The Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA), which celebrates 20 years this year, has announced that veteran Irish actor Bryan Murray will be presented with the Irish Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the world of film and television. He will receive the award on Wednesday 13th December at a special Reception at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
From stage to screen performances, Bryan is one of the most respected actors in Ireland, with an illustrious career that spans over five decades. A native of Dublin, he is a household name for his long-running role as Bob Charles on the hugely popular RTE soap Fair City, and for an impressive body of work in film, television and theatre.
From Flurry Knox in The Irish R.M. to Trevor Jordache in British drama Brookside, his performances have entertained and resonated with audiences across the decades. Other roles have included Fitz in Strumpet City, and Harry Cassidy in Perfect Scoundrels.
In film, he has appeared in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Disturbance at Dinner, Boy Eats Girl, Vita & Virginia and The Professor and the Madman. As a television presenter, he has hosted shows like Encore and The Tenements, which garnered critical acclaim and an IFTA nomination. He has worked alongside Irish and international actors over the years, including Judi Dench, Peter O’Toole, Rita Tushingham, Anna Friel, John Gielgud, David Kelly and Sean Penn among others.
Bryan’s career began at the Abbey Theatre, where he has graced the stage in more than 50 productions, and his stage career has also included stints at London's Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Bryan has been widely praised in recent years for his candid public speaking on his diagnosis of Alzheimers, while continuing to give fantastic performances four nights a week in Fair City, in which he stars alongside his off-screen wife Una Crawford O’Brien.
Reacting to the news, Bryan Murray expressed how honoured he feels to be acknowledged here in Ireland by IFTA for his body of work, saying “I feel highly emotional, that’s amazing. I wish my mother and father were alive to be part of this”.
Áine Moriarty, Chief Executive of IFTA, said “Bryan's commitment to his craft and the richness of his contributions across theatre, television, and film are exceptional. He is an integral part of the Irish entertainment industry, and we are immensely proud to recognize his outstanding career with this well-deserved honour."
The IFTA Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Bryan during a special Academy Christmas Reception at the Shelbourne Hotel, attended by Academy Members, industry peers, and special invited guests along with Bryan’s friends and colleagues.
Previous recipients of the IFTA Lifetime Achievement Awards have included, for example, icons such as Judi Dench, Maureen O’Hara, Liam Neeson, Gabriel Byrne, Jim Sheridan, Fionnula Flanagan, Joan Bergin, and international recipients of IFTA’s special John Ford Award have included Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood.
This Award marks the first of a new series of IFTA Television-focused events and presentations in the coming year, including a new formatted IFTA Television Awards Ceremony, rewarding excellence in Television programming separate to the Awards Ceremony celebrating Film & Drama.
