Maeve Dermody

Maeve Dermody, born on November 2, 1985, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is the daughter of film theorist and director Susan Murphy Dermody and a psychologist father. Her upbringing fostered an appreciation for literature and the arts. At the age of five, she gained her first acting experience in her mother’s film, “Breathing Under Water” (1993). Dermody attended Mosman High School, where she participated in drama classes and the Australian Theatre for Young People, further honing her craft through courses at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.

Dermody’s professional acting career began in Australian television with roles in series such as “All Saints” (1998) and various short films while she was still in high school. Her breakthrough came with a major film role in the independent thriller “Black Water” (2007), where she played a character trapped by a saltwater crocodile in the Northern Territory. Her performance in “Black Water” led to multiple nominations for Best Supporting Actress awards in the Australian film industry. She continued to receive critical attention for her role in “Beautiful Kate” (2009), earning another nomination for the AFI Best Supporting Actress Award. Dermody expanded her filmography with a lead role in “Griff the Invisible” (2010), and a significant part in the miniseries “Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms” (2012).

Her career progressed with a lead role as Claire Simpson in the Australian-Singaporean TV drama “Serangoon Road” (2013). Transitioning into British productions, Dermody starred as Vera Claythorne in the BBC One adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” (2015). Other notable television roles include Grace Gibson in “Marcella” (2016–2018), Esther Rose in “The Frankenstein Chronicles” (2017), Portia Fyfe in “Carnival Row” (2019), and Violet in “The Beast Must Die” (2020-2021). She also appeared as Moira Nicholson in “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” (2022) and has upcoming roles in “A Thousand Blows” (2025) and “Strife” (2025). Her theatrical work includes productions such as “Killer Joe,” “Measure for Measure,” and “Our Town” in Sydney.