Tommy Shelby is a fictional character in the award-winning British period crime drama Peaky Blinders. The character is played by Cillian Murphy. Murphy has won an Irish Film & Television Award and National Television Award for his nuanced characterization of Tommy Shelby in the series.
Tommy Shelby is one of the most popular TV characters of all time. Shelby is the leader of the Birmingham criminal gang, the Peaky Blinders, and also the patriarch of the Shelby Family. With Murphy’s intense portrayal of the character on the show, he lends an additional gravitas to his role of Tommy Shelby. Here’s what you need to know about Cillian Murphy.
Who is Cillian Murphy?
Cillian Murphy is an Irish actor and musician. Murphy began his career performing as a rock musician and later took up an acting career in theatre, and in short and independent films in the late 1990s.
Murphy was born on 25 May 1976 ( present age 44) in Douglas, County Cork, Ireland. He has been active in the acting industry since 1996. In mid-2004, Murphy married his long-time girlfriend, Yvonne McGuinness, and the couple has two sons. Murphy is also a patron of the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the National University of Ireland Galway. In 2020, Murphy got a number 12 rank number on The Irish Times list of Ireland’s greatest film actors.
What are some of the best roles of Cillian Murphy?
Murphy’s first notable film roles include 28 Days Later (2002), Intermission (2003), Red Eye (2005), and Breakfast on Pluto (2005).
Cillian Murphy also played the role of Scarecrow in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–12). Since 2013, he has played the role of Thomas Shelby, in BBC’s Peaky Blinders, which has won him two Irish Film and Television Awards for Best Actor, in 2017 and 2018.
Facts about Murphy’s role as Tommy Shelby
Shelby is a fictional character in BBC’s Peaky Blinders. He was born in 1890. Thomas Shelby is a former British soldier and later rises as the leader of the Birmingham criminal gang. Tommy served in World War I with the rank of Sergeant Major and was decorated for bravery. He became a Member of Parliament as a socialist politician giving his brother Arthur Shelby the chair of this illegal business in the series Peaky Blinders. You can watch this British drama series on Netflix.