Biography
Who is Hannah Murray?
Early life and education
Hannah Murray was born on July 1, 1989, in Bristol, United Kingdom. Both of her parents worked at the University of Bristol, with her father employed as a professor and her mother working as a research technician. During her youth, she attended the North Bristol Post 16 Centre and participated in the Bristol Old Vic Young Company, gaining initial experience in performance.
After finishing her secondary schooling, she pursued higher education at Queens' College, Cambridge. There, she focused her studies on English and successfully earned her degree. This academic background preceded her professional acting career.
Rise to fame with Skins
At sixteen, Hannah Murray attended an open audition in Bristol for the E4 teen drama series Skins. She impressed the show's producers and secured the role of Cassie Ainsworth. This character was depicted as a creative but troubled teenager dealing with an eating disorder. Along with April Pearson, she was one of the first actors cast for the project.
She appeared in the first two series of the show between 2007 and 2008. She chose to leave the program at the end of the second series, noting that she felt it was inappropriate to continue playing a teenager when she was no longer one herself. In 2013, she returned to the franchise for the final series of Skins, reprising the role of Cassie as an adult.
Career in television and film
In August 2011, HBO announced that Hannah Murray would join the cast of Game of Thrones. She played the character Gilly, a young woman protected by Samwell Tarly. She started as a recurring guest in the second and third seasons before becoming a series regular for the fourth season. She remained with the production until 2019.
Beyond television, she has appeared in various films. She starred in the 2014 musical romance God Help the Girl, which earned her a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for the ensemble performance at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2015, she played the lead in the Danish drama Bridgend, winning the Best Actress Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. Her other film credits include the 2017 drama Detroit and the 2018 Manson Family film Charlie Says.
Stage work and recent projects
Hannah Murray has also performed on stage in London. In 2008, she made her West End debut as Mia in the play That Face at the Duke of York's Theatre. Her performance received critical praise. In 2014, she starred in a revival of the play Martine, for which she earned a nomination for an Offie award for Best Female Performance.
In 2026, she released an autobiography titled The Make-Believe: a memoir of magic and madness. The book details her personal struggles with mental health, including a psychotic episode and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. She also discussed being sectioned in 2017 due to her involvement with a group she described as a wellness cult.
Birthday and age
Hannah Murray was born on July 1, 1989, which makes Hannah 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Hannah shares the date with 68 other famous people.
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