Irish heart-throb Cillian Murphy is back in sci-fi thriller Sunshine. We take an in-depth look at his remarkably diverse career.

After getting his first big break under the direction of Danny Boyle in zombie spectacular 28 Days Later, dishy Irish actor Cillian Murphy is teaming up with Boyle again for the remarkable sci-fi movie Sunshine. The film is set in the year 2057 where the sun is on the verge of collapse and the human race appears to be doomed. The Earth's last chance lies with the crew of Icarus II, a spacecraft crewed by eight men and women (Chris Evans and Michelle Yeoh also star) under the command of Captain Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada). Given the task of delivering a nuclear weapon into the heart of the sun in the hope that the explosion will reignite the failing star, the crew are deep in space when they pick up signals from the distress beacon of Icarus I—a ship that disappeared while on the same mission seven years previously. When a horrifying accident puts the mission in danger, the crew must fight to save not only themselves, but the future of the human race.

In Sunshine, Cillian plays Capa, a brilliant physicist and quiet family man, who is in charge of maintaining the nuclear device that may be the key to saving humanity—another diverse role in his hugely eclectic career. Born on May 25, 1976, in Douglas, Cork, Ireland, Cillian (pronounced Kill-e-an by the way), Murphy is one of four children born to his school teacher mum and school inspector dad. Initially harbouring musical ambitions, Cillian formed a Frank Zappa-esque band called Sons of Mr. Green Genes in which he played guitar, but later abandoned his rock star dreams to study law at University College Cork.

His studies failed to captivate him though and his interest drifted to acting, his first role being a part in UCC's production of the play Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme. The inexperienced Cillian next managed to bag the lead role in an acclaimed 1996 production of the two-man play Disco Pigs, and after touring Britain with the play he quit UCC to properly pursue a career in acting. His first film role of note was alongside Daniel Craig in World War I drama The Trench (1999), although he also appeared in a range of films at this time including Sunburn (1999) and On the Edge (2001), but none of them seemed to catch on with the cinema-going public.

Reprising his role as Pig in a movie version of Disco Pigs (2001) seemed like a good move, but the film wasn't nearly as well-received as the play. Fortunately his work so far was enough to catch the eye of Trainspotting (1995) director Danny Boyle, who cast him as Jim in 28 Days Later…—a man who wakes up after being in a coma to find that the people of Britain have fallen foul of a virus that turns them into crazed killers. The gory film was an international hit and a fine showcase for Cillian's acting talent and striking looks. The actor was soon inundated with offers from Hollywood, appearing alongside Scarlet Johansson in The Girl With a Pearl Earring (2003) and joining the star-studded ensemble cast of Cold Mountain (2003), rubbing shoulders with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, and Renee Zellweger.

Although his career was taking off at a remarkable pace, Cillian still found time to marry his long-term girlfriend Yvonne McGuinness, the couple having a son in 2005 whom they named Malachy. Possibly still his most high-profile role yet, Cillian was cast as the villainous Dr. Jonathan Crane aka The Scarecrow in director Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. Initially testing out for the role of Batman himself, even getting to wear the famous costume, Nolan came to realised (sic) that Cillian's cold blue eyes would be perfect for the psychotic psychiatrist Crane.

In fact, 2005 saw Cillian play another psychopath, this time in Wes Craven's thriller Red Eye, his chilling performance as the menacing Jackson Rippner so good that there became a danger that audiences would come to see the actor as "that blue-eyed guy who plays maniacs." Fortunately, Cillian's next role as transvestite Patrick "Kitten" Braden in Breakfast on Pluto (2005) would see him shake off that stereotype, his performance netting him a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination.

Cillian's next film, controversial drama The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006), would further cement his position as one of film's most versatile actors. Cillian's heart-wrenching performance as Damien, an IRA member who is forced to fight against his brother during the Irish Civil War, has shown that the actor is anything but a one trick pony, his ability to convince in a wide range of genres, from horror to historical drama, being a rare talent.

After giving sci-fi a try in Sunshine, Cillian will be turning his hand to romantic comedy in Watching the Detectives with Lucy Liu, playing a movie buff obsessed with film noirs who gets more than he bargained for when he meets a real-life femme fatale. From icy-eyed psychopath to romantic lead? We reckon he'll pull it off.