Brenda Doyle
Brenda Doyle was an Irish actress, best known for her work on screen and stage, performing in both English and Irish.
Early life
Doyle was from Drumcondra, Dublin. In the late 1940s, she trained at the Brendan Smith Academy of Acting. Shortly after completing her training, she joined the company of the National Theatre of Ireland.Career
Doyle made her professional stage debut in 1953 at the Abbey Theatre, appearing in an Irish language production of Bláithín agus an Mac Rí by Tomás Mac Anna, Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha, & Caoimhghín Ó Conghaile. This was during a time when the Abbey’s managing director, Ernest Blythe, had a particular interest in producing work in Irish language, requiring fluency from all regular company members. She would go on to appear in additional Irish language productions of Ulysses agus Penelope by Eoghan Ó Tuairisc, Suirí Le Caitríona by Edward Golden, and Aisling as Tír na nÓg by Eoghan Ó Tuairisc & Micheál Mac Conmara.In 1954, Doyle had a supporting role in Ernest Gébler’s debut play She Sits Smiling at the Pike Theatre. In 1966, she appeared in Love and a Bottle at Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards’ Gate Theatre. In 1971, she appeared in John B. Keane’s The Change in Mame Fadden at the Cork Opera House. Later that same year, she appeared in successive productions of Partly Furnished by Barry L. Hillman, and Doesn't Anyone Remember Murphy by John Quinn, both for the Dublin Theatre Festival. In 1976, she appeared as Moll Buckley in Patrick Galvin’s The Devil's Own People at the Gaiety Theatre. In 1979, she returned to the Abbey Theatre to appear in John Millington Synge’s Epitaph Under Ether. The following year, she appeared in Zoz, a new musical by Joe O’Donnell at the Olympia Theatre. In 1981, Doyle would make her final stage appearance in Shane Connaughton’s Divisions at the Dublin Theatre Festival.
Doyle made her screen debut in Joseph Strick’s 1967 film Ulysses, an adaptation of the James Joyce novel of the same name. The film premiered in competition the 20th Cannes Film Festival, where the French subtitles were censored by festival organizers. The film went on to enjoy critical success in Ireland and abroad. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times included the film on his 1967 "Top Ten List," declaring it "A faithful and brilliant screen translation of Joyce's classic novel, done with taste, imagination and cinema artistry." The film was nominated for Best English-Language Foreign Film at the 25th Golden Globe Awards, and Best Screenplay at the 40th Academy Awards. In 1972, she appeared in George Schaefer’s television film A War of Children. Set to the backdrop of The Troubles, the film follows two families in Belfast who find their long-standing friendship threatened by the escalating sectarian violence. The film was broadcast by CBS in the United States. It won the 1972 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie, and was nominated in the same category at the 29th Golden Globe Awards.
In 1974, Doyle served as casting director on Canadian drama film A Quiet Day in Belfast, a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet, set amidst The Troubles. Doyle enlisted the talents of Barry Foster, Margot Kidder, and Sean McCann, each of whom would go on to have major film careers. The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 26th Canadian Film Awards.
Doyle first began appearing on television in 1963, as a fixture of the RTÉ variety show Take My Word. The series was a charades-style game show featuring prominent personalities from Irish theatre on opposing teams. The first show was broadcast in January of 1963, and aired through 1965. Doyle went on to have numerous guest roles on various television series, including The Sinners, 2nd House, Childhood, Second City Firsts, The Spike, Teems of Times, Last of Summer, Thursday Play Date, and Strumpet City. Her variety show appearances made her a household name.
Personal life and death
In 1952, she married fellow actor and future Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Ireland, Vincent Dowling. Together they had four daughters, including actress Bairbre Dowling. The family lived on Shanowen Road in Santry, Co. Dublin. Doyle and Dowling had a relatively progressive marriage, allowing for both to partake in a series of extramarital affairs. One such affair produced their third daughter, Valerie. Although aware of this, Dowling always functioned as the girl’s father.Doyle and Dowling's marriage dissolved in 1967 over Dowling’s relationship with a much younger Abbey actress, Sinéad Cusack, daughter of the renowned actor Cyril Cusack. Dowling's affair with Cusack resulted in the birth of a son, Richard Boyd Barrett, who was put up for adoption. Doyle was awarded the family home and custody of her four daughters, while Dowling moved into a flat in the Dublin City Centre.
Doyle died in a motorcycle accident in Dublin on November 12th, 1981. She was 48.