If you've been watching Unforgotten, there's no doubt you'll recognise Sinéad Keenan, who joined the show back in 2023. Aside from leading the cold case drama with Sanjeev Bhaskar, the Irish actress has been in a fair share of TV dramas.
Here's everything you need to know about Sinéad, including her best onscreen roles and her famous siblings.
How old is Sinéad Keenan?
Sinéad was born on the 27th December 1977, which makes her 48 years old, currently. She is the eldest of three children and her siblings Gráinne and Rory are also actors.
How tall is Sinéad Keenan?
Sinéad Keenan is 1.55m (5' 1") tall.
Who is Sinéad Keenan's sister?
Gráinne Keenan is Sinéad Keenan’s younger sister. She's a fellow actress, and the pair have acted beside each other in several shows, including Unforgotten, where Gráinne plays Jessie's onscreen sister, Debbie.
"We have never played sisters before. We did a BBC show (Three Families) that was based on a true story, but our characters never met. This is the first time that we played sisters and yeah, it was great." Sinead said in an interview with PBS.
"And then when I realized there was a sister, I was like, 'Well, I have a sister who is an actor.' So she auditioned and that was that. But it’s odd because we look nothing alike. I mean, if you put us in a line-up and ask someone, can you pick out the two sisters, there is no chance in hell anyone would pick us out. Even people on Twitter were going, 'She is not your real sister. There’s no way.' But we sound very similar."
Is Sinéad Keenan married?
Sinéad Keenan's husband is film and television producer Chris McGill. They tied the knot in 2012 and they have two sons.
TV shows with Sinéad Keenan
Being Human
Sinéad Keenan’s big break came when she joined the cast of BBC Three’s supernatural drama Being Human, which follows supernatural housemates as they try to blend in and live a normal life. Sheplayed Nina Pickering, a nurse-turned-werewolf, from 2009 to 2011. The mix of drama, horror, and humour allowed her to flex her muscles as a versatile actress.
The cast also included Aidan Turner (Poldark, Rivals), Russell Tovey (Him & Her, Years and Years) and Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush, Suspects).
You can find all 5 series of Being Human on BBC iPlayer.
Little Boy Blue
In the heart-breaking ITV drama Little Boy Blue, Sinéad Keenan delivered one of her most powerful performances as Mel Jones. The series was based on the real-life murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones in Liverpool, and her portrayal of Rhys’s grieving mother was profoundly moving and earned her a Royal Television Society (RTS) Programme Award for Best Actress.
The series is led by Stephen Graham, who also won an RTS Award for Best Actor and you can watch all episodes of Little Boy Blue on ITVX.
Unforgotten
Sinéad Keenan joined the cast of Unforgotten as DCI Jessica James in series 5, Di Sunny Khan's (Sanjeev Bhaskar) boss and work partner, after Nicola Walker's shocking departure from the show, which left fans devastated.
Stepping into a beloved series with an established fan base was no small feat.
"I’ve always been a huge Nicola Walker fan. She’s great. I’d watched Season 4 as it went out, and I remember thinking, 'God, I wonder, are they going to do that again? If they do do it again, God help whoever’s going to do it.'" She told PBS in an interview.
"Because I’d seen all Twitter at the time—there was uproar at Cassie’s death, and rightly so, because that’s life. When someone’s ripped away from you like that, it’s not right."
Initially, she was reluctant to take on the role, "My agent rang and said, look, the producers want to hand the script to a handful of people, and they’d like you to read it, I was very flattered that they would even consider me, but I was like, “No, I’m grand. I’ll pass. I’ll sit this one out. Whoever does it or gets it would be—excuse my French—pissing against the wind. So no thanks.”
Thankfully, her agent convinced her to read the script "and it’s so good. (Writer Chris Lang) is such a good storyteller. You’re just intrigued. You just want to know more. And is there another script? And can I get Episode 3 by any chance? And lo and behold, here we are."
Every series of Unforgotten is on ITVX.
Deep Water
Adapted from the book The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly, this series follows three mothers Lisa (Anna Friel, from Marcella and Pushing Daisies), Kate (Rosalind Eleazar from Missing You and Slow Horses) and Roz (Sinéad Keenan) as they hide dark secrets.
Her character Roz was once a successful physiotherapist, but her partner Winston is a musician with a serious gambling addiction who has racked up debts which have put her on the cusp of financial ruin.
AmazonThree Families
In 2021, Sinéad Keenan played a catholic stay-at-home mum called Theresa in Three Families who is forced to question her beliefs as she tries to protect her teenage daughter, but it comes at a cost when she could face a prison sentence.
The two-part drama was set in Northern Ireland between 2013 and 2019 and follows three families who are affected by restrictive abortion laws. Sinéad's sister Gráinne is Jenny in the show, but the pair do not share any screen time.
Arabella Horspool is a Commercial Content Writer for Yours at Bauer Media. She's a bookworm who is passionate about TV, film and theatre. She enjoys cooking, scrapbooking, playing board games and spending time with her pet dogs, tortoise and chickens.