Background
Cusack was born in Dublin, Ireland, on 9 April 1949. She is the daughter of the actors Cyril Cusack (d 1993) and Mary Margaret "Maureen" Kiely, the sister of actresses Sinéad Cusack, Niamh Cusack and Catherine Cusack, the sister-in-law of actor Jeremy Irons and the aunt of actor Max Irons and his brother, the former child actor Samuel Irons.
Career
Cusack has made many film and television appearances including The Bill, Casualty (as Staff Nurse / Ward Sister Kate Wilson from 1994 to 1997), the 1973 British Broadcasting Corporation adaptation of Jane Eyre, and the film Snatch (as the traveller mother of Mickey, played by Brad Pitt). She has also acted for radio, including a guest appearance in the British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 4 series Baldi and starring as Juno Boyle in the 2014 British Broadcasting Corporation Radio 3 production of Juno and the Paycock. She played Helen Connor in Coronation Street in 2008, but because of her other acting commitments the role was played by Dearbhla Molloy when the character returned in July 2009.
In 2011, Cusack played Mrs Nicholson in two episodes of the first series of Mistress
Brown"s Boys. Susie Blake took over the role for the second and third series. Despite this, she did play the part of Justice Dickie in the 2014 film Mistress
Brown"s Boys Doctorate"Movie. Since 2013 she has played Mrs McCarthy, the housekeeper and parish secretary, in the British Broadcasting Corporation adaptation of the Father Brown mysteries.
In 2015, she played Bridie Stevenson in the British Broadcasting Corporation television series River.