ITV's Unforgotten is back, featuring Sinéad Keenan and Sanjeev Bhaskar as Jess James and Sunny Khan, leading another murder mystery. As the series unfolds, the Bishop Street team delve into Gerry Cooper's past. When Jess and Sunny reach out to his widow, Juliet (Victoria Hamilton), more secrets are unearthed. Sinéad Keenan, a 47 year old Irish actress, is recognised for her roles as Farrah Phelan in Fair City and Nina Pickering in Being Human.
Born and raised in Dublin, she is the eldest of three children, with both her younger brother Rory and sister Gráinne also pursuing acting careers. Despite her current profession, Keenan initially didn't aspire to be an actress; she studied sociology and history at university and dreamt of becoming a lawyer after being inspired by the US legal drama Matlock. However, as she matured, she realised she was more interested in portraying a lawyer than actually becoming one.
Sinéad made her first mark in the acting world back in 1999, playing the teenage sweetheart of Cillian Murphy in the flick 'Sunburn'. In a heart-to-heart with The Mirror back in February 2008, Sinéad paid tribute to her brother Rory for inspiring her and Grainne to take up acting. "We support each other - it's nice we all work in the same business," she shared. "So he started the acting thing in the family - our parents aren't in the acting business at all but they are very proud of us.".
Her sister Grainne later joined her on-screen in an episode of Unforgotten's fifth season, portraying Debbie. On the personal front, Sinéad tied the knot with film and TV director Chris McGill in 2012, the brains behind Dusthouse Productions. McGill's portfolio boasts collaborations with stars like Tom Hiddleston and Jude Law, and he's helmed episodes of EastEnders and Holby City. He even dabbled in acting, lending his voice to a character in the video game Fable III.
Sinéad and Chris are proud parents to two boys, though they keep the family details under wraps. However, Sinéad has let slip a few mum-life anecdotes on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In November 2022, she tweeted about the Saturday morning struggle: "Worst thing about Saturday morning? Putting on children’s football socks!". By December, she divulged that her lads were seven and five, which means they're probably now nine and seven.
