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All About Cillian Murphy's Wife and Kids

They live a quiet life in County Cork, Ireland. 

By Elizabeth Logan

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy keeps his private life rather private, but fans are still curious to know what his family is like. If you're wondering about the Irish actor's family, read on for everything we know about Cillian Murphy's wife and kids.

Cillian Murphy's wife is Artist Yvonne McGuinness

McGuinness is "an Artist based in Dublin, Ireland, [whose] work encompasses film, performance, sculptural and textile elements, sound and writing," according to her website. The pair met in 1996, when Murphy's newfound interest in acting landed him a role in the stage play Disco Pigs, a time Murphy remembers fondly. “The people I met there remain my closest friends … They shaped me in terms of my tastes, in terms of what I wanted to do with my life. And it was around the same time I met my wife," he told The Guardian in 2016.

McGuinness went on the road alongside the play's touring cast for 18 months, and the pair were married in 2004.

Though he's a happily married man, Murphy is happy to accept the humorous title of "Internet boyfriend." He told Entertainment Tonight, "Oh, it's lovely. It's very flattering. Very flattered."

Yvonne McGuinness and Cillian Murphy arrive at the 81st Golden Globe Awards

RELATED: Emily Blunt Reveals the "Secret Language" That Connects Her to Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Cillian Murphy and Yvonne McGuinness' kids 

Cillian Murphy and his wife have two boys: Malachy was born in 2005, and Aran followed in 2007. Murphy hasn't said much publicly about his kids, but he did reveal the reason he moved his family from London to his home country of Ireland. "We wanted [the boys] to be Irish, I suppose. It’s amazing how quickly their accents have adapted. Even within a year of moving back, they are fading into this rakish west Brit kind of thing. Which I think, hopefully, will get them lots of girls," he joked, per TODAY.

Comparing his kids to himself at their age, he added, "I don’t know, they seem better adjusted than I was. More sure of themselves. I’m happy about that. For me, it was something that took a long time to figure out: that it’s all right to be you, that it’s all right to be an individual."

RELATED: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy Explain the "Decay" and Horror of Oppenheimer

Murphy credits his wife with keeping their family together while Murphy travels for his acting work, which does take its toll. "That work-life-balance thing is hard," he said in an interview with GQ.. "I have an amazing wife, and I couldn’t do this without her and her understanding. But it is a struggle. I think it is for any dad whose work takes him away, which it generally does, and which consumes him, which my work does.”

Murphy gave a sweet shout-out to his wife and children in his Golden Globes acceptance speech, ending it with, "To my family, I'm the luckiest man and I love you."

Stream Oppenheimer on Peacock now.