Anne Frances Murphy born December 19, 1986 is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her starring role as Alexis Rose in the CBC sitcom Schitt’s Creek (2015–2020). For her performance in the series, she garnered critical acclaim and won a Primetime Emmy Award, while also receiving nominations for four Canadian Screen Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and one Golden Globe Award.
Early life
Anne Frances Murphy was born an only child in Ottawa, Ontario, on December 19, 1986. Both her parents were teachers.
She attended high school at Elmwood School in Ottawa, where she performed in stage productions. Murphy enrolled at Queen’s University for one year before pursuing a degree in theatre performance at Concordia University. She then trained at the Canadian Film Centre Actors’ Conservatory.
She moved to Los Angeles at age 22 to pursue a career in acting.
Career
Murphy in February 2015
Murphy made her acting debut in the crime-thriller television film Lethal Obsession (2007). She continued to perform small and extra roles in various other Canadian films, such as Story of Jen (2008), Lick (2010), and A Windigo Tale (2010). She also appeared in several Canadian television series, including Good God (2012) and Rookie Blue (2012). She has said that, during this time, she was a “struggling actress” who “was begging to go in for comedies” but her resume had only drama. She also appeared in numerous American television series, including The Beautiful Life: TBL (2009), Blue Mountain State (2010), Against the Wall (2011), and Beauty & the Beast (2012).
As a struggling actress, Murphy was considering quitting acting as a career path, recalling in 2020, “My house had just burnt down, I had like, $3 in my bank account, I hadn’t worked in close to two years. And I had just blown my very first screen test — like blown it, blown it, blown it. … I found myself crying in the Pacific Ocean, a very snotty cry, and the universe was like, ‘Don’t do this anymore. This is not for you!’ But then, two days later, I got the audition for Schitt’s Creek.” In 2013, she auditioned for and won the role of Alexis Rose on the CBC sitcom Schitt’s Creek. She played the character for the series’ entire run of six seasons, from January 2015 until April 2020.
After six years in Montreal, Murphy moved to Toronto, where she co-created and starred in The Plateaus, a 2015 web series about four insufferable musicians. Her performance in the show earned her a nomination at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media. At the same ceremony, Murphy was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in Schitt’s Creek. She earned the same nomination for this performance in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Additionally, this performance earned Murphy nominations for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Television Awards, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Best Actress in a Breakthrough Role at the 2019 Gracie Awards, the latter of which she won. In September 2020, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the final season of Schitt’s Creek.
In February 2020, she was cast as the lead in AMC’s television dark comedy series Kevin Can F*** Himself. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the show was delayed by several months, but resumed in September 2020.
In 2020, Murphy appeared in a holiday advertising campaign for Hudson’s Bay department stores opposite her Schitt’s Creek co-star Catherine O’Hara. She also appeared in a series of ads for meal-kit company HelloFresh, including in a soap-opera style web series titled Hungry Hearts. In January 2021, she appeared in a commercial for Nintendo Switch, appearing in one scene opposite her real-life mother.
Activism and advocacy
Murphy is an ambassador for the global relief agency Care Canada. In 2019, she visited Jordan to learn about Care’s efforts to empower women and girls in the region. In January 2021, Murphy donated proceeds from the auction of her first red carpet dress to Encampment Support Network, a not-for-profit that helps Toronto’s unhoused persons.
Personal life
Murphy married singer and musician Menno Versteeg, lead singer of the bands Hollerado and Anyway Gang, in August 2011. In 2013, a fire occurred at their home; the two were uninjured but lost most of their belongings.
Murphy has a tattoo of James Stewart’s silhouette on her wrist, citing his “heartbreaking, sweet, and funny” performance in Harvey (1950) as one of her influences.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Story of Jen | Ana | |
| 2010 | Lick | Jennifer | |
| 2010 | A Windigo Tale | Friend in Art Gallery | |
| 2012 | Overwatch | Clare | Short film |
| 2014 | Saturday Night Special | Charlotte | Short film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Lethal Obsession | Sarah | Television film |
| 2007 | The Business | Lawyer | Episode: “Lance-A-Lot” |
| 2008 | Picture This | Kid on Phone | Television film |
| 2009 | The Beautiful Life: TBL | Sarah | Episode: “Pilot” |
| 2010 | Blue Mountain State | Jill | 2 episodes |
| 2011 | Against the Wall | Tanya | Episode: “Memories We Fear” |
| 2012 | Beauty & the Beast | Amy | Episode: “Saturn Returns” |
| 2012 | Flashpoint | Daycare Worker #2 | Episode: “Keep the Peace (Part 1)” |
| 2012 | Good God | Tara | Episode: “The Naked Truth” |
| 2012 | Rookie Blue | Angela Kehoe | Episode: “Girls’ Night Out” |
| 2015 | The Plateaus | Morgan | 10 episodes |
| 2015–2020 | Schitt’s Creek | Alexis Rose | 80 episodes |
| 2021 | Kevin Can F*** Himself | Allison | Lead role |
| TBA | Russian Doll | TBA | TBA |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | “Good Day at the Races” | Woman | Hollerado |
| 2014 | “Desire 126” | Woman 1 | Hollerado |
| 2018 | “I Really Like You” | Tom | Little Junior |
| 2020 | “The Shining But Tropical” | Woman | Wild Pink |
Discography
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Dance Dig. |
|||
| “Yng Luv” (as part of The Plateaus) | 2014 | — | Non-album single |
| “A Little Bit Alexis” | 2019 | 21 | Non-album single |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Juno Awards | Recording Package of the Year | White Paint | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Performance in a Program or Series Produced for Digital Media | The Plateaus | Nominated | |
| Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Schitt’s Creek | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Canadian Screen Awards | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Canadian Screen Awards | Nominated | |||
| Critics’ Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| Gracie Awards | Best Actress in a Breakthrough Role | Won | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Canadian Screen Awards | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Dorian Awards | TV Musical Performance of the Year (“A Little Bit Alexis”) | Nominated | |||
| Best TV Performance – Supporting Actress | Won | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| 2021 | Critics’ Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated | |||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | ||||
| Canadian Screen Awards | Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Pending |