Maria Doyle Kennedy

Maria Doyle Kennedy
Maria Doyle Kennedy in 2014
Born
Maria Josephine Doyle

(1964-09-25) 25 September 1964 (age 60)
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active1980s–present
Spouse
Kieran Kennedy
(m. 1988)
Children4
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Websitewww.mariadk.com

Maria Josephine Doyle Kennedy[1] (born 25 September 1964) is an Irish singer and actress. With a singing and acting career that has spanned more than 30 years, she has established herself as one of Ireland's most prolific artists and entertainers.[2] As an actress, she is best known for her extensive television roles as Patsy in Father Ted (1998), Catherine of Aragon in The Tudors (2007–2010), Vera Bates in Downton Abbey (2011), Siobhán Sadler in Orphan Black (2013–2017), and Jocasta Cameron in Outlander (2018–present). More recently in 2022, she starred as the Scottish journalist Tannie Maria in the series Recipes for Love and Murder, set in the Karoo in South Africa and adapted for the screen from the book of the same name by Sally Andrew.

Doyle Kennedy has also appeared in numerous films, including The Commitments (1991), The Matchmaker (1997), The General (1998), Miss Julie (1999), Tara Road (2005), Albert Nobbs (2011), Byzantium (2012), Jupiter Ascending (2015), Sing Street (2016), and The Conjuring 2 (2016). In 2020, she was listed as number 46 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors.[3]

As a singer, Doyle Kennedy has released nine solo studio albums and two live albums, alongside two albums as a member of The Black Velvet Band.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference BuddyTV was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Dunne, Steven. "Interview: Maria Doyle Kennedy". State. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  3. ^ "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order". The Irish Times.