Annie Murphy Biography

Annie Murphy was born Anne Frances Murphy, on December 19, 1986, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Both Murphy’s parents were teachers.

She initially studied at the independent all-girl day school Elmwood School, in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa. An only child, Murphy grew up in Ottawa and often participated in theater productions during her high school days.

She later joined Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. However, Murphy dropped out after a year at the university.

Following this, Murphy joined Concordia University, where she studied for a degree in Theater Performance. She then joined the Canadian Film Centre Actors’ Conservatory to polish her acting skills. She was 22 when she moved to Los Angeles to start a career in acting.

Annie Murphy reportedly bagged her debut on-screen acting credit in the 2007 TV film No Brother of Mine. The same year, she kick-started her TV career as a lawyer in the episode Lance-A-Lot in the comedy series The Business and as Sarah in the crime-thriller TV film Lethal Obsession.

She later shot to fame with the role of Alexis Rose in the hit Pop TV-CBC Canadian-American sitcom Schitt’s Creek (2015-2020). Her role, which earned her a lot of critical acclaim, was that of a bratty socialite and the daughter of the characters Johnny and Moira Rose.

Murphy was seen in all 6 seasons of the series and eventually won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role in 2020. Murphy has also received nominations for 5 Canadian Screen Awards (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021), 2 Critics’ Choice Awards (2019 and 2021), and a Golden Globe Award (2021) for the role.

She has also won awards such as the 2019 Gracie Award for the Best Actress in a Breakthrough Role and the 2020 Dorian Award for the Best TV Performance - Supporting Actress. She also earned the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, along with the cast, for the same series.

Murphy sang A Little Bit Alexis for the Schitt’s Creek soundtrack and later released it as a single, donating the proceeds to a charity that helps provide music resources to needy schools. Previously, Murphy had sung Yng Luv, as part of the soundtrack for The Plateaus (2015), a CBC series written and produced by her. The Plateaus also starred her, alongside actors such as Elisha Cuthbert and Sam Roberts.

Murphy later starred as Allison McRoberts in the AMC dark comedy series Kevin Can F**k Himself (2021-2022). Her character in the series was a typical sitcom wife who tried to get away from her reality.

Annie Murphy has also appeared in films such as Story of Jen (as Ana, 2008), Picture This (2008), A Windigo Tale (2010), and Lick (as Jennifer, 2010). She has also been seen in series such as the sitcom Blue Mountain State (as Jill, 2010), the police drama Rookie Blue (as Angela Kehoe, 2012), the crime drama Flashpoint (2012), the comedy drama Good God (as Tara), and the Canadian-American sci-fi police drama Beauty and the Beast (as Amy, 2012).

She was also seen as Ruth Brenner in season 2 of the Netflix series Russian Doll (2022), opposite Natasha Lyonne. Murphy later stated she would star in and executive produce MRC’s female-oriented comedy label Witness Protection, to be written by Rupinder Gill and David West Read. She has also preciously performed on stage in Toronto and Montreal.

Apart from being an actor, she is immensely popular on social media, too. She has garnered a huge following on both Instagram and Twitter.

Annie Murphy has been an ambassador for CARE Canada, a prominent international humanitarian agency, focusing on international development projects and delivery of emergency relief. In 2019, Murphy went to Jordan to get a first-hand experience of CARE’s functions in empowering girls and women there.

In January 2021, Murphy donated auction proceeds of her first red carpet dress to a Toronto-based non-profit named Encampment Support Network, which assists homeless people in the city. She has also been a champion for women’s right to reproductive health, such as contraception, and bodily autonomy.

Annie Murphy is married to musician Menno Versteeg since August 20, 2011. Versteeg is best known as the lead singer of the indie rock band Hollerado and the supergroup Anyway Gang.

In 2013, Murphy and her husband lost their house and almost all their belongings in a massive fire, though they escaped unhurt. After this tragedy, Murphy had just $3 left in her bank account and had decided to quit acting altogether. Fortunately, she bagged the role of Alexis in Schitt’s Creek in an audition soon after.

Murphy has often spoken about her struggle with mental health issues. In January 2020, she was highly depressed while attending the farewell tour of Schitt’s Creek. Her mental health condition made it difficult for her to perform.

Her depression worsened during the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. She eventually sought help from a therapist and took antidepressants to control her condition.