Cillian Murphy and His Wife Yvonne McGuinness Keep an Extremely Low Profile
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Cillian Murphy is on everyone's mind right now with all the buzz from Oppenheimer in 2023 and his nomination for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture—Drama at the 2024 Golden Globes. Though his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer required his physical appearance to fit the character (sickly, villainous, you get the picture), in real life he is quite the heartthrob. So your wondering what A-list celebrity or twentysomething Murphy is married to? In reality, his personal life is much more low-key and wholesome than you'd expect.
When Cillian Murphy isn't off working on projects like Peaky Blinders or Inception, he's at home in Ireland with his wife of nearly 20 years Yvonne McGuinness. Cillian generally keep this part of his life, including his two children, very private. Yvonne is a visual artist whose work "encompasses film, performance, sculptural and textile elements, sound and writing," according to her website. She creates temporary art installations which she then immortalizes in film. Murphy and McGuinness's shared love for the arts is what first brought them together in the mid-1990s.
Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness's Love Story
Yvonne and Cillian first met in the 90s when Cillian was working on Disco Pigs, which would later be adapted into a movie in 2001. Shortly after meeting, Yvonne joined Cillian and his fellow Disco Pigs castmates on an 18-month tour. "She came on tour with us. It was so exciting, 20 years ago or whatever it was — we were all just kids, trying to find our way — but such a special, special time," Murphy gushed to The Guardian in 2016. The young love birds eventually married in 2004, welcoming their first child Malachy in 2005. Two years later, their youngest child Aran was born in 2007.
Up until 2015, the family of four lived in London. In an effort for their sons to be closer to both Yvonne and Cillian's families in Ireland, they returned to Dublin. "We wanted them to be Irish, I suppose. It’s amazing how quickly their accents have adapted. Even within a year of moving back, they are fading into this rakish west Brit kind of thing. Which I think, hopefully, will get them lots of girls when they’re 15," Cillian told The Guardian.
McGuinness along with Aran and Malachy live their lives in Ireland as Murphy travels around the world pursuing his career. However, Cillian never misses an opportunity to acknowledge this support and sacrifice from his family. "I have an amazing wife and I couldn't do this without her and her understanding," Murphy told GQ in 2019. Most recently, Cillian addressed his wife and one of their sons during his acceptance speech for the Desert Palm Achievement Award on January 4, 2024. "Because I don't ever really get to do this too often, I want to say thank to my family. Two-thirds of them are sitting down there. We had to leave one of them at home doing exams," Cillian said at the Palm Spring International Film Awards. "But just thanks for putting up with me – putting up with the half of me and the shadow of me when I'm doing a film like this or work in general. You're always there. I love it. So thanks, guys."
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