For as long as Claire Bermingham can remember, she wanted to be an actress. “When I was little, I watched those old Hollywood films on the television in the sitting room. I just assumed I would be one of those ladies in the film,” she laughs.
Claire started speech and drama classes in Navan when she was four, and later attended Spotlight Stage School when it came to the town. Her parents were supportive of her dreams, which she says doesn’t always happen for other actors. Her dad was a scientist and her mother was a teacher, so they didn’t have a background in the arts.
“I was very dogged about pursuing acting. The deal was that I had to get a good Leaving Cert, and if I did, I could do whatever I wanted. I got seven As, so they couldn’t argue with that,” Claire jokes.
Read more: 10 of Ireland's most influential women making waves in the skincare and aesthetics industry 2024 Read more: Meet Mary Considine - the CEO who turned Shannon Airport into an international success Her father passed away a few years ago, and Claire says she is determined to make him, as well as her mother, proud. The actress is probably most recognisable to Irish audiences for appearing opposite Jane Seymour in a lead guest role in the drama Harry Wild , which also starred Amy Huberman . However, Claire says the world of acting isn’t always glamorous, it’s a lot of hard work and graft.
She studied drama in Trinity College and won a scholarship to attend the University of California in .
