Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish actress. She is known for portraying Mon Mothma in the Star Wars franchise beginning with Revenge of the Sith (2005), a role which earned her two Saturn Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Andor. She has also amassed significant other acting credits on stage and in film and television.
Early life and education Genevieve O'Reilly was born on 6 January 1977 in Dublin, Ireland, and at age ten emigrated to Adelaide, in South Australia. She had two younger siblings when the family emigrated, eventually gaining Australian citizenship.
O'Reilly moved to Sydney to attend the National Institute of Dramatic Art, eventually being accepted after three attempts. She graduated in 2000.
Career Theatre O'Reilly was cast as the understudy in director Gale Edwards' production of The White Devil a week after graduating from drama school. She went on to appear in Edwards' Sydney Theatre Company production of The Way of the World. Other theatre credits include The Weir by Conor McPherson, at the Gate Theatre, Dublin, and Richard II at the Old Vic. Her recent parts at the Royal National Theatre have been in new play, Mike Bartlett's 13, and as Helena, wife to Andrew Scott's emperor Julian in the 2011 production of Ibsen's epic Emperor and Galilean.
In July 2012, O'Reilly performed in George Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma. In 2015 O'Reilly played Kathryn in Splendour by Abi Morgan at the Donmar Warehouse. In 2017, she played Mary Carney in The Ferryman, first at the Royal Court Theatre and later at the Gielgud Theatre in the West End of London.
Film O'Reilly has appeared in several productions filmed in Australia, including Matrix franchise sequels, The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and The Matrix Revolutions (2003). She also starred in the 2004 Singaporean science fiction film Avatar, which also was marketed under the title Cyber Wars (2006), where she played the lead role of Dash MacKenzie.
Star Wars In 2005, O'Reilly played the young Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith; although most of her scenes were cut, they were included as bonus material for the 2005 DVD release. In 2016, she reprised her role as Mon Mothma in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and voiced the same character in the animated TV show Star Wars Rebels in early 2017. O'Reilly continued her role as Mon Mothma in the first season of the series Andor, that premiered in September 2022. She returned to the role in the Disney+ series Ahsoka in 2023 and then in the second season of Andor in 2025.
Television In television, O'Reilly's first appearance was in 2001 in the Canadian television series BeastMaster as a guest star in "Slayer's Return". The following year O'Reilly appeared in Young Lions as Kimberly Oswald in the episode "Asylum Seekers". O'Reilly then appeared as a prominent character in All Saints from 2002 to 2005 as Leanne Curtis.{ Since moving to the UK, O'Reilly starred in the political mini-series The State Within, (first episode 2 November 2006) played Princess Diana in the 2007 television docudrama Diana: Last Days of a Princess, and had the lead role in The Time of Your Life (summer 2007). In 2009, she played CIA liaison officer Sarah Caulfield in the eighth series of BBC drama Spooks. She played Julie Rees in Harbinger, the two-part, season 9-opening episodes of Waking the Dead. O'Reilly also played the character of Michelle Beadley in the remake of The Day of the Triffids that aired on BBC One in December 2009.
From 2011 to 2014, O'Reilly appeared in the series Episodes as a recurring character alongside Matt LeBlanc. In June 2013, O'Reilly appeared in the pilot episode of the international crime drama Crossing Lines cast as detective and interrogation specialist Sienna Pride, attached to the ICC team from Britain's Scotland Yard. Later in 2014, O'Reilly appeared in the television mini series The Honourable Woman as Frances Pirsig. In 2015, O'Reilly appeared in the BBC television series Banished as Mary Johnson.
In early 2015, O'Reilly starred as Mary Johnson in Jimmy McGovern's Banished, a television drama focusing on British convicts in an Australian penal colony. In 2015, O'Reilly also starred as Dr Elishia McKellar, in an Australian paranormal drama Glitch. In 2016, O'Reilly appeared in the British drama The Secret, for which she gained acclaim and was reported to play her character "beautifully".
In 2017, she was cast alongside Tim Roth as Angela Worth, in the British TV Series Tin Star
Personal life In 2005, O'Reilly moved to London with her husband, Luke Mulvihill, intending to stay for a couple of years, but were still living there in 2020. They have two children, a son and a daughter.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2003 Officer Wirtz 2004 Avatar (also released as Cyber Wars in 2006) Dash MacKenzie Right Here Right Now Pizza Girl 2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith Mon Mothma Deleted scenes 2009 Lady Flora Hastings 2010 Forget Me Not Eve Fisher 2015 Survivor Lisa Carr 2016 Alice Clayton, Countess Greystoke Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Mon Mothma 2017 The Snowman Birte Becker 2019 The Kid Who Would Be King Sophie Tolkien Mrs. Smith 2021 The Dry Gretchen
Television Year Title Role Notes 2001 BeastMaster Nagha Episode: "Slayer's Return" 2002 Young Lions Kimberly Oswald Episode: "Asylum Seekers" 2002–2005 All Saints Leanne Curtis Recurring role 2005 Alicia TV miniseries Second Chance Susie Fulham Television film Life Shelly Deane Television film 2006 Caroline Hanley Main role 2007 Kate Main role Diana: Last Days of a Princess Diana, Princess of Wales TV docudrama 2009 Spooks Sarah Caulfield Recurring role Michelle Beadley Episode: "Part 1" 2010 New Tricks Miranda Armstrong Episode: "The Fourth Man" Law & Order: UK Claudia Martin Episode: "Skeletons" 2011 Waking the Dead Julie Rees Episode: "Harbinger: Parts 1 & 2" 2011–2014 Episodes Jamie Lapidus Recurring role 2012 Midsomer Murders Nina Morgan Episode: "A Rare Bird" Daisy TV miniseries 2013 Crossing Lines Sienna Pride Episode: "Pilot: Parts 1 & 2" 2014 Frances Pirsig TV miniseries 2015 Banished Mary Johnson TV miniseries 2015–2019 Glitch Dr. Elishia McKellar Main role 2016 Endeavour Annette Richardson Episode: "Arcadia" Hazel Buchanan / Hazel Stewart TV miniseries Joan Kinkead Episode: "His Troubled Thoughts" 2017 Star Wars Rebels Mon Mothma Voice; 5 episodes 2017–2020 Tin Star Angela Worth 25 episodes 2021 Three Families Rosie Fortress Two-part BBC drama 2022–2025 AndorMon Mothma 17 episodesNominated—Astra TV Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Drama SeriesNominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television 2023 Ahsoka 3 episodes 2026 My Brilliant Career Helen
Video games Year Title Role Notes Refs. 2017 Overwatch Moira 2022 Overwatch 2
References
External links
Genevieve O'Reilly at United Agents