Saoirse-Monica Jackson

Irish actress

Saoirse-Monica Jackson
BornNovember 1993 (age 30)
Derry, Northern Ireland
EducationSt Cecilia's College
Alma materArden School of Theatre
OccupationActress
Years active2016–present
Partner(s)Denis Sulta (2022–present; engaged)[1]

Saoirse-Monica Jackson (/ˈsɪərʃə/;[2] born November 1993) is a Northern Irish actress, best known for portraying Erin Quinn on the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls between 2018 and 2022.

Early life

Jackson was born in Derry in November 1993.[3] She split her time growing up in Derry and Greencastle, County Donegal, where her parents ran a village pub.[4][5] After obtaining GCSEs and A-Levels at St Cecilia's College in Derry,[6] she trained in acting at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester.[7]

Career

Jackson's television debut came in 2016 when she landed the role of Sasha in Harlan Coben's The Five, appearing in four episodes.[8] In 2016, she also played Curley's wife in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre tour of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.[9] She appeared briefly in the final episode of 2017 BBC One drama series Broken.[10] In 2018, she portrayed Shena Carney in a West End production of The Ferryman at the Gielgud Theatre.[11]

Jackson made her debut as Erin Quinn in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls in the show's first episode, airing on Channel 4 on 4 January 2018.[11][12][13][14] Her performance was well received and, in turn, saw her nominated for the IFTA Gala Television Award for Best Female Performance.[15] She portrayed the role for three seasons until the conclusion of the series in May 2022.[16]

She appeared in an episode of The Great British Bake Off: Festive Specials.[17]

On 26 June 2020, she and her fellow Derry Girls co stars performed a sketch with Saoirse Ronan for the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief. All proceeds from the night went towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2020 Liverpool Ferry Sarah Short film
2021 Finding You Emma Callaghan
2022 Snuff Short film
2023 Coffee Wars Roopa
2023 The Flash Patty Spivot
2024 Upgraded Amy

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2016 The Five Sasha 4 episodes
2017 Broken Young Woman Episode: "Father Michael"
2018 The Crystal Maze Herself Episode: "The Derry Girls"
2018–2022 Derry Girls Erin Quinn Main character
2019 The One Show Herself
Lorraine
Sunday Brunch
The Big Bang Theory of Everything TV movie documentary
2020 Unprecedented: Real Time Theatre from a State of Isolation Mia 1 episode
Urban Myths Janet 2 episodes
The Great British Bake Off: Festive Special Herself / Contestant
Pretty Single Herself
2021 Celebrity Gogglebox Herself
2022 Murder in the Badlands Narrator 4 episodes
Skint Tara 1 episode[19]
2023 The Doll Factory Bluebell Main role[20]
2024 The Decameron Misia

References

  1. ^ "Derry Girls' Jackson announces engagement while co-star reveals how series 'saved' him". Belfast Telegraph. 1 February 2024.
  2. ^ 25 years: Derry Girls star Saoirse-Monica Jackson takes us on a tour of her home city, retrieved 30 January 2024
  3. ^ "Derry Girls cast in real life: See Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan & Jamie-Lee O'Donnell out of character". HELLO!. 26 March 2019.
  4. ^ "Greencastle girl Saoirse Monica Jackson". www.inishowennews.com.
  5. ^ Arboine, Niellah (12 March 2019). "Who Is Saoirse-Monica Jackson? The 'Derry Girls' Lead Actress Captures Cringey Teenage Angst SO Perfectly". Bustle.
  6. ^ "Donegal teacher's pride as her 'Derry Girls' shine". 18 January 2018.
  7. ^ Moran, Hannah (20 January 2018). "Here is everything you need to know about the Derry Girls cast". EVOKE.ie.
  8. ^ "Saoirse-Monica Jackson". IMDb.
  9. ^ "Of Mice and Men ~ Birmingham Repertory Theatre". 12 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Broken" – via www.imdb.com.
  11. ^ a b Williams, Holly (17 March 2019). "Derry Girl Saoirse-Monica Jackson: 'Yes, we have a harsh sense of humour'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Derry Girls: Series 1" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  13. ^ "Derry Girls: Series 2" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  14. ^ "Episode #1.1" – via www.imdb.com.
  15. ^ "IFTA Gala TV Awards Nominees 2018". www.ifta.ie.
  16. ^ "When is Derry Girls series 2 on TV?". Radio Times.
  17. ^ "The Great Festive Bake Off line-up: the Derry Girls cast members appearing on the show, and what time it's on Channel 4". i. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Derry Girls cast fangirl over Ronan in hilarious sketch". 26 June 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ^ "Skint review – a vivid, unflinching examination of modern poverty". The Guardian. 20 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  20. ^ Szalai, Georg (9 November 2022). "Paramount+ Unveils Cast for U.K. Original 'The Doll Factory'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 November 2022.

External links

  • Saoirse-Monica Jackson at IMDb