Maria Doyle Kennedy

ABOUT MARIA DOYLE KENNEDY as Queen Katherine of Aragon Date of Birth: 25th September, 1964 Birth Place: Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland Eye Color: Blue Height: 5 '6" (1,68 m) Family: Kieran Kennedy (husband 1988) and 4 sons.Last one born after season 2. Lewis, Jesse, Daniel and Salvador CALLING ALL TUDORS CAST EXPERTS! Click EasyEdit to add to this profile. ● NEW TO WIKIS? [THE HELP SECTION] FOR TIPS & TRICKS

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Non-acting careers: Member of The Black Velvet Band, Member of the Hothouse Flowers, Solo Music Artist on her label Mermaid Records, recent release Mutter* Movies: Tara Road (2005) Mystics (2002) The Matchmaker (1997) The General (1998) Moll Flanders (1996) The Commitments (1991) TV Shows: Orphan Black (2013) Downtown Abbey (2011) Corp & Anam (2011) Dexter (2010) The Tudors (2007-8) Sorted (2006) Hide & Seek (2006) Queer as Folk (1999-2000) Father Ted (guest role) (1998) Stage: Big break: The Commitments, The Tudors Awards: Gemini award for Best supporting actress in a drama ( Nominated & Won 2008) IFTA Award (Nominated 2003) best actress in the film "Mystics"; IFTA Award (Nominated & Won 2008 and 2009) Best actress in supporting role TV show <a class="external" href="http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"The Tudors"</a> Upcoming projects: Maria is currently playing "Mrs. S" in the BBC America production Orphan Black (2013). The show has been renewed for a second season. Interview: <a class="external" href="http://www.more.com/entertainment/celebrities-movies-tv-music/%E2%80%9Cdownton%E2%80%9D-villain-takes-cheerier-role" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"</a><a class="external" href="http://www.more.com/entertainment/celebrities-movies-tv-music/%E2%80%9Cdownton%E2%80%9D-villain-takes-cheerier-role" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A “Downton” Villain Takes a Cheerier Role" (MORE Magazine)</a> Talk about... Maria Doyle Kennedy

Timeline: 1969 Parents move to Enniscorthy, Wexford 1969-78 Attends school. Learns to sing at parents parties. Learns to play piano. 1978 – 81 Works at Bean Bag Factory in Dun Laoighre Market, admires Supertramp. 1982 – 86 Moves to Bray in Wicklow. Attends Trinity College. Writes and records songs, later becoming a band called Hothouse Flowers. 1987 Love Don’t Work This Way is released. 1988 Starts Touring with Black Velvet Band Marries Kieran Kennedy, marries him and honeymoons in Crete! 1989 When Justice Came released. 1989 –91 Opens for 10,000 Maniacs in the USA, and also The Neville Brothers and The Bodeans. Live dates in Europe and recording in London. The Commitments movie and album released. 1992 The King of Myself released. 1992 – 93 Touring with The Black Velvet Band. British debut at Town and Country Club. Refused entry to the US on visa issues, US tour cancelled. 1994 Live in Switzerland Collective released. Appears on the specially issued Elektra Records 40th Anniversary album Rubaiyat. Maria features on an album called The Lady Sings The Blues, alongside Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Annie Lennox and others. Rod Stewart asks Maria to perform with him. She declines, for reasons best known to herself! 1995 – 98 Stars in the feature films: A Further Gesture with Stephen Rea (1995) and John Boorman’s The General with Brendan Gleeson (1996). Works with Druid Theatre Company in Galway in the play Blue Macushla (1996). Stars in Mike Figgis film Miss Julie with Peter Mullen (1997), Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s 2 Girls (1998). Recorded Chriost an Siol for the Sony Music album The Planet Sleeps, a collection of lullabies from around the world.

1998 – 2000 Works in television starring in many hit UK series including Father Ted, The Fitz and Queer As Folk. Also composed music. 2001 Released debut solo album Charm on own label, Mermaid Records. Appeared in the Art book/Movie If I Could Read The Sky. Toured in Ireland. Performed her song Stars Above on the Late Late Show in the wake of 9/11. 2002 Charm nominated for Best New Album of 2001 at the Meteor Irish Music Awards. Guest presented on Tom Dunne’ Pet Sounds and Radio One’s Mystery Train. Performed at Midem. Performed in Other Voices, Other Rooms live TV concert. Album of the concert reached No. 1 on the charts. 2003 Mermaid Films release an art documentary Golden Boy about the Irish artist Pat Scott. Maria tours Ireland and Europe extensively. Compiles an 18-song anthology of original and independent female artists called Sirens. Plays Glastonbury. 2004 Works on TV show Sorted for the BBC. Begins working on a new solo album. 2005 Tours Europe. Sells out Limited Edition release of Skull Cover album on Mermaid Records. Works on Hide and Seek with RTE. Maria continues working on new album. 2006 Maria spends five months recording new US TV series The Tudors, playing the part of Queen Catherine of Aragon alongside Johnathan Rhys Myers. 2007 Gourmet style touring suits, so Maria completes a sell out tour of Swiss venues, breaking the 25 year long standing record for biggest audience at the Café Mokka Thun. Finishes new album. Entitles MÜTTER and sets about releasing it on May 18th 2007 in Ireland, along with an Irish tour. 2008 Moves to Andalucia, Spain "seeking a simpler life and inspiration from a culture" for a time but still doing musical gigs. 2009 Works in her new CD (Probably named The Land of the Oranges) and does several musical gigs.

MEMORABLE QUOTES Jonathan Rhys Meyers was asked - How is Maria Doyle Kennedy as Queen. His answer : "Maria Doyle Kennedy is the ultimate Katherine of Aragon. I haven't seen her played like this ever. With such empathy, such sorrow, and such determination and strength within that sorrow. Some people take their strength from successes. Some people take their strength from high energy. She takes her strength from sorrow, such deep, deep, deep sorrow. That it brings a completely different energy. Whenever I see Maria Doyle Kennedy on screen I want to weep and applaud at the same time for what she has gone through. For the pain that her character has suffered. And suffered with such dignity - incredible amount of dignity in Maria Doyle Kennedy. And this really came across and made Katherine of Aragon and made her into more than a jilted Queen. It made her almost a jilted element. She is not only representing womanhood, she is representing pure and true womanhood. And eternal love and devotion. " "Things are going further away from that certainly. I think its more like a confidence gene that's more difficult if you're a girl. Its like if you're doing something really simple like a sound-check, and you're having problems, if you're not happy with your sound you cross the line much more quickly than a guy would into being awkward as opposed to being an artist or a perfectionist. Women are often expected to be more amiable or more pleasing or more submissive than men generally. I think one theme in a lot of the songs is that they're about self: Happiness by Lisa Germano, Joyful Girl by Ani DiFranco, she's really explaining why she does it or what music does for her, a statement of self-strength or independence. But you can do it yourself. You can really make your own music."

INTERESTING FACTS Owns record label Mermaid Records. was pregnant during the filming of The Tudors and welcomed a baby boy after filming named Salavdor took Spanish lessons during the filming of the fist season of The Tudors, and later moved to Spain for a time.

FAN SITES <a class="external" href="http://www.mariadoylekennedy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Official Maria Kennedy Doyle Website</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.mariadoylekennedy.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mariadoylekennedy.com</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mermaidrecords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/mermaidrecords</a> <a class="external" href="http://www.myspace.com/mariadoylekennedy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.myspace.com/mariadoylekennedy</a>

MARIA DOYLE KENNEDY PHOTOS

Season 1 premier with Maria Doyle Kennedy & Gabrielle Anwar	enjoying a laugh with James Frain
Maria in the centre, with (from left) Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Sam Neil, Gabrielle Anwar & James Frain at the Season 1 Premier	with JRM & Gabrielle Anwar
Gabrielle Anwar and Maria	The King shows the Queen some love...awww!
Maria Doyle after receiving the IFTA award 2009 for Best Actress in Supporting role TV show
Dexter 2010
"Downton Abbey" (2012)	"Orphan Black" (2013)
	"Orphan Black" (2013) BBC America
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