The stars of the hit BBC drama Peaky Blinders have become global icons thanks to their sharp suits and sharper schemes in post-war Birmingham. Long before giving orders and running the Shelby Company Limited, these actors were building impressive careers across stage, film, and television. From superhero blockbusters to period dramas, here is where you’ve seen the main cast of Peaky Blinders before they joined the family business.
Cillian Murphy: From Sci-Fi Hero to Oscar-Winning Star
Before he was the cunning patriarch Tommy Shelby, Cillian Murphy was already a familiar face in major film and theatre productions. His breakthrough role came in 2002 when he starred as Jim, a survivor waking up in a deserted London, in Danny Boyle’s acclaimed horror film 28 Days Later. This role introduced his intense screen presence to a worldwide audience.
Murphy quickly became a favorite of director Christopher Nolan. He first appeared as the villainous Dr. Jonathan Crane, also known as The Scarecrow, in Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005). He later reprised this role in the sequels The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Nolan also cast him in the mind-bending heist film Inception (2010) as Robert Fischer, the young heir whose dreams are being infiltrated.
Murphy’s performance as a transgender woman searching for her mother in Breakfast on Pluto (2005) earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor.
His other notable film roles include a soldier in the Irish war drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), a stalker on a plane in the thriller Red Eye (2005), and a physicist in the sci-fi adventure Sunshine (2007). In 2023, Murphy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his leading role as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Nolan’s Oppenheimer. His stage career began even earlier, with his professional debut in the play Disco Pigs in 1996, a role he later played in the 2001 film adaptation.
Paul Anderson: From London Stage to Blockbuster Films
Paul Anderson brings a volatile energy to the role of Arthur Shelby, Tommy’s older brother. Anderson began his career in theatre, appearing in plays written by his friend Gregory Burke. His screen breakthrough came with a leading role in the 2009 British television film The Firm.
Film audiences likely recognize Anderson from several major Hollywood productions. He played Colonel Sebastian Moran, the right-hand man to Professor Moriarty, in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011) starring Robert Downey Jr.. He also appeared in the survival epic The Revenant (2015) alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, playing a character named Mr. Anderson. Other film credits include the crime drama Legend (2015), where he portrayed the gangster Albert Donoghue, and the western Hostiles (2017).
On television, Anderson had a guest role in a 2005 episode of Doctor Who titled “The Christmas Invasion”. He also appeared in the British crime series Top Boy and played real-life criminal Gordon Goody in the miniseries The Great Train Robbery (2013).
Sophie Rundle: A Staple of British Period Drama
As Ada Shelby, the fiercely independent sister, Sophie Rundle has been a fixture in British television for years. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2011.
Rundle has appeared in numerous historical dramas. She played Roberta Maioni, a maid on the ill-fated ship, in the 2012 ITV miniseries Titanic. She was also part of the main cast of The Bletchley Circle (2012-2014), playing code-breaker Lucy. In 2015, she starred as Eva Smith in a BBC television film adaptation of An Inspector Calls.
Rundle on mastering the Birmingham accent for Peaky Blinders: “We struggled with it at first because it is not heard much on television, but managed to master the accent after a set visit in Birmingham.”
More recently, she played a key role in the hit BBC thriller Bodyguard (2018) as Vicky Budd, the sister of the Home Secretary. From 2019 to 2022, she co-starred as Ann Walker, the partner of landowner Anne Lister (Suranne Jones), in the BBC/HBO series Gentleman Jack. Her other credits include the Sky series Jamestown (2017-2019) and the ITV mystery After the Flood (2024).
Finn Cole: From Shelby Nephew to American Criminal
Finn Cole joined the Shelby family as Michael Gray, Polly’s ambitious son. His role in Peaky Blinders, which he started in 2014, was his first major acting job. He was helped to get the audition by his elder brother, actor Joe Cole, who played John Shelby on the show.
While still appearing on Peaky Blinders, Cole landed a leading role in an American television series. From 2016 to 2022, he starred as Joshua “J” Cody in the TNT drama Animal Kingdom, a series about a Southern California crime family. This made him a familiar face to international audiences.
On the big screen, Cole played a young version of Jakob Toretto (portrayed by John Cena) in F9: The Fast Saga (2021). His other film work includes the comedy-horror Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018) and the thriller Locked In (2023) on Netflix. In 2025, he stars in the diving drama Last Breath.
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Supporting Cast: Familiar Faces in the Shelby Universe
The world of Peaky Blinders is populated by a deep bench of talented actors who were well-known before putting on their flat caps.
The late Helen McCrory, who played the formidable matriarch Polly Gray, was a revered actress on both screen and stage. Film fans will remember her as Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series and as Cherie Blair in The Queen (2006) and its sequel The Special Relationship (2010).
Tom Hardy made a memorable impact as Jewish gang leader Alfie Solomons. Hardy’s major roles before and during his time on the show include the villain Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the titular character in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and both Ronnie and Reggie Kray in Legend (2015).
Aidan Gillen, who played the rogue gypsy Aberama Gold, is widely known for his role as the cunning Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish in Game of Thrones. Anya Taylor-Joy, who played Michael’s wife Gina Gray, rose to fame in the horror film The Witch (2015) and later starred in the hit miniseries The Queen’s Gambit (2020).
Sam Claflin portrayed the sinister politician Sir Oswald Mosley. Claflin is recognizable for roles in major film franchises, including Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) and as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games series.
Adrien Brody appeared as New York mafioso Luca Changretta in Season 4. The Oscar-winning actor is best known for his leading role in The Pianist (2002).
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