Jessie Buckley has won the best actress in a motion picture drama Golden Globe for her role in Hamnet. The Killarney-born actress, 36, portrays William Shakespeare’s wife Agnes – historically known as Anne – in the film adaptation of Maggie O Farrell’s Hamnet. This follows the pair as they deal with the grief of losing their son. Her emotional performance has placed her at the heart of this year’s award season. It kicked off with her best actress win at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards which followed with nominations for the Actor Awards and Baftas.

She has also been tipped as a leading contender for the Oscars with nominations yet to be announced.

Early Years

Born in Killarney, Buckley spent five years studying at an all-girls convent school. She then went on to join the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything in 2008, aged 17. Following that, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (Rada) in London and graduated with a BA in acting in 2013. Her stage career kicked off that same year with the star performing at Shakespeare’s Globe in a production of The Tempest. After that, she starred alongside The Holiday actor, Jude Law, in a West End production of Henry V. Buckley later starred in the TV series adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace in 2016. She made her film debut a year later in Michael Pearce’s psychological thriller Beast alongside Emma actor Johnny Flynn.

Later Acting Credits

She later starred in Wild Rose (2018), a coming-of-age musical drama about a troubled single mother of two and former convict, Rose-Lynn from Glasgow. This was a role which won her the 2019 Scottish Bafta for best actress. In 2020, Buckley starred alongside Jesse Plemons in the psychological thriller I’m Thinking Of Ending Things. She also has a string of TV credits including playing Lyudmilla Ignatenko in the 2019 HBO drama Chernobyl. She later starred in the hit series Fargo as Oraetta Mayflower. Her film credits include starring in The Lost Daughter (2021) alongside Olivia Coleman, a role which scored her first Oscar nod for best supporting actress. Additionally, she starred in the period drama Women Talking (2022) alongside The Crown actress Claire Foy. More recently Buckley reunited with Coleman in 2023’s Wicked Little Letters and starred alongside Four Lions star Riz Ahmed and The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White in the sci-fi romance Fingernails. In 2022 Buckley won the Laurence Olivier Award for best actress in a musical for her portrayal of Sally Bowles in Cabaret. By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter For the latest Waterford News and Sport, tune into WLR News on the hour and download the WLR App for news on demand.