Saoirse Ronan Biography

Irish actress Saoirse Ronan may only be in her early teens, but she has already reached an impressive level of success in the acting world. For her work in Atonement, Ronan earned nominations from a variety of organizations such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars. She is also set to appear in the projected hit The Lovely Bones.

Saoirse Ronan was born April 12, 1994 in Ireland. Her first name, which is Irish for freedom, is pronounced “seer-sha.” Born to Dublin native Paul Ronan and his wife, Monica Ronan, Saoirse’s love of acting began when she accompanied her father on his various acting jobs. She watched him perform in films such as The Devil’s Own, The Boxer, and Veronica Guerin.

Getting her professional start early on, Ronan appeared in the Irish drama The Clinic from 2003 to 2004 playing Rhiannon Geraghty. The following year, she took another recurring role on the television series Proof where she portrayed Orla Boland.

With this television experience under her belt, Ronan was ready to hit the big screen in 2007. In this year, she made her film debut in the comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman. The movie starred Michelle Pfeiffer, Paul Rudd, Sarah Alexander, and others.

She then had a small role in the family film The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. A hit with audiences and critics, she shared the screen with Tom Berenger and Joely Richardson.

While Ronan impressed audiences with these productions, it was nothing to how she blew everyone away with her turn in the romantic drama Atonement. Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, Ronan played Briony Tallis opposite Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and Brenda Blethyn.

For her role, Ronan has enjoyed a slew of awards and recognitions. Most notably, she was nominated for a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Satellite Award. Earning the highest praise, she was even nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

Ronan is also noted for her role in the 2007 drama Death Defying Acts with Hollywood A-listers Catherine Zeta Jones, Guy Pearce, and Timothy Spall.

She is currently in post-production for the Gil Kenan directed film City of Embers with Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Mackenzie Crook, and Martin Landau.

She is also filming the much anticipated Peter Jackson film The Lovely Bones with Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, and others.

In her personal life, Ronan currently resides in County Carlow and is attending school in Ardattin, Ireland.

She has a border collie named Sassy, and Ronan has stated that Sassy is what she misses most when she’s away from home to complete filming on a project.