Alisha Weir (born 26 September 2009) is an Irish actress, best known for her leading roles in the films Matilda the Musical (2022) and Abigail (2024); for the latter, she received a Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer nomination. In April 2024, Weir was named in Forbes 30 Under 30.
Early life Alisha Weir was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland. She attended Our Lady's School and has two older sisters, both of whom participated in drama classes, inspiring her to pursue acting at a young age.
Her father manages a car dealership. She sat her Junior Cert exams in 2025.
Career Weir began her career in theatre, debuting as Ivanka in the musical Once at Dublin's Olympia Theatre in 2017. She gained attention for her singing talent on The Late Late Toy Show, where she performed Justin Timberlake's cover of "True Colors".
Her feature film debut was in the 2018 thriller Don't Leave Home, and she made her television debut as Laura in the 2019 crime drama Darklands. Weir has also appeared in stage productions of Annie, The Wizard of Oz, and Oliver!.
At eleven, Weir was cast as Matilda Wormwood in the Netflix adaptation of Matilda the Musical. She later starred in the 2024 horror film Abigail, released on 19 April 2024. For this role, she trained in ballet and performed her own stunts. Critics praised her performance, with Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter describing it as "mesmerising" and "frightening and sardonically funny".
Weir is also set to voice the lead role in the animated feature The Land of Sometimes, alongside Jessica Henwick and Ewan McGregor.
Weir returned to theatre in September 2025 in a London production of Mary Page Marlowe in the title role, which she shared with four other actresses, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Rosy McEwen, Andrea Riseborough and Susan Sarandon, at The Old Vic. She previously starred alongside Riseborough in the Matilda the Musical film adaptation, while Eleanor originated Matilda in the original West End production and won a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance.
Personal life Weir resides with her parents in Knocklyon, South Dublin, and they have a pet dog. She enjoys films such as The Parent Trap and The Black Phone, and she cites actress Saoirse Ronan as one of her idols.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2018Don't Leave Home Siobhan CallahanDay Out Rachael Short film 2020Ooops! The Adventure Continues Primrose (voice) 2022Matilda the Musical Matilda Wormwood 2023Wicked Little Letters Nancy Gooding 2024Abigail Abigail Buffalo Kids Mary (voice) 2026The Land of SometimesElise (voice) TBA The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes TBA Filming
Television YearTitle Role Notes 2019Darklands Laura 5 episodes 2022 Fia's Fairies Fia (voice) Main role
Stage Year Title Role Notes 2017 Once Ivanka Olympia Theatre, Dublin Annie Molly National Concert Hall, Dublin 2018 The Wizard of Oz Munchkin 2019 Oliver! Chorus2025 Mary Page MarloweMary Page MarloweThe Old Vic, London
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2022 Dublin Film Critics' Circle Breakthrough Artist – Irish Matilda the Musical 2023 London Film Critics' Circle Young British/Irish Performer of the Year Irish Film & Television Awards Lead Actress – Film 2024Fangoria Chainsaw AwardsBest Supporting PerformanceAbigail2025Critics' Choice Movie AwardsBest Young Performer2025Saturn AwardsBest Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film2025IFTA Film & Drama AwardsLead Actress – Film
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