Jamie-Lee O'Donnell

Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (born 4 March 1987) is a Northern Irish actress from Derry. She is best known for her role as Michelle Mallon in the Channel 4 sitcom Derry Girls.

Jamie-Lee O'Donnell
O'Donnell appears for the National Lottery in 2019
Born (1987-03-04) 4 March 1987
Derry, Northern Ireland
Education
Alma materDe Montfort University
OccupationActress
Years active2012–present
Known for6Degrees, Derry Girls, Screw

Early life

O’Donnell was born on 4 March 1987[1] in Derry, Northern Ireland. She attended St Anne's Primary School, St Cecilia's College, and North West Regional College.[2]

She began acting at a young age in school plays. Upon graduation, she decided to pursue it professionally despite not being able to afford drama school. She instead studied performing arts at the De Montfort University campus in Bedfordshire.[3] She began auditioning and dividing her time between England and home, taking part in theatrical productions and working as a dancer for promotions and pantomimes.[4][5]

Career

Between 2012 and 2015, O'Donnell played her first significant role as Eva Maguire, one of the main characters of the BBC2 NI series 6Degrees,[6] after the end of which she took part in the film Urban & the Shed Crew, by Candida Brady.

In 2018, she starred in a theatre production I Told My Mum I Was Going on an RE Trip, by Julia Samuels, playing an underage girl who decides to undergo an abortion.[4] The following year, she joined the cast of Girls and Dolls, a play by the Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee,[7] and acted in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan at the Gaiety Theatre.[8]

O'Donnell later landed the role of Michelle Mallon in Derry Girls, a sitcom by Channel 4, which gained international fame.[9] Of her role as Michelle, she says, "Michelle really thinks she's maybe just a bit too big for the place she was born in and she's ready to take on the world one swearword at a time. She's really feisty, really ballsy, doesn't really care about authority, just sort of up for anything and up for a laugh."[10]

O'Donnell and her fellow Derry Girls costars participated in the RTÉ fundraising special RTÉ Does Comic Relief, performing a sketch alongside Saoirse Ronan. All proceeds from the night went towards those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]

Personal life

O'Donnell lives in Derry with her partner, DJ Paul McCay.[9] She is a patron of the Liverpool-based youth theatre company 20 Stories High.[6]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2015 Urban & the Shed Crew Reporter Short film
2018 Doing Money Fiona TV movie
2020 The Fruit Fix Hope Online short film
2022 Redeeming Love Lucky
2023 Unwelcome Aisling Movie

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2012–2015 6Degrees Eva Maguire 18 episodes
2018–2022 Derry Girls Michelle Mallon Lead role
2022–present Screw Rose Gill Channel 4 drama; lead role

References
  1. "Jamie Lee O'Donnell birth date".
  2. "Derry Girls star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: 'I'm very proud to be from this city and we are all so happy to help put Derry on the map'". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  3. Ganatra, Shilpa (4 December 2018). "Derry Girl Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: 'I didn't realise I'd be so intimidated by fame'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. "People expect me to be wild. They keep buying me shots! Derry Girls' Jamie-Lee O'Donnell on overnight fame". independent.ie. 26 August 2018.
  5. "Series 3 Cast Interview: Jamie-Lee O'Donnell". YouTube. 29 April 2015.
  6. "Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: pipe dreams and punchlines". Big Issue North. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  7. "Nick Hern Books - Girls and Dolls By Lisa McGee". Nick Hern Books.
  8. "'Derry Girls' Star Jamie-Lee O'Donnell Signs With Gersh (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  9. Ganatra, Shilpa (4 December 2018). "Derry Girl Jamie-Lee O'Donnell: 'I didn't realise I'd be so intimidated by fame'". The Irish Times.
  10. "Jamie-Lee O'Donnell interview (who plays Michelle)". Channel4.com. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  11. "Derry Girls cast fangirl over Ronan in hilarious sketch". RTÉ TEN. 26 June 2020.
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