Orla Brady

Dublin-born beauty Orla Brady set her sights on an acting career when she was 26 and working part time as a model in London. She applied, through the French Embassy, to study theatre in Paris and, after struggling through the French language part of the interview, was accepted. After graduating she returned to Dublin and began her career on the stage, appearing in productions at the city's Gate Theatre, before landing roles in Royal National Theatre productions. Since then she has worked extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, extending her CV with parts in British small screen shows including Mistresses and Wallander and US TV shows like NipTuck and Shark. After a series of relationships in her 20s and 30s fizzled out, Orla decided the single life was for her. But in 2001, after moving to LA for work, she met English photographer Nick Brandt at a party. They began dating and married a year later at a ceremony in sight of Mount Kilimanjaro.