Who is Natasha O’Keeffe?
A stage, movie and television actress with nearly 20 acting credits to her name, Natasha O’Keeffe rose to prominence playing Lizzie Shelby in the world-famous series “Peaky Blinders”. Fans of the show know her as the second wife of Thomas Shelby, played by the great Cillian Murphy. The character Lizzie was always going through difficulties and it seemed that she couldn’t catch a break.
How life treated the actress who played this role, all about her career beginnings, and what Natasha O’Keeffe is up to now you’ll find in this article.
Early life, family, and education
Born Natasha Dervill O’Keeffe under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius on 1 December 1986, she’s aged 36 as of July 2023. A native of Brighton, England, she holds British nationality and comes from a family of Irish descent, raised by her parents Caroline (nee O’Reilly) and Paul as their only child. When Natasha was a toddler, the family moved to London, England, where she spent her early days.
In one of her interviews, Natasha said that her decision to become an actress was a slow ‘snowball effect’, since from an early age she watched movies but didn’t know that acting could be her job. She was fascinated by the actress Jodie Foster, and her role in “Nell”. When she was about eight years old, a family friend asked her parents to let Natasha audition for a play, and as she put it, that experience was an eye-opener for her.
When it comes to her educational background, Natasha attended a local high school, and upon matriculating in 2004, enrolled at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, from which she graduated with a BA degree in 2007.
Acting career
Natasha starred in numerous stage productions before she made her big-screen debut as Sarah in the 2008 movie “Abraham’s Point”. Two years later, she made her first TV series appearance as Sadie Anderson in the drama “Lip Service”, the story of two lesbians living in Glasgow, Scotland, which aired until 2012 – Natasha was seen in ten episodes during that period.
Later in 2012, she was cast to play Abbey Smith in the series “Misfits”, appearing in 11 episodes. Concurrently, she starred opposite her now-husband, Dylan Edwards, in the 2011 short comedy “If Found Please Return To”.
Natasha was next seen in the 2013 musical comedy “Svengali”, which was nominated for the Edinburgh International Film Festival (the Michael Powell) Award for Best British Feature Film. Later that year, Natasha guest starred as Connie Morgan in an episode of the series “Law & Order: UK”, and was seen as Anna in the movie “Filth”, starring James McAvoy and Jamie Bell. This action comedy followed the story of a junkie policeman with bipolar disorder, ready to do anything to get his promotion; it attracted 14 award nominations, and had nine wins.
Also in 2013 came her most notable role, as Lizzie Stark in “Peaky Blinders”, a crime drama that followed the story of the gangster family and their boss, Thomas ‘Tommy’ Shelby. The series had 53 award nominations and 22 wins, including the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award (Leading Actor-Cillian Murphy). The series aired until 2022, and Natasha was seen in 27 episodes.
Concurrently, Natasha guest starred as Grace Heath in the 2014 series “Grantchester”, followed by her role as Kirsty Wilkinson in the 2015 TV mini-series “The Last Panthers”, and “Jekyll and Hyde”. From 2017 through 2020, she had the recurring role of Charlotte in the series “C. B. Strike”. In 2019, Natasha played Agnes Moore in the TV mini-series “Resistance”, and was seen as Chloe Myrerscough in another TV mini-series, “Temple”, a crime drama starring Mark Strong, about a surgeon who runs an illegal underground clinic in order to collect money so he could save his dying wife.
Most recently, Natasha was cast to play Emma Grieves in the 2021 series “Intergalactic”, in which she starred opposite Savannah Steyn and Thomas Turgoose. The show was nominated for two BAFTA awards.
We promised to tell you what’s new in her career. Well, Natasha’s fans will be happy to hear that she has two upcoming projects, movies entitled “Clicquot” and “Tyger”, both currently in development, and should be later in 2023.
Love life and relationships
Like many of her colleagues, Natasha has been the subject of many rumors about her love life, being romantically linked to numerous men from the entertainment industry, including her co-star from “Pinky Blinders”, Cillian Murphy.
However, Natasha hasn’t spoken about her previous relationships before she met her future husband, Dylan Edwards; the two dated for a couple of years before they tied the knot in 2016. Natasha is quite secretive when it comes to her private life, so the exact date and place where they wed hasn’t been unrevealed.
Dylan Edwards is an actor, and also a writer and producer. His birth name is Edward Hill, and he’s a native of Seaton, Devon, United Kingdom. It’s known that he was born in 1984 and that he met Natasha at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, which he also attended. Dylan is perhaps known best for his roles in the series “GameFace” and “Wanderlust”, while when it comes to his work as a writer, he wrote the aforementioned movie “Tyger”, in which Natasha will star.
The couple has two children together, a son and a daughter, whose names and birthdates haven’t been disclosed. The family of four lives in their residence in Margate, a seaside town in England.
Net worth
Natasha showed her acting skills in hit series, and many believe that the one for which she was paid the highest was her role as Lizzie Shelby in “Peaky Blinders”. Reportedly, the main stars were paid around £250,000 (approximately $280,000) per episode. Natasha’s salary hasn’t been disclosed, however, according to sources, as of July 2023, her net worth has been estimated at over $1 million.
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