Her love for performing began in high school at Ottawa’s Elmwood School, where she participated in many theatrical productions. While Annie Murphy is best known for a few key roles, it’s worth taking a look at her entire acting résumé. Read more at ottawa-trend.com.
Early Career & Film Debut
Her life, including her personal life, interests fans. But let’s focus on Annie Murphy’s film roles.
Annie Murphy’s debut was a role in the 2007 thriller, crime, and detective film “Lethal Obsession.” The movie follows step-siblings Nina and Drew, who are united by a brutal childhood. After they become orphans, Drew believes he must take care of his sister. Later, the girl’s potential groom disappears, and Drew is accused of his murder. Drew is sent to a social rehabilitation center for youth, after which he reappears in Nina’s life. This time, the girl is worried about her family’s safety.
In addition, the actress continued to perform small and additional roles in other Canadian films.
- “The Story of Jen” (2008). The film takes place in a French-speaking community in British Columbia. A domestic drama turns into a deadly hunt. The man of the family committed suicide, leaving a disturbing note, and his wife and daughter are trying to cope. Meanwhile, the deceased man’s stepbrother begins to haunt them. Annie Murphy played the role of a self-confident class president who begins a friendship with the main character, Jen.
- The comedy and drama “Lick” (2010). The actress played Jennifer.
- “The Wendigo” (2010). This is a drama in which two stories are intertwined. In this work, Annie Murphy played a friend in an art gallery.
Canadian Television Series
The next step in her career was filming several Canadian television series: “The Listener,” and “Rookie Blue.”
“The Listener” is a Canadian television comedy-drama series about the life of a character named George Findlay.
“Rookie Blue” is a Canadian police procedural television series. Its premiere took place in 2010. The series had 6 seasons, and the final episode was released in July 2015.
In these works, there is no information about Annie Murphy on the official websites. The actress played episodic roles that were noted in the films’ credits. At that time, her résumé included exclusively dramas, although she asked for roles in comedic works.
American Television Series
- “The Beautiful Life: The TBL” (2009). This is an American teen drama television series. Annie Murphy played the character Sara in the pilot episode.
- The sitcom “Blue Mountain State” (2010) depicted some aspects of university life. The series is about the fictional “Blue Mountain” university and the “Mountain Goats” football team. The audience saw Annie Murphy in two episodes as Jill.
- “Against the Wall” (2011). This is a police drama television series created by Annie Brunner. Annie Murphy played the episodic role of Tanya.
- “Beauty & the Beast” (2012). This is a science fiction police procedural television series inspired by the 1987 series. The actress played the role of Amy in one of the episodes.
Main Role
Despite the option to quit her acting career, Annie Murphy managed to persevere. In 2013, she auditioned and got the main role in the CBC sitcom “Schitt’s Creek.” The actress played Alexis Rose from January 2015 to April 2020.
Alexis Claire Rose made Annie Murphy famous. She plays the role of Johnny and Moira’s daughter, who travels the world and strives to find her calling. She is the main character of the series “Schitt’s Creek,” who becomes a successful publicist. The first seasons focus on how Alexis tries to adapt to life in “Schitt’s Creek” after losing all her fortune. This is also compounded by romantic experiences, which are pleasant for the audience to watch. Alexis cannot choose between Mutt Schitt and Ted Mullens.
In the following seasons, the girl focuses on educational aspirations, in particular, on creating her own PR business, Alexis Rose Communications. Interestingly, in Season 5, Alexis performs the song “A Little Bit Alexis.” On February 19, 2019, Annie Murphy professionally released this song, gaining favorable reviews from fans. You can listen to the song here: “A Little Bit Alexis” – Annie Murphy.
This role became the main one in the actress’s professional career; she played in all 80 episodes of the series. She didn’t get this role right away, but after Abby Elliott was unable to continue filming.
This role couldn’t go unnoticed at higher levels either. Annie Murphy gained recognition and a number of awards for her role as Alexis Rose.
She was nominated for the Canadian Screen Awards three times, and in 2019 she received the Gracie Award. In 2020, Annie Murphy received an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Annie Murphy’s acting was praised by critics, and some even called her a “breakout star” in the series. The audience held the same opinion. She managed to turn a character who seemed superficial into a deep and touching one. Only talented actresses are capable of this.
Dark Comedy
In February 2020, Annie Murphy was chosen for the main role in “Kevin Can F**k Himself.” This is a dark comedy-drama series created by Valerie Armstrong. Due to the pandemic, production was postponed for several months, and in September 2020, it was resumed.
In this series, Annie Murphy played Allison Devine McRoberts, a woman who seeks to take the initiative in her own life. This is the main role, and the series takes place in Worcester, Massachusetts. The woman tries to analyze her unhappy marriage to her husband Kevin, whose attitude often borders on domestic violence. Two seasons of the series were released, each with 8 episodes. The last episode was released on October 10, 2022.
Netflix Series
In 2022, Annie Murphy played a young Ruth Brenner in the Netflix comedy-drama series “Russian Doll.”
In 2023, the audience saw their favorite actress from Ottawa in the Netflix series “Black Mirror.” In the series “Joan Is Awful,” Annie Murphy starred with Salma Hayek. This is the first episode of season 6. This episode has more comedy than others. In addition, this episode has a happy ending. Critics and reviewers highly rated the tone and Annie Murphy’s acting (she played Joan Tate). You can watch the trailer here: “Black Mirror: Joan Is Awful” Trailer.
It’s also worth noting that in 2023, Annie Murphy voiced the villain Chelsea Van Der Zee, Queen Nerissa in the movie “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.”
Commercials
Annie Murphy loves filming not only in movies but also in advertising campaigns. In 2020, she starred in a holiday advertising campaign for Hudson’s Bay department store together with her “Schitt’s Creek” colleague, Catherine O’Hara. You can watch the commercial here: Hudson’s Bay Holiday Commercial featuring Annie Murphy and Catherine O’Hara.
The company HelloFresh released a series of commercials starring Annie Murphy. This is a web series in the style of a soap opera called “Hungry Hearts.”
In 2021, the actress appeared in an advertisement for a gaming console, and in one of the scenes, the audience saw her with her mother. In the same year, she starred in an advertising campaign against the contraceptive Phexxi. In 2024-2025, Annie Murphy starred in an advertising campaign for the drink “Talking Rain,” where she played the director of tastes.
Nine Perfect Strangers
This is a dramatic television series based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. The premiere of the first season of the series took place in August 2021, and the second on May 21, 2025. It was in the second season that Annie Murphy starred as Imogen, the 35-year-old daughter of Victoria.
Annie Murphy is a versatile actress from Ottawa who has managed to achieve success on television and in other media projects. It is interesting to watch her growth and each subsequent work.
