<p id=”par-1_51″>When Cillian Murphy won his first <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/oscars/”>Oscar</a> for his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/actors/”>role</a> in <em>Oppenheimer</em>, the first person he turned to was his wife, Yvonne McGuinness. McGuinness supported her husband at the ceremony, and she has been by his side for years. The couple fell in love after meeting just before Murphy rose to prominence.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-cillian-murphy-met-his-wife-in-1996″>Cillian Murphy met his wife in 1996</h2>
<p id=”par-2_50″>In 1996, Murphy, then a law student, decided to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/what-is-cillian-murphy-net-worth.html/”>try his hand at acting</a>. He landed his first role in the play <em>Disco Pigs,</em> which was so successful that the cast toured with it for 18 months. Around this time, he met McGuinness, a visual artist. She joined him on the tour.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” width=”1200″ height=”800″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Yvonne McGuinness, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Downey Jr. sit at a table together. McGuinness holds Murphy’s arm and Downey Jr. touches his hand to Murphy’s face.” class=”wp-image-3637810″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=640&h=427 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=768&h=512 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=1024&h=683 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=525&h=350 525w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=254&h=169 254w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=200&h=133 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=761&h=507 761w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Yvonne-Cillian-RDJ.jpg?w=90&h=60 90w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Yvonne McGuinness, Cillian Murphy, and Robert Downey Jr. | Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2024/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_117″>“It was like being in a band again. Except that people actually came to the shows,” Murphy told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/23/cillian-murphy-peaky-blinders-batman-scarecrow-tom-lamont” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Guardian</a>. “That time, making <em>Disco Pigs</em>, was kind of the most important period of my life. The people I met there remain my closest friends. Enda Walsh. Pat Kiernan [its director]. Eileen Walsh [his co-star]. They shaped me in terms of my tastes, in terms of what I wanted to do with my life. And it was around the same time I met my wife. 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.”</p>
<p id=”par-4_22″>In 2004, Murphy and McGuinness tied the knot, marrying in a private ceremony. They will celebrate 20 years of marriage in 2024.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-cillian-murphy-thanked-his-wife-in-his-oscars-acceptance-speech”>Cillian Murphy thanked his wife in his Oscars acceptance speech</h2>
<p id=”par-5_15″>Though Murphy and McGuinness are a private couple, he has occasionally spoken about their relationship.</p>
<p id=”par-6_39″>“To have a really secure, solid base is important,” he said of McGuinness on BBC Radio 4 (per the <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-13181121/Cillian-Murphys-wife-Yvonne-McGuinness-sports-grungy-glam-ensemble-sleek-black-gown-choker-joins-Oscar-nominated-husband-Academy-Awards.html” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Daily Mail</a>). “You have to have that safe place. I certainly do. It’s just like an island of comfort and ease.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” width=”1200″ height=”800″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Cillian Murphy embraces his wife, Yvonne McGuinness, at the Academy Awards.” class=”wp-image-3637806″ srcset=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg 1200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=150&h=100 150w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=640&h=427 640w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=768&h=512 768w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=1024&h=683 1024w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=525&h=350 525w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=254&h=169 254w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=200&h=133 200w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=761&h=507 761w, https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cillian-Murphy-Yvonne.jpg?w=90&h=60 90w” sizes=”(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px”><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness | PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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Robert Downey Jr. Felt Cillian Murphy ‘Looked Through Me Like I Didn’t Exist’ in ‘Oppenheimer’ </a>
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<p id=”par-7_13″>He also thanked McGuinness after winning Best Actor for his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/cillian-murphy-facial-feature-distracted-oppenheimer-co-stars.html/”>performance in <em>Oppenheimer</em></a>.</p>
<p id=”par-8_26″>“Yvonne McGuiness, my partner in life and art,” he said. “My two boys, Malachy and Aran who are sitting up there. I love you so much.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-couple-shares-two-children-nbsp”>The couple shares two children </h2>
<p id=”par-9_29″>Murphy and McGuinness welcomed their first son, Malachy, in 2005 and their second, Aran, in 2007. While the couple initially raised their sons in London, they relocated to Dublin.</p>
<p id=”par-10_54″>“We had 14 years in London,” he told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/film/features/the-quiet-passion-of-cillian-murphy-peaky-blinders-oppenheimer-29064/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a> in 2023. “But I feel like as you hit your late 30s and have kids, living in a major metropolis is less exciting. And then also, you know, we’re both Irish. We wanted the kids to be Irish. I think it’s the best decision we made.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_7″>He spoke affectionately about his two children.</p>
<p id=”par-12_31″>“They’re really good boys. We have a laugh,” he said. “We don’t do ‘Dad’s Movie Night’, but they like some of my films. They say all my films are really intense.”</p>
<p id=”par-13_17″>Aran is following in Murphy’s footsteps. In 2024, he will star <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/3-taika-waititi-movies-watch-loved-thor-love-and-thunder.html/”>in Taika Waititi’s</a><em> Klara and the Sun</em>.</p>