Helen Behan

Helen Behan
Born
Ireland
OccupationActress
Years active2011–present
Known for This Is England '88 and The Virtues
SpouseCaimin
Children4

Helen Behan is an Irish actress. Her most notable roles include This Is England '88 and The Virtues. Behan was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020.

Early life and education

Helen Behan grew up Laytown, County Meath, Ireland.[1]

During her student days in college, Behan attended part-time acting courses at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.[2]

Career

After a chance meeting in a pub, Shane Meadows invited Behan to audition for a part in the film This Is England '88, where she landed the role of Evelyn, nurse and later friend to Lol Jenkins (Vicky McClure). In 2019, Behan played the role of Anna, sister of Joseph (Stephen Graham)[3][4] in The Virtues for which she received a nomination as Best supporting actress at the 2020 BAFTA TV awards.[5]

Behan was named as one of Screen International's Stars of Tomorrow 2020, which showcases talent within the TV & film industry of Great Britain and Ireland.[6][7]

In 2020, Behan starred in the Cathy Brady directed Irish drama thriller film Wildfire alongside Danika McGuigan and Nora-Jane Noone.[8] In 2021, she took on a main role of police psychologist Tory Snow, in the Swedish supernatural psychological thriller series The Box, co-starring Anna Friel and Peter Stormare.[9]

in 2022, Behan played the role of Abigail Ross in the ITV miniseries Holding, a four part adaptation of Graham Norton's bestselling novel.[10] In 2023, Behan portrayed Monica Nolan in the Dublin sleuth film Barber alongside the protagonist played by Aidan Gillen.[11]

Personal life

Behan married Caimin and has four children.[2] Her husband supported her move away from nursing into acting. During the COVID-19 outbreak she returned to her previous vocation.[9][12]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes projects that have not yet been released

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2019 Elizabeth Is Missing Helen Television film [13]
2020 Wildfire Joanne [8]
2021 Wolf Jacob's Mother [14]
2023 Mud Queen Helen Short film [15]
Barber Monica Nolan [16]
Suzie Suzie Short film [17]
2024 Small Things Like These Mrs. Kehoe [18]
Amongst the Wolves Mediator [19]
2025 Christy Pauline [20]
2026 Sub5 Zoe Short film [21]
TBA One Sweet Hour † Eileen Post-production [22]

Television

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2011 This Is England '88 Evelyn Miniseries; 3 episodes [23]
2013 Love/Hate Marie Episode: "Series 4, Episode 1" [24]
2015 This Is England '90 Helen Miniseries; 3 episodes [25]
2018 Taken Down Tia Recurring role; 4 episodes [26]
2019 The Virtues Anna Miniseries; 4 episodes [27]
2020 Soulmates Darcy Episode: "The (Power) Ballad of Caitlin Jones" [28]
2021 Intruder Angela Pitt Miniseries; 4 episodes [29]
The Box Tory Snow Series regular; 7 episodes [30]
2022 Holding Abigail Ross Miniseries; 4 episodes [10][31]
2023–2025 Malpractice Dr Norma Callahan Series regular; 10 episodes [32]
2024 Say Nothing Marian Price (Older) Miniseries; 3 episodes [33]
2025 Mix Tape Marian Miniseries; 4 episodes [34]
Leonard and Hungry Paul Helen Series regular; 6 episodes [35]
TBA The Rachel Incident † Bridget Pre-production [36]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2020 IFTA Film & Drama Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role - TV Drama The Virtues Won [12][37]
British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress – TV Nominated [5][37]

References

  1. ↑ "Helen Behan: I had impostor syndrome at the start, now I'm like a giddy child". irishtimes.com. 11 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Who Is Helen Behan? 'The Virtues' Actor Began Her Career With A Chance Encounter In An Irish Pub". bustle.com. 15 May 2019.
  3. ↑ "Helen Behan, the nurse who became the star of Shane Meadows' The Virtues: 'It was my carpe diem moment'". inews.co.uk. 6 September 2019.
  4. ↑ "The Virtues: Interview with Helen Behan (Anna)". channel4.com. 17 May 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Bafta TV Awards 2020: Nominees in full". bbc.co.uk. 4 June 2020.
  6. ↑ "Stars of Tomorrow 2020: Helen Behan (actor)". screendaily.com. 28 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Screen unveils the 2020 Stars of Tomorrow". screendaily.com. 28 September 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Wildfire". watershed.co.uk. 15 September 2021.
  9. 1 2 "How 40-year-old nurse and mum Helen Behan became a TV star". Evoke.ie . 1 February 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Brenda Fricker, Siobhán McSweeney, Charlene McKenna, Helen Behan and Pauline McLynn cast alongside Conleth Hill in ITV drama Holding". itv.com. 29 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021.
  11. ↑ "New Irish film Barber Starring Aidan Gillen Wraps Shoot in Dublin". screenireland.ie. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Irish BAFTA nominee Helen Behan returns to nursing during Covid-19". RTÉ. 4 June 2020.
  13. ↑ Carr, Flora (3 January 2021). "Meet the cast of BBC One's Elizabeth Is Missing". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Dalton, Ben (9 October 2020). "Focus Features takes world rights on 'Wolf' as shooting wraps in Ireland (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Mud Queen / Short Drama / Ireland / 2023". nathanfagan.ie. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Creagh, Gemma (14 April 2023). "Review: Barber". Film Ireland. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Suzie". Slick Films. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  18. ↑ Maeve, Saffron (7 November 2024). "Small Things like These is a sombre account of Ireland's Magdalene laundries". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  19. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (2 July 2025). "Irish Crime-Thriller 'Amongst The Wolves', Starring Aidan Gillen, Gets U.S. Distribution Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Clarke, Donald (28 August 2025). "Christy: Clattering, noisy, joyful portrait of life in a troubled north Cork suburb". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  21. ↑ @sub5film; (25 January 2026). "We are so lucky to have the wildly talented Helen Behan as Zoe in Sub5 who was a joy to watch and work with!". Retrieved 20 May 2026 – via Instagram.
  22. ↑ "Helen Behan - Actor". Independent Talent Group. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  23. ↑ Cook, Laurence (1 September 2020). "How Nursing Made 'This is England' Star Helen Behan a Better Actor". Backstage. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  24. ↑ Comyn, Alison (9 October 2013). "Helen thrilled with part in Love/Hate". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Sawyer, Miranda (16 August 2015). "This Is England '90: it's bye-bye Thatcher, hello acid house". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Taken Down - Full Cast & Crew". TV Guide. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  27. ↑ Ganatra, Shilpa (12 July 2020). "Helen Behan on The Virtues, Shane Meadows and going back to nursing". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Rengifo, Alci (5 October 2020). "AMC's 'Soulmates' Imagines a Future Where Finding Your Match Brings Frightening Prospects". Entertainment Voice. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  29. ↑ Baker, Emily (5 April 2021). "Intruder, Channel 5, review: This thriller feels like a play – and not a good one". The i Paper. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  30. ↑ The Box | Officiell Trailer | A Viaplay Original (in Swedish). Viaplay Sverige via YouTube. 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  31. ↑ Davies, Ryan (29 July 2021). "Brenda Fricker, Siobhán McSweeney, Charlene McKenna, Helen Behan and Pauline McLynn cast alongside Conleth Hill in ITV drama Holding". ITV Press Centre. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  32. ↑ Hibbs, James (12 November 2025). "Malpractice future finally confirmed by ITV after two "brilliant" seasons – and it's not good news for fans". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  33. ↑ Sotinel, Thomas (13 December 2024). "'Say Nothing' on Disney+: The personal tragedies of Northern Ireland's Troubles". Le Monde. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  34. ↑ Doyle, Simon (19 July 2025). "TV review: Mix Tape - Nostalgia, romance and heartbreak set to some quality 1980s music". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  35. ↑ Cormack, Morgan (20 October 2025). "Leonard and Hungry Paul cast – including Hollywood legend who narrates the series". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  36. ↑ Goldbart, Max (17 February 2026). "Channel 4 & Universal Content Production's 'The Rachel Incident' Sets Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  37. 1 2 "Helen Behan Awards". imdb.com (Index source only). Retrieved 11 February 2022.
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