# Orla Brady
**Orla Brady** is an Irish actress, born in Dublin in 1961, whose career spans theater in Dublin and London, British and Irish television, and American genre series including *Fringe*, *Into the Badlands*, and *Star Trek: Picard*.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Signature television roles | Elizabeth Bishop in *Fringe* (Fox, from 2009); Lydia in *Into the Badlands* (AMC); Laris and Tallinn in *Star Trek: Picard* (CBS)[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html) |
| Award | Best Actress, Monte Carlo International Television Festival, for *A Love Divided*[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/) |
| IFTA nominations | *Mistresses* (2009 supporting, 2011 lead drama), *Sinbad* (2013 lead television), *The Price of Desire* (2016 lead film)[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html) |
| Current | Leading role of Friday in Marvel's *VisionQuest*, alongside Paul Bettany[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/) |
## Training and stage career
Brady grew up in central Dublin, near two theaters she watched rehearsals in as a schoolgirl before deciding to act[3](https://www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/speaking-with-the-baroness-an-interview-with-orla-brady/). She trained in Paris at the school of the clown and theater teacher Philippe Gaulier, whose approach to physical theater she has described as a formative influence[3](https://www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/speaking-with-the-baroness-an-interview-with-orla-brady/).
Her first professional work was touring with the Balloonatics Theatre Company in productions of *Hamlet* and *Finnegans Wake*[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html). After moving to London she played Kate in [Brian Friel](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-friel)'s *Philadelphia, Here I Come!*, which transferred from the [King's Head Theatre](https://www.edgepedia.org/kings-head-theatre) to the West End, and appeared as Ghislaine in Stephen Poliakoff's *Blinded by the Sun* at the National Theatre[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html) • [2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/).
## Television
Brady began appearing regularly on television in the 1990s, though she has said the move from stage to screen was not a deliberate choice; when she started out, little filming was done in Ireland, and she entered television only after several years on stage[4](https://www.geekchicelite.com/interview-orla-brady-talks-acting-into-the-badlands/).
**British and Irish series.** She played one of the four main characters, Siobhan, in the BBC drama *Mistresses*, appeared in RTÉ's *Proof*, and starred as Katie Dartmouth in Sky's *Strike Back*[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html) • [5](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870). Other credits include BBC's *Wallander*, *The Deep* (2010, alongside [James Nesbitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-nesbitt)), *Pure Wickedness*, *Out of the Blue*, TF1's *Jo*, and [Jimmy McGovern](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-mcgovern)'s *Banished* for [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two)[5](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870). She also played Tasha Lem in *Doctor Who: The Time of the Doctor*[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/).
**American series.** Brady moved to the United States in 2001 and has worked there since[6](https://www.theirishworld.com/the-cost-of-silence/). From 2009 she portrayed [Elizabeth Bishop](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-bishop), wife of Walter Bishop and mother of Peter Bishop, in the Fox science-fiction series *Fringe*[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html). She played Claire Stark in CBS's *Shark*, appeared in FX's *Nip/Tuck*, and played Sophia Tsaldari in NBC's *American Odyssey*[5](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870).
**Into the Badlands.** On AMC's martial-arts drama *Into the Badlands*, Brady played Lydia, one of the wives of Baron Quinn ([Marton Csokas](https://www.edgepedia.org/marton-csokas)), one of the seven Barons who keep order over the show's post-apocalyptic world[7](https://thepopbreak.com/2015/12/02/orla-brady-and-marton-csokas-on-life-as-a-baron-in-the-badlands/). The production was a substantial Irish undertaking: an eleventh-hour deal brought filming to Dublin, and the Irish Film Board recorded the show as worth €39 million in foreign direct investment, employing 250 cast and crew and 1,200 extras over five months[8](https://dublin.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s4855/Item%209%20265.pdf) • [9](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/into-the-badlands-orla-brady-on-swanky-martial-arts-challenging-stunts/). In a 2019 AMC interview Brady described Lydia as a student of power who sees through the religious language of the character Pilgrim's crusade, and named her favorite scene in the series the first fight of episode one, [Daniel Wu](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-wu) fighting the Widow's bowler-hatted attackers in pouring rain, directed by [Stephen Fung](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-fung)[10](https://www.amc.com/blogs/spoilers-into-the-badlands-qa-orla-brady-lydia--1005518).
**Star Trek: Picard.** Brady played the Romulan Laris, Jean-Luc Picard's housekeeper at his vineyard, as a recurring role in the first season of *Star Trek: Picard* (2020), and joined the main cast in the second season as Tallinn, a human "Supervisor"[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html). She returned as Laris in the third season[11](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57684/filmographie/). [Patrick Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-stewart), in his 2023 memoir *Making It So*, described her as "the fine Irish actress Orla Brady" in the role of Picard's Romulan minder[12](https://time.com/6318023/patrick-stewart-making-it-so-excerpt-picard/).
**Recent work.** She played Dr. Karen Hopple in the ninth season of FX's *American Horror Story*, *1984* (2019)[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html), and Siobhan Murphy in the Amazon series *Bosch: Legacy*[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/) • [11](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57684/filmographie/). She stars as Friday, in charge of tactical operations, in Marvel's *VisionQuest* opposite [Paul Bettany](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-bettany)'s Vision[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/) • [13](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/visionquest-unrecognizable-emmy-winner-electrifies-tvs-biggest-new-show).
## Film
Brady's film work includes *Words Upon the Window Pane* (1994), *The Luzhin Defence* (2000), *Silent Grace* (2001), *How About You* (2007), and *32A* (2007)[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html). For *A Love Divided* she won Best Actress at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/) • [5](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870). She played the pioneering architect and designer [Eileen Gray](https://www.edgepedia.org/eileen-gray) in *The Price of Desire* (2015), a performance that earned an IFTA nomination for Best Actress in a Lead Role, Film[5](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870) • [1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html).
In [Martin Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-campbell)'s *The Foreigner* (2017) she appeared alongside [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) and [Pierce Brosnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierce-brosnan)[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/). In Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor's psychological thriller *Rose Plays Julie* (2019), an Official Selection at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, she played Ellen, the mother sought by a young woman tracing her origins, opposite Ann Skelly and Aidan Gillen[14](https://www.screenireland.ie/images/uploads/general/SI_Catalogue_2020_LR.pdf) • [15](https://filmmovement.com/userFiles/uploads/films/rose-plays-julie/RosePlaysJulie_PressKit.pdf). Her later film credits include *A Girl from Mogadishu* (2019), *Black Medicine*, and *Freud's Last Session* (2023), alongside Anthony Hopkins[2](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/).
## Recognition
The Irish Film & Television Academy has nominated Brady four times: for *Mistresses* in both a supporting role (2009) and a lead drama role (2011), for *Sinbad* as lead actress in television (2013), and for *The Price of Desire* as lead actress in film (2016)[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html) • [16](https://www.ifta.ie/nominees09/The6thAnnualIFTANominees.pdf). She is an Academy member of IFTA[1](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html).
## References
1. [Orla Brady, Irish Film & Television Academy member profile](https://www.ifta.ie/academy_members/mp/orla_brady.html)
2. [Orla Brady, Accelerate Management](https://www.acceleratemgmt.com/people/orla-brady/)
3. [Speaking with the Baroness: Interview with Orla Brady, CGMagazine](https://www.cgmagonline.com/interviews/speaking-with-the-baroness-an-interview-with-orla-brady/)
4. [Interview: Orla Brady Talks Acting, Into the Badlands, The GCE](https://www.geekchicelite.com/interview-orla-brady-talks-acting-into-the-badlands/)
5. [Orla Brady bio, AMC](https://www.amc.com/shows/into-the-badlands/cast/orla-brady--1032870)
6. [The cost of silence, The Irish World](https://www.theirishworld.com/the-cost-of-silence/)
7. [Orla Brady and Marton Csokas on life as a Baron in the Badlands, The Pop Break](https://thepopbreak.com/2015/12/02/orla-brady-and-marton-csokas-on-life-as-a-baron-in-the-badlands/)
8. [Dublin City Council report on Into the Badlands investment](https://dublin.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s4855/Item%209%20265.pdf)
9. [Into The Badlands: Orla Brady on Swanky Martial Arts, Challenging Stunts, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/into-the-badlands-orla-brady-on-swanky-martial-arts-challenging-stunts/)
10. [(SPOILERS) Into the Badlands Q&A — Orla Brady (Lydia), AMC Talk](https://www.amc.com/blogs/spoilers-into-the-badlands-qa-orla-brady-lydia--1005518)
11. [Orla Brady filmography, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-57684/filmographie/)
12. [Patrick Stewart: How Star Trek: Picard Was Really Supposed to End, Time](https://time.com/6318023/patrick-stewart-making-it-so-excerpt-picard/)
13. [VisionQuest review, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/visionquest-unrecognizable-emmy-winner-electrifies-tvs-biggest-new-show)
14. [Screen Ireland catalogue: Rose Plays Julie](https://www.screenireland.ie/images/uploads/general/SI_Catalogue_2020_LR.pdf)
15. [Rose Plays Julie press kit, Film Movement](https://filmmovement.com/userFiles/uploads/films/rose-plays-julie/RosePlaysJulie_PressKit.pdf)
16. [6th Annual IFTA nominees, Irish Film & Television Academy](https://www.ifta.ie/nominees09/The6thAnnualIFTANominees.pdf)
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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 › Irish actors › Surnames A to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license