Cillian Murphy Movies and TV Shows: Full List & Where to Watch

Cillian Murphy spent two decades building one of the more quietly relentless careers in film and television—popping up in everything from horror landmarks to prestige dramas without ever quite becoming a household name in the way his collaborators do. That feels like it’s changing now.

Nationality: Irish · Breakout Film: 28 Days Later (2002) · Iconic TV Role: Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders · Batman Role: Dr. Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow · Recent Major Film: Oppenheimer

The table below summarizes key career milestones and verified attributes for Murphy’s filmography.

What film made Cillian Murphy famous?

The short answer is 28 Days Later, the 2002 Danny Boyle horror film that essentially invented the modern zombie plague genre as we know it. Murphy played Jim, the sole survivor who wakes from a coma to find London emptied and overrun by infected humans in rage mode. The role was a revelation: Murphy brought a startled, almost childlike quality to Jim that made the terror feel immediate rather than staged. He essentially carried the film for its first act, and the performance put him on every casting director’s radar in the UK and beyond.

28 Days Later as breakout role

• Director Danny Boyle cast him after seeing his stage work in Ireland
• The film’s release year 2002 marks his pivot from theater to feature leading roles
• IMDb lists 46 total credits—Murphy was already 30 when 28 Days Later released, a relative latebloomer by Hollywood standards

Early career highlights

Before landing his breakout, Murphy had already appeared in several Irish productions and the 2001 Disco Pigs film. But 28 Days Later was the door-opener that placed him in front of Christopher Nolan for Batman Begins (2005). He auditioned for the role of Batman itself but Nolan had something more interesting in mind: the psychologist Dr. Jonathan Crane, whose fear toxin would become one of the trilogy’s defining villain tools. Nolan cast Murphy as Scarecrow specifically because, as Nolan later noted, “He has the most extraordinary eyes, and I kept trying to invent excuses for him to take his glasses off in close-ups.” (Wikipedia)

What is Cillian Murphy’s best TV show?

Peaky Blinders isn’t just Murphy’s best TV work—it’s one of the defining performances in prestige British drama of the past decade. He played Thomas Shelby, the Birmingham gang leader whose iron self-control barely contains violence and ambition, across all six seasons from 2013 to 2022. The role required him to do something genuinely difficult: play a man who wins every scene without ever seeming to try. His Tommy Shelby is all restraint and coiled threat. When he speaks quietly, the room rearranges itself around him.

Peaky Blinders acclaim

• Series ran 2013–2022 across six seasons, with season 6 premiering February 27, 2022 (Wikipedia)
• Rotten Tomatoes aggregators rate the drama at 94%—an unusually strong score for a multi-season series
• Murphy won multiple nominations for the role but notably refused to attend BAFTA ceremonies, staying committed to filming schedules
• The character has become iconic enough that Murphy’s face on promotional materials essentially rebranded the flat cap from working-class workwear to luxury menswear

Other notable series

Beyond Peaky Blinders, Murphy’s TV presence is deliberately sparse. He’s appeared in miniseries and co-productions, but nothing approaching the Peaky Blinders commitment. This isn’t an accident—he’s been vocal about choosing projects carefully and avoiding the type of overexposure that dilutes screen presence. The result is a filmography where almost every appearance feels intentional rather than contractual.

What Netflix series is Cillian Murphy in?

The most straightforward answer is Peaky Blinders—available on Netflix in most regions—and the Netflix original film Steve (2025), starring Murphy as a headteacher navigating institutional crisis. According to tracking data from uNoGS (streaming availability tracker), several other Murphy titles are listed on Netflix depending on region, though exact availability windows shift and can vary by country.

Peaky Blinders availability

• Peaky Blinders seasons stream on Netflix in the UK, US, and most international markets
• The series originally aired on BBC before Netflix distribution expanded its global reach
• Season 5 episode 1 first broadcast August 25, 2019 (Wikipedia)
• A film continuation—Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man—reportedly listed as available on Netflix (uNoGS), though theatrical release is expected 2026

Other Netflix titles

• Small Things Like These (2024)—listed on Netflix (uNoGS streaming tracker), premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival
• Oppenheimer (2023)—reportedly on Netflix (uNoGS streaming tracker), the film that won Murphy the Academy Award for Best Actor
• Steve—the Netflix original premiered theatrically September 19, 2025, then on Netflix October 3, 2025 (Netflix official trailer). Directed by Tim Mielants and adapted from Max Porter’s bestseller Shy, it’s currently streaming on the platform (Netflix official trailer)

What British TV series is Cillian Murphy in?

Peaky Blinders is the dominant answer, and it’s not close. The BBC drama about post-WWI Birmingham gangland is the series most associated with Murphy in the UK market and internationally. The show’s blend of historical fiction, family drama, and stylized violence created a format that translated globally—it’s one of the few British series in recent memory that built genuine cultural momentum across seasons rather than fading after a strong premiere.

Peaky Blinders details

• Set in Birmingham, England, covering 1919–1936
• Created by Steven Knight, who later adapted the series into the 2026 film
• Murphy’s Tommy Shelby is the series anchor—a man running a criminal empire while apparently trying not to become what the business requires
• The show’s visual style—muted colors, sharp suits, theatrical lighting—became its signature and influenced British period drama aesthetics afterward

British productions

Murphy has worked primarily in British and American productions throughout his career, with occasional detours into Irish projects. He’s not been a prolific TV actor by design; his 46 credits skew heavily toward film. When he does TV, it’s typically high-commitment projects rather than guest appearances. The Peaky Blinders commitment—nine years, six seasons, every episode—stands as his most substantial contribution to British television.

Cillian Murphy movies and TV shows in Batman?

Murphy appeared as Dr. Jonathan Crane—the villain also known as Scarecrow—in all three Christopher Nolan Batman films: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). (Batman Wiki) He’s one of only five actors to appear in every film of the trilogy, a consistency that speaks to Nolan’s interest in the character and Murphy’s effectiveness in the role.

Role as Scarecrow

• Batman Begins: Crane appears as a Gotham State psychiatrist working with the mob, administering fear experiments on patients including Bruce Wayne. He becomes Scarecrow when the mob hires him as a chemist.
• The Dark Knight: Crane appears in a brief cameo in the opening sequence—Harvey Dent’s case against him—and in the climax where his fear toxin is deployed on Batman
• The Dark Knight Rises: Crane appears in Bane’s prison as “the doctor,” providing exposition about Bane’s injuries and the League of Shadows

Nolan Dark Knight trilogy

Beyond the Batman films, Murphy appeared in three other Nolan projects: Inception (2010) as Robert Fischer Jr., and Dunkirk (2017) as a shivering soldier in the famed three-minute Dunkirk beach sequence. (Batman Wiki) That’s five Nolan collaborations total—a remarkable consistency for a director not known for repeating actors. The relationship appears to have been professional and creative rather than commercial: Murphy wasn’t cast as a star draw but as an ensemble piece that Nolan found useful.

“He has the most extraordinary eyes, and I kept trying to invent excuses for him to take his glasses off in close-ups.”

— Christopher Nolan, director

Murphy’s Career Timeline

Eight distinct phases mark Murphy’s career arc from Irish theater actor to Oscar winner.

The timeline below tracks his evolution across film, television, and production work.

The pattern here is expansion and reinvention: theater roots in the nineties, horror breakout, villain specialty through the mid-2000s, prestige drama with Peaky Blinders, and then a late-career pivot toward producing and awards recognition with Oppenheimer. Each phase overlaps the previous rather than replacing it—he’s been building the filmography in layers.

Confirmed Facts vs. What Remains Unclear

Most of Murphy’s filmography is well-documented through tier-1 and tier-2 sources—Wikipedia, official studio records, and recognized publications. A few areas remain genuinely uncertain, particularly around streaming availability and upcoming project specifics.

“Cillian Murphy, who has angelic looks that can turn sinister, is one of the most elegantly seductive monsters in recent movies.”

— David Denby, The New Yorker critic

“Remember, I’m an actor.”

— Cillian Murphy

Summary

Cillian Murphy’s career offers a study in patient expansion without dilution. He built filmography in distinct phases—Irish theater start, horror breakthrough, Nolan collaborations, Peaky Blinders dominance, Oscar recognition—without ever appearing in projects that seemed designed solely to maintain visibility. His choices show a performer who understood that restraint and selectivity create presence rather than destroy it. The 2026 Peaky Blinders film and the 28 Years Later sequel suggest he’s not done building on that foundation, and his newly launched production company means he’ll likely shape those projects from both sides of the camera.

Related reading: Leo Woodall Movies and TV Shows: Full Filmography · Nina Dobrev Movies and Shows – Complete Filmography Guide

Cillian Murphy’s rise from Irish indies to Hollywood stardom, much like the Cillian Murphy film career review outlines, underscores his versatile intensity across screens.

Frequently asked questions