Caitriona Balfe, Irish Superstar

Bright-Eyed Irish Lass

Caitriona Balfe.

Caitriona Balfe (born 4 October 1979) is an Irish actress and fashion model who has found great international success as an actress, especially on television, in addition to her Victoria's Secret work.

Caitrona is a pure Irish lass, hailing from Monaghan, Ireland. A talent scout spotted her at a local mall - isn't that how it always happens? - when she was 19

Caitriona had great success from the start due to her perky personality and great looks.

Balfe has represented many top European brands:

• Dolce & Gabbana, 
• Givenchy, 
• Balenciaga, 
• Alexander McQueen, 
• Dior, 
• Burberry, 
• Kenzo, 
• Louis Vuitton, 
• H&M, 
• Marc Jacobs, 
• Valentino, 
• Cacharel, 
• Roberto Cavalli, 
• Hugo Boss, 
• DKNY, 
• Moschino, 
• Prada, 
• Fendi, 
• Armani, 
• Dries van Noten, 
• Calvin Klein and 
• Chanel

Caitriona's covers include Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle. Of course, as an actress she now gets many covers as well in the entertainment magazines.

Caitriona always has projected a mature, grounded look in her ads. "Sophisticated" is a very good word to describe Caitriona's vibe.

Balfe has become a top international film star as well as a top fashion model. She appeared in the films "Super 8," "Now You See Me," and "Escape Plan," acting with the likes of Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone.

More recently, she has been in the Starz television drama 'Outlander,' and before that was in 'The Beauty Inside' and "The Model Scouts.'

Caitriona is more an actress than a model these days. However, she still occasionally does some pure modelling, perhaps just to do something different. For instance, in April 2016 she did an editorial for InStyle Magazine in the US.

However, the 2016 InStyle gig may just have been a one-off. Caitriona is on record as saying that she isn't really interested in modelling:

Modelling wasn't a passion of mine so that made it get old kind of quickly. I was getting very frustrated.

Caitriona has no problem finding work in Hollywood. As noted, she has appeared as Claire Randall on the television series "Outlander" from 2014-2016. The Starz show returns for a third season in 2017.

Word is that Caitriona plays mother to Brianna in the third season, so from now on she will be portraying a more mature character.

This will give Caitriona an opportunity to expand her acting repertoire and show that she is more than just a pretty face - which, of course, her fans knew all along.

Caitriona Balfe at a Starz event for a mid-season premiere of "Outtlanders."

She also appeared in 2016's "Money Monster" as Diane Lester, holding her own with co-stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

A big film career beckons whenever she leaves "Outlander."

Caitriona maintains an active Instagram page, posting pictures regularly.

Caitriona notes on there that she is a "Proud patron of World Child Cancer."

Reflecting back on her Victoria's Secret days, Caitriona told Conan O'Brien on his chat show that she was the "whitest girl" in the Victoria's Secret lineup. Irish girls are naturally fair, so that probably is reasonably accurate.

Caitriona obviously is very grounded. You never read about Caitriona Balfe in the gossip pages for some outlandish conduct, there aren't any "leaked" photos of Caitriona Balfe riding a giraffe down Piccadilly Circus - Caitriona Balfe just does her job and takes care of business. Caitriona Balfe is sure to have a very long career in Hollywood if she wants one.

Before we take our leave of Caitriona, let's mention her two Golden Globe nominations.

Oh, and her BAFTA Awards - Scotland win for Best Actress - Television for her role in "Outlander."

2017