Caitríona Mary Balfe (/kəˈtriːnə ˈbælf/; born 4 October 1979) is an Irish actress, producer, and former fashion model. She is best known for her starring role as Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama series Outlander (2014–present), for which she received a British Academy Scotland Award, an Irish Film and Television Award, two People's Choice Awards and three Saturn Awards. She also earned nominations for two Critics' Choice Television Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.
At age eighteen, while studying drama at the Dublin Institute of Technology, Balfe was offered work as a fashion model in Paris. For ten years, she was featured both in advertising campaigns and on runways for brands such as Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta and Oscar de la Renta before refocusing on acting. She had leading roles in the web series The Beauty Inside (2012) and H+: The Digital Series (2012–2013), and appeared in the films Super 8 (2011), Now You See Me (2013), Escape Plan (2013), Money Monster (2016), Ford v Ferrari (2019) and Belfast (2021).
Balfe was born in Dublin and grew up outside the village of Tydavnet, near Monaghan Town, in a family of seven. She is the fourth of five children. Her father was a retired Garda Sergeant. She went to Dublin Institute of Technology to study drama, before being spotted by a model scout.

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