{{Short description|Irish-Sri Lankan actress (born 1983)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=December 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Danielle Ryan | image = Danielle Ryan at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival 2 (cropped).jpg | caption = Ryan in 2024 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|11|1|df=y}} | birth_place = Dublin, Ireland | occupation = Actress, entrepreneur | years_active = 2006–present }}
'''Danielle Ryan''' (born 1 November 1983) is an Irish-Sri Lankan actress, philanthropist and entrepreneur.
==Early life== Ryan is the daughter of Captain Cathal Ryan and granddaughter of Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair. Her mother Tess de Kretser, is from Sri Lanka. <ref>https://www.independent.ie/style/the-scent-of-success-ryanair-heiress-danielle-ryan-means-business/31238577.html</ref>
==Career==
===Acting=== Ryan graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2006.
Most recently, Ryan appeared in “The End (2024 film)”, which is due to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in 2024. In 2024, she also appeared on stage at the Irish Repertory Theatre off-Broadway in New York where she played the role of Judith in Brian Friel’s Aristocrats.
In 2007, she made her theatrical stage debut in ''Food'' to positive reviews.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/food-rev |title=Theatre review: Food at BAC |website=Britishtheatreguide.info |date=2006-08-10 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> In the same year, she appeared in ''How About You'', a film based on a collection of stories by Maeve Binchy<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newyorkirisharts.com/2012/08/following-recent-passing-of-best/?print=pdf |title=Books: Michael Fitzpatrick recalls Maeve Binchy |publisher=New York Irish Arts |date= |access-date=2019-05-07 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and ''The Trial of Tony Blair''. She has also appeared in ''Vivarium'', which premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, ''The Silencing'', ''Wild Mountain Thyme'' alongside Jamie Dornan, Emily Blunt and Jon Hamm.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/wild-mountain-thyme-trailer-1088534/|title=Emily Blunt, Jon Hamm, Christopher Walken Appear in 'Wild Mountain Thyme' Trailer|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=10 November 2020|access-date= 8 December 2020}}</ref> and ''Mr. Malcolm's List''.
Her television work includes her role as Alice in ''Magpie Murders'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13186264/|title=Magpie Murders|website=IMDb|access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref> Vicky Boyle in ''Harry Wild''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14527610/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_1|title=Harry Wild|website=IMDb|access-date=21 June 2021}}</ref> and Agent Sophia Elias in ''The Professionals''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8769360/|title=The Professionals|website=IMDb|access-date=5 November 2019}}</ref> along with roles in ''Doctors'', ''The Tudors'', ''Casualty (TV series)'' and ''Fair City''. Ryan is credited as a producer on six productions,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2488429/|title=Danielle Ryan|website=IMDb|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref> including ''Grace Jones: Bloodlight'' and ''Bami, Song of Granite'', which was selected as the Irish entry for the Best Foreign Film at the 90th Academy Awards, Rialto, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and ''L.O.L.A.'', which wrapped in November 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/andrew-legge-wraps-sci-fi-lola-first-image-revealed-exclusive/5154803.article|title=Andrew Legge wraps sci-fi 'L.O.L.A.', first image revealed (exclusive)|website=ScreenDaily.com|access-date=8 December 2020}}</ref>
===Business=== In 2013, Ryan launched the brand ROADS,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roads.co |title=ROADS |website=Roads.co |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> which encompasses luxury fragrances, book publishing and film production.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.image.ie/life/talented-ms-ryan-3950|title=Talented Ms. Ryan - Image Magazine|first=Bill|last=O'Sullivan|website=IMAGE.ie|date=23 April 2014|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref> She has said that in setting up ROADS, she wanted to find a way of crossing over from the artistic and creative worlds into tangible products.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fwordmag.com/single-post/IN-CONVERSATION-WITH-DANIELLE-RYAN|title=COLLECTION: AMERICAN APPAREL X SHAUN ROSS|website=F Word Magazine|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref>
There are 18 Eau de Perfum,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roads.co/eau-de-parfums |title=Eau De Parfums — Roads |website=Roads.co |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> 5 candles<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roads.co/candles/ |title=Candles — Roads |website=Roads.co |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> and more than 50 books<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roads.co/books/ |title=Summary — ROADS |website=Roads.co |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> for sale under the ROADS label around the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roads.co/stockists |title=Stockists — Roads |website=Roads.co |date=2015-05-29 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>
==Philanthropy==
===The Lir Academy=== Trinity College Dublin discontinued its acting degree in 2007, leaving Ireland with 'no high-level full-time actor training'.<ref>{{cite web|author=John Downes |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/trinity-suspends-acting-degree-course-1.1290331 |title=Trinity suspends acting degree course |website=Irishtimes.com |date=2007-01-17 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> In response, Ryan founded<ref name="thetimes1">{{cite news|author=Gavin Daly |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/ireland-world/article/clown-academy-can-laugh-again-as-trinity-wipes-out-losses-zm5dfs8zd |title=Clown Academy can laugh again as Trinity wipes out losses | Ireland |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=2018-07-08 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> The Lir,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://acn.com.ve/ |title=ACN | Noticias de Venezuela y el mundo |access-date=21 February 2022 |archive-date=20 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170220175602/http://acn.com.ve/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Ireland's National Academy of Dramatic Art, which she announced in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/plans-for-theatre-academy-unveiled-26587890.html|title=Plans for theatre academy unveiled|website=Independent.ie|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref>
The Lir is part of Trinity College Dublin and has an association with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelir.ie/about |title=About Us | The Lir Academy |website=Thelir.ie |date=2018-06-18 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> It welcomed its first students in 2011, its opening attracting press coverage from the New York Times.<ref>{{cite web|author=Patrick Healy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/theater/ireland-gets-its-own-acting-academy-at-trinity-college-dublin.html |title=Ireland Gets Its Own Acting Academy at Trinity College Dublin - The New York Times |work=The New York Times |date=2011-08-26 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> Ryan funded a purpose-built premises for the Lir,<ref>{{cite web|author=Genevieve Carbery |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/dramatic-first-night-lir-academy-to-train-theatre-hopefuls-1.629301 |title=Dramatic first night: Lir Academy to train theatre hopefuls |website=Irishtimes.com |date=2011-10-22 |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> which is located in Grand Canal Dock in Dublin.
The Lir offers conservatoire training for actors along with degrees in stage management and technical theatre as well as Masters in Fine Art for playwriting, theatre directing and stage design.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelir.ie/courses |title=Courses | The Lir Academy |website=Thelir.ie |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref>
===UNICEF=== Ryan announced in 2011, at the United Nations General Assembly, that her family would donate $14 million to help some of the most vulnerable children in Sri Lanka.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicef.org/media/media_57745.html |title=The Cathal Ryan Trust invests $14 million in UNICEF programmes focusing on education | Press centre |publisher=UNICEF |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}</ref> This was the largest single private donation ever made to UNICEF, for which Ryan received the UNICEF Ireland's children's award from former Irish president Mary Robinson in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/proud-family-accept-award-for-record-11m-donation-28947785.html|title=Proud family accept award for record €11m donation|website=Independent.ie|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref>
The donation was used to rebuild the health and education infrastructure in four towns in the North of Sri Lanka<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMS-sJUwBa4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/zMS-sJUwBa4 |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=UNICEF Philanthropic partners promote education The Cathal Ryan Trust |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref> that had been destroyed by the Sri Lankan Civil War.
She continues to work with UNICEF, giving keynote speeches on their behalf and acting as a member of the UNICEF International Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clmh42tBeNc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/clmh42tBeNc |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Danielle Ryan Keynote |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=2019-05-07}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
===Other=== Ryan has donated to Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cmrf.org/data/2015/06/2017-Annual-Report.pdf|title=Annual Report|website=Cmrf.org}}</ref> and Temple Street Children's University Hospital,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstalk.com/news/new-emergency-department-opens-at-dublins-temple-street-hospital-580667|title=New emergency department opens at Dublin's Temple Street Hospital|website=Newstalk.com|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref> both in Dublin.
She also provided funding to One in Four,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oneinfour.ie/|title=One in Four Ireland - Homepage|website=Oneinfour.ie|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref> a charity in Ireland which helps people affected by childhood sexual abuse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/sexual-abuse-thinking-the-unthinkable-452257.html|title=Sexual abuse: Thinking the unthinkable|date=12 June 2017|website=Irishexaminer.com|access-date=7 May 2019}}</ref>
==Filmography==
===Acting=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Other notes |- | 2006 || ''Doctors'' || Milly Moreton || TV series |- | 2007 || ''Food''<ref name="auto"/> || Cordelia/Brigitte || Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, London |- | 2007 || ''How About You'' || Maria || Feature film |- | 2007 || ''Fair City'' || Frieda Garvey || TV series |- | 2007 || ''The Trial of Tony Blair'' || PM's Assistant || TV film |- | 2008 || ''Casualty'' || Cheryl Reisman || TV series |- | 2008 || ''The Tudors'' || Martha || TV series |- | 2019 || ''Vivarium'' || Mom || Feature film |- | 2019 || ''The Professionals'' || Agent Sophia Elias || TV series |- | 2020 || ''The Silencing'' || Dr Patel || Feature film |- | 2020 || ''Mr. Malcolm's List''|| Lady Margaret || Feature film |- | 2021 || ''Wild Mountain Thyme'' || Maeve || Feature film |- | 2021 || ''Magpie Murders'' || Alice || TV series |- | 2021 || ''Harry Wild'' || Vicky Boynes || TV series |- | 2021 || ''The Cordelia Dream'' || Woman || Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre, New York |- | 2022 || ''Double Threat'' || Natasha || Feature film |- | 2023 || ''Night Train'' || Holly || Feature film |- | 2024 || ''Aristocrats'' || Judith || Theatre, Irish Repertory Theatre, New York |- | 2024 || ''The End'' || Mary || Feature Film |}
===Producing=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 2011 || ''Dreams of a Life'' || Associate producer || |- | 2015 || ''Being AP'' || Executive producer || |- | 2016 || ''We are Moving'' || Executive producer || |- | 2017 || ''Song of Granite'' || Executive producer || Selected as the Irish entry for the Best Foreign Film in the 90th Academy Awards |- | 2017 || ''Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami'' || Executive producer || |- | 2019 || ''Rialto'' || Executive producer || |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|2488429}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Danielle}} Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Living people Category:Place of birth missing (living people) Category:1983 births