# Annie Murphy
**Annie Murphy** (born Anne Frances Murphy, 1986, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian actress best known for her starring role as [Alexis Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexis-rose) in the CBC sitcom *Schitt's Creek* (2015–2020), for which she won the 2020 [Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-award-for-outstanding-supporting-actress-in-a-comedy-series)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/bio/) • [2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/annie-murphy). After the series ended she moved into lead and dramatic roles, including Allison McRoberts in AMC's *[Kevin Can F**k Himself](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-can-f-k-himself)*, the lead of the *Black Mirror* episode "Joan Is Awful," and Imogen O'Clair in the second season of Hulu's *Nine Perfect Strangers*[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/nine-perfect-strangers-season-2-cast-characters/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1986, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; birth name Anne Frances Murphy[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/bio/) |
| Signature role | Alexis Rose on *Schitt's Creek* (2015–2020), a CBC–Pop TV coproduction[5](https://goldenglobes.com/person/annie-murphy/) • [6](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/one-books) |
| Emmy | Won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, 72nd Emmy Awards (2020)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/annie-murphy) |
| Other honors | 2021 SAG Award for comedy ensemble; 2021 Golden Globe nomination; 2018 Gracie Award; four Canadian Screen Award nominations[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/awards/) • [5](https://goldenglobes.com/person/annie-murphy/) • [8](https://www.concordia.ca/cuevents/offices/advancement/2021/09/17/annie-murphy.html) |
| Education | Theatre performance degree, Concordia University (BFA 10); Canadian Film Centre Actors' Conservatory[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html) |
| Post-*Schitt's Creek* leads | *Kevin Can F**k Himself* (AMC), "Joan Is Awful" (*Black Mirror*), *Praise Petey*, *Nine Perfect Strangers* season 2[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07) • [10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/29072/annie-murphy) |
| Upcoming | Tawny in the animated series *Breaking Bear* (2026)[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/29072/annie-murphy) |
## Early life and education
Murphy grew up in Ottawa, where the arts played a large part in her upbringing. She was cast in her second-grade play and went on to perform in community theater throughout her youth[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07). After a year at Queen's University she transferred to [Concordia University](https://www.edgepedia.org/concordia-university)'s Department of Theatre in Montreal, where she performed in campus productions such as *Provincial Anecdotes* and graduated with a theater performance degree at 22[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07). After graduating she trained further at the Canadian Film Centre Actors' Conservatory[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html).
Her first years in the profession were difficult. She worked in theater in Montreal and Toronto and took small roles in Canadian and American productions, including *Rookie Blue*, *[Flashpoint](https://www.edgepedia.org/flashpoint-tv-series)*, *Good God*, *The Story of Jen*, *Beauty and the Beast*, and *Blue Mountain State*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/bio/). In 2015 she co-created and starred in *The Plateaus*, a CBC web series[5](https://goldenglobes.com/person/annie-murphy/).
## Schitt's Creek
By 2013 Murphy had nearly given up acting. Her apartment had burned down, her bank account was nearly empty, and she had spent two years losing roles she wanted; she has described crying in the [Pacific Ocean](https://www.edgepedia.org/pacific-ocean) and declaring she would quit the profession. The next day she received the audition for *Schitt's Creek*[11](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/arts/her-next-act-annie-murphy-took-road-that-led-schitts-creek-worcester/). She had auditioned for both Alexis Rose and Stevie Budd, and it took weeks to learn which role she had won[12](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/schitts-creek-annie-murphy-recalls-how-dan-levy-trolled-her-she-was-cast).
**Alexis Rose.** The CBC–Pop TV coproduction follows a formerly wealthy family forced to live in the small town they once bought as a joke[6](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/one-books). Murphy played Alexis, the self-absorbed socialite daughter of [Eugene Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eugene-levy)'s Johnny and [Catherine O'Hara](https://www.edgepedia.org/catherine-ohara)'s Moira, alongside Dan Levy and [Chris Elliott](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-elliott)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/bio/). To build the character she studied YouTube clips of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and the Kardashians, and the exaggerated physical choices she developed became a large part of the role's appeal across the show's six seasons[6](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/one-books).
One of the show's best-known moments came in season five, when Alexis performs the electropop song "A Little Bit Alexis" as her audition for the town's production of *Cabaret*; Murphy released the song as a single in 2019[13](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621231098). Murphy has said the character's arc, from dependence on men and money to independence, is what she is proudest of[14](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/annie-murphy-schitts-creek-interview/).
## Awards
In its sixth and final season, *Schitt's Creek* set a record with nine Emmy wins for a single season of a comedy series, and it became the first comedy to win all four acting categories in one year: Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara for lead, and Daniel Levy and Murphy for supporting[15](https://www.emmys.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/television-academy-annual-report-v1-2020.pdf). Murphy's win was for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 72nd [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) in September 2020[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/annie-murphy).
Her other recognition for the role includes the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, a 2021 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, and a 2020 Dorian Award for Best Supporting TV Performance[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/awards/) • [5](https://goldenglobes.com/person/annie-murphy/). She was nominated four times for the Canadian Screen Award for Best Actress in a Comedy and won a 2018 Gracie Award for Actress in a Breakthrough Role[8](https://www.concordia.ca/cuevents/offices/advancement/2021/09/17/annie-murphy.html).
## After Schitt's Creek
Murphy has said that even with the show's success she was still waiting by the phone during its final season, and that the first post-*Schitt's Creek* offers she received were similar to Alexis. She deliberately sought a different part and found it as Allison McRoberts in AMC's *Kevin Can F**k Himself*, an eight-episode series that alternates between a laugh-tracked multi-camera sitcom and a single-camera dark comedy in which Allison plots her husband's death[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07). She has called the role a 180-degree turn from Alexis[11](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/arts/her-next-act-annie-murphy-took-road-that-led-schitts-creek-worcester/).
She then appeared in the second season of Netflix's *Russian Doll*, voiced the title character in Freeform's first animated series *Praise Petey* (2023), and played Natasha in the film *Fingernails* (2023)[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html) • [10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/29072/annie-murphy). She starred as Joan in "Joan Is Awful," a 2023 episode of Netflix's *Black Mirror*, and won the 2024 Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series for the role[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/awards/).
In 2025 she played Imogen O'Clair, the estranged daughter of [Christine Baranski](https://www.edgepedia.org/christine-baranski)'s Victoria, in the second season of Hulu's *[Nine Perfect Strangers](https://www.edgepedia.org/nine-perfect-strangers-tv-series)*, set at a wellness retreat in the Austrian Alps[4](https://www.thewrap.com/nine-perfect-strangers-season-2-cast-characters/). She voices Tawny in the animated series *[Breaking Bear](https://www.edgepedia.org/breaking-bear)*, scheduled for 2026, and joined the jury of the 2025 Tribeca Festival[10](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/29072/annie-murphy) • [16](https://annie-murphy.com/category/news/).
## Off screen
Murphy is an ambassador for Care Canada, advocating for women and girls in need, and has supported Toronto organizations such as the Encampment Support Network[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html). Concordia University has recognized her as a Great Concordian, and she credits the university as the place where her path began[9](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html).
## References
1. [Annie Murphy – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/bio/)
2. [Annie Murphy – Emmy Awards and Nominations, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/annie-murphy)
3. [Annie Murphy Talks Dual Role on New AMC Series Kevin Can F**K Himself in emmy, Television Academy press release](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/press-releases/emmy-magazine-2021-07)
4. ['Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Cast and Character Guide, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/nine-perfect-strangers-season-2-cast-characters/)
5. [Annie Murphy, Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/person/annie-murphy/)
6. [One for the Books, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/one-books)
7. [Annie Murphy – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2251884/awards/)
8. [From Concordia to Schitt's Creek: In conversation with Annie Murphy, BFA 10, Concordia University](https://www.concordia.ca/cuevents/offices/advancement/2021/09/17/annie-murphy.html)
9. [Annie Murphy, Notable Concordian, Concordia University](https://www.concordia.ca/profiles/offices/advancement/notable-concordians/annie-murphy.html)
10. [Annie Murphy, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/29072/annie-murphy)
11. [For her next act, Annie Murphy took the road that led from 'Schitt's Creek' to Worcester, The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/06/10/arts/her-next-act-annie-murphy-took-road-that-led-schitts-creek-worcester/)
12. [Schitt's Creek Alum Annie Murphy Recalls How Dan Levy Trolled Her When She Was Cast, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/schitts-creek-annie-murphy-recalls-how-dan-levy-trolled-her-she-was-cast)
13. [Annie Murphy – Movies, TV Shows, Music, and Podcasts, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621231098)
14. [Annie Murphy On 'Schitt's Creek': 'I'm Really Proud Where Alexis Rose Left Off', CBS San Francisco](https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/annie-murphy-schitts-creek-interview/)
15. [Television Academy Year in Review 2020](https://www.emmys.com/sites/default/files/Downloads/television-academy-annual-report-v1-2020.pdf)
16. [Annie Murphy Fan – News archive](https://annie-murphy.com/category/news/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames M to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license