Rose Byrne is 47 years old. Born Mary Rose Byrne on July 24, 1979, in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia, she is an Australian stage and screen actress whose career spans more than three decades. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in 2025, a performance that also earned her an Academy Award nomination, and she is one of only a few actors to be nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting.
Byrne moves between weighty drama and side-splitting comedy with equal ease, from the legal thriller Damages to the hit comedy Bridesmaids, from the epic Troy to the horror franchise Insidious. She has worked steadily in film, television and on Broadway since her screen debut as a teenager in 1994.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Mary Rose Byrne |
| Born | July 24, 1979 |
| Age | 47 years old |
| Birthplace | Balmain, New South Wales, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years Active | 1994–present |
| Partner | Bobby Cannavale (2012–present) |
| Children | 2 sons |
| Known For | Damages, Bridesmaids, Troy, Spy, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You |
Who Is Rose Byrne?
Rose Byrne is an Australian actress celebrated for the range and intelligence she brings to every role. Born and raised in Sydney, she began acting as a teenager and has since built one of the most varied careers in film and television, moving from Australian independent cinema to Hollywood blockbusters, hit comedies and acclaimed television drama.
Her honors include a Golden Globe Award, a Silver Bear and a Volpi Cup, with nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards. She is one of only a few actors to be nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting, the Oscar, the Tony and the Emmy.
Early Life & Background
Mary Rose Byrne was born on July 24, 1979, in Balmain, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She is the youngest of four children of Jane Byrne, a former primary school administrator, and Robin Byrne, a statistician with a background in market research. She is of Irish and Scottish ancestry and grew up in a household that valued the arts, travel, classical music and museums.
Byrne joined the Australian Theatre for Young People at the age of eight and attended Balmain Public School, Hunters Hill High School and Bradfield Senior College. She auditioned for the National Institute of Dramatic Art, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Nepean, but was not accepted by any of them. She went on to study English literature at the University of Sydney, dropping out after two years to pursue acting full time, and in 1999 she moved to New York City to study at the Atlantic Theater Company, the drama school founded by playwright David Mamet and actor William H. Macy.
Career
Byrne made her screen debut at 13 in the film Dallas Doll in 1994 and took a regular role in the Australian soap Echo Point in 1995. She played a small-town girl opposite Heath Ledger in the independent film Two Hands in 1999, and her career gained momentum with her turn as a blind and emotionally scarred woman in The Goddess of 1967 in 2000, for which she won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival.
She made her Hollywood debut in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in 2002, playing Dormé, a handmaiden to Queen Amidala, and won wider attention as Briseis in the epic Troy in 2004. She followed it with the period drama Marie Antoinette in 2006, the science-fiction film Sunshine in 2007 and the horror film 28 Weeks Later in 2007.
Byrne won major recognition from 2007 as Ellen Parsons, the naive law graduate turned shrewd attorney, in the television legal thriller Damages, starring alongside Glenn Close. She played the role for five seasons, earning two consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations for best supporting actress in a drama series.
After starring mainly in dramatic roles, Byrne branched out into comedy with Get Him to the Greek in 2010 and gained further recognition in the Academy Award-nominated Bridesmaids in 2011, playing the competitive, overachieving bridesmaid Helen Harris. She played CIA agent Moira MacTaggert in X-Men: First Class in 2011 and reprised the role in X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016, and she has played Renai Lambert in four films of the Insidious horror series, from 2010 to 2023.
She starred with Seth Rogen as young parents in the Neighbors films in 2014 and 2016, won rave reviews for the comedy Spy in 2015, and played Bea in the family films Peter Rabbit in 2018 and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway in 2021. On television she played Gloria Steinem in Mrs. America in 2020, led the Apple series Physical from 2021 to 2023 and stars alongside Seth Rogen in the comedy Platonic, which began in 2023. Her performance as the emotionally drained mother Linda in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in 2025 won her the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance, the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, and her first Academy Award nomination. She made her Broadway debut in You Can’t Take It with You in 2014 and earned a Tony Award nomination in 2026 for her performance in the revival of Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels.
Away from acting, Byrne was in a relationship with the actor and writer Brendan Cowell for six years, ending in January 2010. She was introduced to the actor Bobby Cannavale by mutual friends in the fall of 2012, and they have been long-term partners since, living in Brooklyn, New York, with their two sons, born in February 2016 and November 2017. In January 2026 she referred to Cannavale as her husband at the Golden Globe Awards.
Facts About Rose Byrne
- She is one of only a few actors to be nominated for the Triple Crown of Acting, the Academy Award, the Tony Award and the Primetime Emmy Award.
- She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 2000 Venice Film Festival for The Goddess of 1967, when she was 21 years old.
- Her role as Linda in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You in 2025 won her the Silver Bear, a Golden Globe and her first Academy Award nomination.
- She played Ellen Parsons in Damages for five seasons, earning two consecutive Primetime Emmy nominations.
- She studied at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York in 1999, after being turned down by Australia’s leading drama schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Rose Byrne?
Rose Byrne is 47 years old. She was born on July 24, 1979, in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia.
Who is Rose Byrne’s partner?
Rose Byrne’s partner is the actor Bobby Cannavale. They have been together since 2012 and have two sons. In January 2026 she referred to him as her husband.
What is Rose Byrne best known for?
Rose Byrne is best known for Damages, Bridesmaids, Troy, Spy and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Does Rose Byrne have children?
Yes. Rose Byrne has two sons with Bobby Cannavale, born in February 2016 and November 2017.
What awards has Rose Byrne won?
Rose Byrne has won a Golden Globe Award, a Silver Bear and a Volpi Cup. She has also been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Tony Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
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