Michèle Forbes was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and studied English and Psychology at Trinity College, Dublin.

She worked as a script reader for the Abbey Theatre and subsequently began acting with the Abbey Theatre Company, touring worldwide with such productions as The Great Hunger and Dancing at Lughnasa . Her film work includes the BAFTA winning Omagh (Paul Greengrass) for which she won Best Actress Monte Carlo and was nominated Best Actress at the Irish Film &Television Awards.