Dearbhla Molloy (born 1946 in Dublin) is an Irish actress who appeared on Coronation Street between July and November 2009 as Helen Connor - mother of Liam, Michelle and Paul. The character was introduced and portrayed by Sorcha Cusack the previous year, however Cusack was unavailable to begin filming again. She reprised the role five-and-a-half years later in May 2015.
She left school at sixteen and claims that, whilst she had no burning ambitions to act, she was too young for university entry and so her parents allowed her to appear in plays at the Abbey. It was lucky for her that they were being performed in the Irish language, which she had learned at school. Over the next few years she consolidated her stage reputation at both the Abbey and the Gate theatres, coming to England to tour with an Abbey production. She was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company, has played Gertrude to Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet in the West End, and has lived in London ever since.
Her other TV and film credits (which date back to the 1970s) include roles in Within These Walls, Play for Today, Educating Rita, C.A.T.S. Eyes, Theatre Night, G.B.H., Between the Lines, Peak Practice, The Bill, A Secret Slave, Fergus's Wedding, State of Mind, Holby City, Waking the Dead, Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War, Ultimate Force, 55 Degrees North, Heartbeat, New Tricks, Stan, A Touch of Frost, Wallander, Doctors and Casualty.