5

Criminal Martin Cahill gets in trouble when a major robbery succeeds. He aims for more trouble when he tries to do a large art robbery

Vicious Circle

1999

Life After Life poster
10.0

Leo Doyle, a convicted IRA murderer, is released into the community after 14 years in prison on a scheme to rehabilitate former terrorists. He soon finds that the ceasefire has robbed him of both purpose and identity. Relationships with his family are difficult and reach boiling point when they find that he has rekindled his affair with a former fiancee Roisin, now married with three children.

Life After Life

1995

The Long Roads poster
7.0

An elderly woman learns that she is dying of cancer. She and her husband leave their small farm on the Isle of Skye to visit their children to inform them of the news. During the journey, the couple rediscover their love for each other.

The Long Roads

1993

The Precious Blood poster
NR

Rosie Williams is haunted by the murder of her husband 12 years previously. Her teenage son John is heading for a life of delinquency fuelled by revenge. Then, he meets Billy McVea, who runs a boxing gym, affecting all their lives.

The Precious Blood

1996

Force of Duty poster
8.0

RUC detective Simon Gabby is consumed by guilt after he fails to act decisively in a moment of terror. As the pressure on him builds, Gabby gradually loses control of his life

Force of Duty

1991

No artwork available
NR

The friendship of a young boy and an old Polish emigre as they struggle to re-create 'the smallest show on earth' - a flea circus

Flea Bites

1992

Series credits

Game of Thrones poster
8.5

Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest north. Amidst the war, a neglected military order of misfits, the Night's Watch, is all that stands between the realms of men and icy horrors beyond.

Game of Thrones

2011

Midsomer Murders poster
7.5

The peacefulness of the Midsomer community is shattered by violent crimes, suspects are placed under suspicion, and it is up to a veteran DCI and his young sergeant to calmly and diligently eliminate the innocent and ruthlessly pursue the guilty.

Midsomer Murders

1997

24 poster
7.8

Counterterrorism agent Jack Bauer fights the bad guys of the world, a day at a time. With each week's episode unfolding in real-time, "24" covers a single day in the life of Bauer each season.

24

2001

Suits poster
8.2

While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory.

Suits

2011

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Casualty poster
6.2

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Casualty

1986

Silent Witness poster
7.6

A team of exceptional forensic pathologists and scientists investigate heinous crimes and use their skills to catch the people responsible.

Silent Witness

1996

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Screen Two poster
7.1

Series of single made-for-television dramas.

Screen Two

1985

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story poster
8.0

Young Queen Charlotte's marriage to King George of England sparks an epic love story and transforms high society in this "Bridgerton" universe prequel.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

2023

Gangs of London poster
7.8

When the head of a criminal organisation, Finn Wallace is assassinated, the sudden power vacuum his death creates threatens the fragile peace between the intricate web of gangs operating on the streets of the city. Now it’s up to the grieving, volatile and impulsive Sean Wallace to restore control and find those responsible for killing his father.

Gangs of London

2020

Misfits poster
7.6

When five young outsiders on Community Service get caught in a strange storm, they discover that they have developed superpowers.

Misfits

2009

Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero poster
7.2

Penn Zero is not your average kid - every day, he's zapped into another dimension with his friends to save the world.

Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero

2014

Crossing Lines poster
6.7

Through globalization, many countries have been opened and barriers removed to ensure easy trade, travel and cultural diversity. However, this openness has given opportunities to criminals looking to exploit the system and ultimately threaten our global safety. As Europe has become a "safe house" for criminals eluding law enforcers, a special kind of law enforcement team is needed to handle specific ongoing crimes on a global level. "Crossing Lines" is the story of one such team, made up of five international cops, headed by Captain Daniel. The team - comprised of individuals who have little in common - must learn to live and work under the most dangerous and potentially deadly conditions. Housed in an unused storage section underneath the ICC, this mismatched team faces bureaucratic, jurisdictional and cultural obstacles while traversing continents in pursuit of justice.

Crossing Lines

2013

Lark Rise to Candleford poster
8.4

Set in the small hamlet of Lark Rise and the wealthier neighbouring market town, Candleford, the series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry at the end of the 19th Century. Lark Rise to Candleford is a love letter to a vanished corner of rural England and a heart-warming drama series teeming with wit, wisdom and romance.

Lark Rise to Candleford

2008

Lovejoy poster
7.4

The adventures of the eponymous Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer based in East Anglia. Within the trade, he has a reputation as a “divvie”, a person with an almost supernatural powers for recognising exceptional items as well as distinguishing genuine antique from clever fakes or forgeries.

Lovejoy

1986

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast poster
7.1

Three lifelong pals embark on a chaotic quest to solve the mystery of their old friend's suspicious death and keep their own dark secret under wraps.

How to Get to Heaven from Belfast

2026

ScreenPlay poster
6.0

Screenplay was a drama anthology television series, broadcast on BBC between 1986 and 1993. Numerous episodes were produced including one named "Boswell and Johnson's Tour of the Western Islands" starring Robbie Coltrane as English writer Samuel Johnson who in the autumn of 1773, visits the Hebrides off the north-west coast of Scotland. That episode was directed by John Byrne and co-starred John Sessions and Celia Imrie.

ScreenPlay

1986

Fortitude poster
6.8

Fortitude is a place like nowhere else. Although surrounded by the savage beauty of the Arctic landscape, Fortitude is one of the safest towns on earth. There has never been a violent crime here. Until now. In such a close-knit community a murder touches everyone and the unsettling, mysterious horror of this crime threatens the future of the town itself.

Fortitude

2015

Cardiac Arrest poster
7.0

This series shows the workings of an English hospital through the eyes of its junior doctors. Naive and idealistic Dr Andrew Collins (Andrew Lancel), soon realises he still has much to learn. His boss, Dr Claire Maitland (Helen Baxendale) on the other hand, has seen it all. She is a competent doctor, with a cynical view, and is ready to work the system when needed, but she and Collins work well together as she guides him through the many minefields of working in the NHS.

Cardiac Arrest

1994

Resurrection poster
7.3

The people of Arcadia, Missouri are forever changed when their deceased loved ones suddenly start to reappear.

Resurrection

2014

The Broker's Man poster
6.8

Drama series about an ex-policeman, who now uses his detective skills while working for insurance companies.

The Broker's Man

1997

The White Princess poster
7.7

The story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII. Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name.

The White Princess

2017

Rebellion poster
7.0

A group of young men and women in Dublin in 1916 are embroiled in a fight for independence during the Easter Rising. The story begins with the outbreak of World War I. As expectations of a short and glorious campaign are dashed, social stability is eroded and Irish nationalism comes to the fore. The tumultuous events that follow are seen through the eyes of a group of friends from Dublin, Belfast and London as they play vital and conflicting roles in the narrative of Ireland's independence.

Rebellion

2016

Rebus poster
6.9

Detective series set in and around Edinburgh, Scotland. Inspector John Rebus, whose methods earn him the wrath of his superiors, does not hesitate to circumvent the law to enforce it.

Rebus

2000

The Feed poster
6.7

In the near future, people’s minds are connected to The Feed, giving them instant connectivity. When something or someone invades it, everyone is at risk.

The Feed

2019

Theatre Night poster
NR

A series of dramas featuring staged theatre plays.

Theatre Night

1985

Coming Up poster
5.7

Coming Up is a British Channel 4 television series of films made for television by new directors and writers. The first series was in 2006, and each year's series comprises seven or eight films. Series 6 was shown from July to September 2011. A reviewer in The Independent wrote: "Thank goodness for Coming Up ... it's a genuinely interesting display of possibilities".

Coming Up

2003

The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling poster
7.5

Adaptation of the classic novel by Henry Fielding chronicling the life, loves and adventures of the charming Tom.

The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling

1997

In Deep poster
8.0

Lying, cheating, thieving—they’re the best undercover cops in the business. Liam Ketman (Nick Berry, Heartbeat) and Garth O'Hanlon (Stephen Tompkinson, Wild at Heart) take on false identities to infiltrate society’s underbelly and stop crime at its core. As they put their lives on the line, Liam tries desperately to hold his marriage together, while Gareth keeps his personal life a mystery.

In Deep

2001

The Gone poster
7.1

It follows Theo Richter, an Irish detective who teams with Kiwi cop Diana Huia to find a young Irish couple vanish from an infamous rural North Island New Zealand town. Amidst the search and a race against time, the pair have to contend with a community’s growing disquiet that the disappearances may be linked to a series of historical murders.

The Gone

2023

No artwork available
7.0

Series of One-Off dramas produced by various companies for Channel 4.

4 Play

1989

Saracen poster
5.0

Saracen is a 1989 British television drama series. Made for ITV by Central Television, it starred Christian Burgess and Patrick James Clarke in the title roles. 13 episodes were made which were shown throughout the autumn of 1989.

Saracen

1989

Comics poster
3.3

Down-and-out American comedian Johnny Lazar tries to regain his status as an international superstar by embarking on a tour of working men's clubs and universities in England. But on his first night, Johnny is witness to a gangland murder and finds himself having to go on the lam as he becomes the target of hitmen out to eliminate any chance of them being identified.

Comics

1993

Births, Marriages and Deaths poster
8.0

Alan, Terry and Graham have been inseparable since primary school. In a drunken haze they pay a visit to their old headmaster — and there their troubles begin.

Births, Marriages and Deaths

1999

The Golden Hour poster
NR

The Golden Hour was an ITV drama series, first shown in 2005. The series centred on the activities of a specialist medical unit, HEMS which is based in London, operated by the London Ambulance Service, in dealing with emergency cases. The title refers to the hour which is their critical time for handling emergencies. The series starred Richard Armitage and Lorna Fitzgerald.

The Golden Hour

2005

No artwork available
7.0

Belfast-set comedy series about best mates and colleagues, Catholic Tommy and protestant Dougy, who own and run the Safe And Sound garage.

Safe And Sound

1996

The Road to Partition poster
6.0

On the 22nd June 1921 King George V and Queen Mary arrived in Belfast for the official opening of the first Northern Ireland parliament. Fearful for their lives, they had come to a city scarred by bitter sectarian violence. The King’s visit to Belfast was the culmination of three centuries of history – and three years of political brinkmanship and brutal communal violence. The occasion marked the creation of the new state of Northern Ireland. A line had been drawn on the map – a new border that separated the north and south of the island. One hundred years on, this is the story of the dramatic events that led to the partition of Ireland. A story that continues to reverberate to the present day - and dominate relationships between the islands of Britain and Ireland.

The Road to Partition

2021

No artwork available
NR

Four-part series that studies the personal lives of folk in a remote Scottish fishing village that is coming to terms with rationalisation, and globalisation of its fishing industry.

A Mug's Game

1996