Timothy V. Murphy

Irish actor Timothy V. Murphy played imposing figures of all nationalities, including several malevolent Russian criminals and American gunslingers, in features and on television series including "Sons of Anarchy" (FX, 2008-2014) and "The Bastard Executioner" (FX, 2015). Born Timothy Vincent Murphy on April 5, 1960 in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, he studied law and accounting at University College Cork, but after graduating, found no job opportunities in those fields in his native country, so he headed for the United States. There, he worked in construction in New York and at bars in Miami, Florida, where he landed a role in a television commercial for Molson beer. Murphy then returned to Ireland, where he trained in acting at the Focus Theatre in Dublin before making his screen debut in the popular Irish drama "Glenroe" (RTE One, 1983-2001). After gaining more experience on stage, Murphy returned to the United States, where he eventually found steady work on television, often in antagonistic roles, on series like "Six Feet Under" (HBO, 2001-2005) and "Alias" (ABC, 2001-2006). By the midpoint of the 2000s, Murphy was working steadily in features like "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" (2007) and Ed Harris' "Appaloosa" (2008) and enjoying featured roles on television, including a six-episode arc on "Criminal Minds" (CBS, 2005- ) as a former IRA terrorist turned serial killer. In 2013, he landed his breakout role as Galen O'Shay, a True IRA chief who served as the main villain in the fifth season of "Sons of Anarchy." Murphy continued to essay antagonists on popular television series, including a Russian mobster on the second season of "True Detective" (HBO, 2014- ), before reunited with "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter to play a more sympathetic soldier turned priest on "The Bastard Executioner" (FX, 2015).