Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979 in Balmain, Australia) is an Australian actor.
She made her screen debut in 1994 with a small role in the film called Dallas Doll. In 2000, she played a leading role in the Australian film The Goddess of 1967, which brought her a Venice Film Festival award for Best Actress.
From 2007 to 2012, she played Ellen Parsons in the FX TV show Damages, which earned her two Golden Globe and two Emmy nominations. Along with co-star Glenn Close, she appeared in all of the show's fifty-nine episodes. In 2011, she starred in the critically acclaimed and financially successful films Insidious, X-Men: First Class, and Bridesmaids.
Aside from also studying at the Atlantic Theater Company, she is not related, in any way, to Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. Also not to be confused with American actor Darcy Rose Byrnes.
She has been in a relationship with American actor Bobby Cannavale since 2012, and they have two children together.
She appeared in:
- Two Hands (1999) as Alex
- Attack of the Clones (2002) as Dormé
- I Capture the Castle
- Monster (2003)
- The Rage in Placid Lake
- Troy (2004) as Briseis
- Wicker Park (2004) as Alex Denver
- Marie Antoinette (2006) as Yolande de Polastron
- The Dead Girl (2006)
- Sunshine (2007)
- 28 Weeks Later (2007) as Scarlet Levy
- Damages (2007 - 2012) as Ellen Parsons
- Just Buried (2008)
- Knowing (2009)- as Diana
- Adam (2009)
- Get Him to the Greek (2010)
- Insidious film series (2010, 2013, 2018) as Renai Lambert
- Bridesmaids (2011) as Helen Harris
- X-Men film series as Moira MacTaggert
- X-Men: First Class (2011)
- X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
- American Dad!
- The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)
- The Internship (2013)
- Neighbors (2014)
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016)
- Annie (2014)
- Spy (2015)
- Instant Family (2018)
- Peter Rabbit (2018)
- Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021)
- Mrs. America (2020) as Gloria Steinem
- Irresistible (2020)
- Spirited (2022) as Karen Blansky
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) as Leatherhead
Tropes associated with her roles:
- Break the Cutie: Her characters constantly gets handed or thrown a lot of crap.
- Brainy Brunette: She practically made a career playing these.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: One of the few actors whose pale skin blends well in horror/thriller films they constantly star in.
- Fake Nationality: She juggles being either a Fake American or a Fake Brit. Many fans mistake her for being British instead of Australian. Byrne has played Australian characters (most in her early career), but most have not been (she did with the Neighbors films however).
- She plays the Bulgarian Rayna Boyanov in Spy.
- Leslie Nielsen Syndrome: She was best known as a dramatic actor at the outset of her career, notably with Troy, 28 Weeks Later, and the lead in sleeper hit Insidious and FX drama Damages. She's gained a lot more recognition as of late as she's gone into more comedic work, with well-received turns in the smash hit Bridesmaids, along with Get Him to the Greek, Spy, and Neighbors (2014).
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Her characters are constantly described as beautiful and are either the Love Interest or at least desired by the male lead(s).
- Those Two Actors: She and Diane Kruger played the two female leads in the movies Wicker Park and Troy, both released in 2004.
- What Could Have Been: Was considered for the lead role in Jane Campion's Holy Smoke in 1999. The part went to Kate Winslet.
