Daryl McCormack

Daryl McCormack

Daryl McCormack (born 22 January 1993) is an Irish actor. Trained at the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and the Gaiety School of Acting, he made his acting debut in the soap opera Fair City (2015–2016). He appeared in the BBC series Peaky Blinders (2019–2022), the film Pixie (2020), and the Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters (2022). His portrayal of the title role in the sex comedy-drama Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In 2023, he won the Trophée Chopard from the Cannes Film Festival.

Early life and education

Daryl McCormack

McCormack was born on 22 January 1993 in Nenagh, County Tipperary. He is the son of an Irish mother, Theresa McCormack, and an African-American father, Alfred Thomas, from Baltimore. He maintains a good relationship with the paternal side of his family, especially his grandfather Percy Thomas, who would visit McCormack and take him to the theatre.

McCormack attended Gaelscoil Aonach Urmhumhan and St. Joseph's CBS. He played basketball and participated in the Choral Society. He went on to study at the Gaiety School of Acting, and at Dublin Institute of Technology's Conservatory of Music and Drama (now TU Dublin Conservatoire) graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in drama 2014.

Career

Daryl McCormack

McCormack made his West End debut in 2018 as Brendan in The Lieutenant of Inishmore. In his early career, he was almost cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In 2019, he starred alongside Olivia Cooke and Ben Hardy in Barnaby Thompson's comedy-thriller film Pixie and joined the cast of Peaky Blinders for its fifth series as Isaiah Jesus.

In 2021 he was named as a Screen International star of tomorrow. He had a recurring role as Aram in the first season of the Amazon Prime fantasy series The Wheel of Time in 2021. In 2022, he starred as Matthew Claffin in Sharon Horgan's Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters and opposite Emma Thompson as the titular character of Sophie Hyde's film Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, the latter of which earned him nominations for two British Academy Film Awards and a British Independent Film Award.

In 2023, he starred in Alice Troughton's thriller film The Lesson and the BBC thriller series The Woman in the Wall.

McCormack appeared in Lee Isaac Chung's Twisters in 2024, and in 2025 he had roles in the family thriller Anniversary and in Rian Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man.

Filmography

Film

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2016</td><td>The Randomer</td><td>Ray</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>How to Fake a War</td><td>Matt</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>A Good Woman Is Hard to Find</td><td>PC Reeves</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2020</td><td>Pixie</td><td>Harland McKenna</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2022</td><td>Good Luck to You, Leo Grande</td><td>Leo Grande</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>The Lesson</td><td>Liam Sommers</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2024</td><td>Twisters</td><td>Jeb</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2025</td><td>Wake Up Dead Man</td><td>Cyrus "Cy" Draven</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Anniversary</td><td>Rob Taylor</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>2027</td><td>Cry to Heaven †</td><td></td><td>Post-production</td></tr><tr><td>TBA</td><td>Rogue Trooper †</td><td>Helm (voice)</td><td>Post-production</td></tr><tr><td>I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning †</td><td>Conor</td><td>Post-production</td></tr></tbody></table>

Television

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Title</th><th>Role</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2015–2016</td><td>Fair City</td><td>Pierce Devlin</td><td>36 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2016</td><td>Dawn</td><td>Ukkanaak</td><td>Television film</td></tr><tr><td>2017</td><td>Vikings</td><td>Young Man</td><td>Episode: "The Prisoner"</td></tr><tr><td>2018</td><td>Immortality</td><td>Pio</td><td>Miniseries</td></tr><tr><td>A Very English Scandal</td><td>Luke Mackenzie</td><td>Episode #1.1</td></tr><tr><td>2019</td><td>Cleaning Up</td><td>Ryan</td><td>Episode #1.5</td></tr><tr><td>2019–2022</td><td>Peaky Blinders</td><td>Isaiah Jesus</td><td>11 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2021</td><td>I Am...</td><td>David</td><td>Episode: "I Am Maria"</td></tr><tr><td>The Wheel of Time</td><td>Aram</td><td>3 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2022–2024</td><td>Bad Sisters</td><td>Matthew Claffin</td><td>12 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>2023</td><td>The Woman in the Wall</td><td>Colman Akande</td><td>6 episodes</td></tr><tr><td>TBA</td><td>Pride and Prejudice</td><td>Mr. Bingley</td><td>Filming</td></tr></tbody></table>

Music videos

<table><thead><tr><th>Year</th><th>Song</th><th>Artist</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>2018</td><td>"Half a Life"</td><td>Roisin El Cherif</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Stage

Daryl McCormack

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2014	The Grapes of Wrath	Casey	Project Arts Centre, Dublin
2015	Romeo and Juliet	Romeo	Gate Theatre, Dublin
Othello	Othello	Theatre Royal Waterford
Enjoy		Project Arts Centre, Dublin
2017	A Whisper Anywhere Else	Garda	Peacock Stage, Abbey Theatre, Dublin
The Mouth of a Shark		The Complex, Dublin
2018	The Lieutenant of Inishmore	Brendan	Noël Coward Theatre, London
2019	Citysong		Abbey Theatre, Dublin

Awards and nominations

Daryl McCormack

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2022	Peabody Awards	Entertainment	Bad Sisters	Won
British Independent Film Awards	Best Joint Lead Performance (shared with Emma Thompson)	Good Luck to You, Leo Grande	Nominated
Online Association of Female Film Critics	Best Breakthrough Performance	Nominated
Women Film Critics Circle	Best Screen Couple (shared with Emma Thompson)	Nominated
2023	Cannes Film Festival	Trophée Chopard	Won
British Academy Film Awards	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Good Luck to You, Leo Grande	Nominated
Rising Star Award	Nominated
Black Reel Awards	Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male	Good Luck to You, Leo Grande	Nominated