Cillian Murphy continues winning streak as he bags best actor award at the BAFTAS for his role in Oppenheimer

Continuing his awards show winning streak, Leesider Cillian Murphy bagged a best actor award at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards for his performance in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer last night.

Murphy beat fellow Irish actor Barry Keoghan, nominated for Saltburn, at the Sunday evening ceremony which was hosted by David Tennant at the Royal Festival Hall.

Other Irish talent did not fair as well with Paul Mescal losing out to Robert Downey jnr for the best supporting actor gong. Mescal was nominated for his role in All Of Us Strangers while Junior scooped the best supporting actor award for his role in Oppenheimer, in which he co-starred with Murphy.

However, Irish produced Poor Things won 5 awards at the BAFTAs tonight including Best Actress for Emma Stone, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hair, and Best Production Design.

Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, was produced and developed by Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe and the team at Dublin based Element Pictures.

Fellow Irish producers Medb Riordan and Shirley O’Connor were among the team winning the award for outstanding British debut, for Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama. A hit at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film follows a pregnant woman’s travails in the Bay Area of California. Former England Captain David Beckham presented the crew with their award.

President Higgins congratulated the Irish winners and nominees one their success at the BAFTA awards ceremony.

Congratulations to Cillian Murphy for his best actor award at the @BAFTA Awards, to @ElementPictures for Poor Things’ success and to Medb Riordan and Shirley O’Connor for Earth Mama. Congratulations too to all of the other Irish nominees at tonight’s awards ceremony

— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) February 18, 2024

Murphy seems on track now to become the second Irish person and the first person born in Ireland to win an Academy award for best actor after Daniel Day Lewis.

Speaking on his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan's biopic on the nuclear physicist Murphy said: "Oppenheimer was this colossally knotty, complex character, and he meant different things to different people,” Murphy said. “One man’s monster is another man’s hero. That’s why I love movies . . . as a place to interrogate and investigate that complexity."

Although Murphy has won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for best actor in a leading role, the Cork Actor lost out to Paul Giamatti for his role in The Holdovers for the best actor Award at the Critic's Choice Ceremony meaning everything is still to play for at the Academy Awards on March 10.