Hayley Atwell | |
---|---|
Born | London, England | 5 April 1982
Citizenship |
|
Alma mater | Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2005–present |
Partner(s) | Ned Wolfgang Kelly (2022–present; engaged) |
Children | 0 |
Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (born 5 April 1982) is a British and American actress. After appearing in various West End productions, Atwell gained popularity for her roles in period-drama films, appearing in the films Brideshead Revisited (2008), The Duchess (2008) and the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth (2010); for the latter two, she was nominated for a British Independent Film Award and a Golden Globe Award respectively.
She rose to worldwide prominence with her portrayal of Agent Peggy Carter in several Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, starting with Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) which inspired the creation of the spin-off ABC television series, Agent Carter (2015–2016). Her role earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress on Television. She also voices an alternate version of the character, Captain Carter, in the animated series What If...? (2021–present), going on to portray a version of the alternate character in the live action Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
Atwell also starred in the fantasy films Cinderella (2015), Christopher Robin (2018) and Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021), and had a leading role as Grace in the action films Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023) and its sequel (2025). She has also appeared on various television shows including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , Black Mirror and Heartstopper . For her work on stage, Atwell has received Laurence Olivier Award nominations for her leading performances in The Pride (2013) and Rosmersholm (2020).
Hayley Elizabeth Atwell was born on 5 April 1982 [1] [2] in London as the only child [3] of her parents; her mother, Allison Cain, is English and her father, Grant Atwell, is an American photographer from Kansas City, Missouri. [3] [4] [5] Atwell has dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the United States. [6]
After attending Sion-Manning Roman Catholic Girls' School in London, she took her A-Levels at the London Oratory School. [7]
Atwell took two years off to travel with her father and work for a casting director. [1] She then enrolled at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, [8] [9] where she trained for three years, graduating in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in acting. [1]
Atwell made her professional stage debut in Prometheus Bound (2005) at the Sound Theatre in London, portraying Io, a maiden exiled by Zeus. [10] Her role received positive reviews with the British Theatre Guide praising her performance, writing that that she "makes us respond to the anguish without for a moment inviting a chuckle at her bandaged hands". [11] In 2006, she starred as the protagonist's wife, Bianca, in Women Beware Women at the Royal Shakespeare Company. [12] The Guardian praised Atwell for projecting "the right seductive beauty". [13]
Atwell appeared in two productions from 2007 to 2008 at the Royal National Theatre, both directed by Nicholas Hytner: Man of Mode and Major Barbara . [14] In the former, she portrayed Belinda, a SoHo PR worker and for the latter, she received an Ian Charleson Commendation. [15]
Atwell made the transition to film roles with her first major role coming in Woody Allen's 2007 film Cassandra's Dream , playing stage actress Angela Stark. [16] In 2008, she also appeared in The Duchess, which earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the British Independent Film Awards. [17] Later that year, Atwell appeared in the Miramax film Brideshead Revisited . [18]
In 2009, Atwell made her West End debut as Catherine, the adopted niece in a troubled household, in Lindsay Posner's A View From the Bridge . [19] Variety praised her for having an "ideal freshness" and girlishness while still able to shift into uncontrolled rage; her performance was later nominated for an Olivier Award. [20] [19] Later in the year, Atwell appeared as '415' in AMC Television's November 2009 miniseries The Prisoner , a remake of the 1967–68 series by the same name. [21] [22]
In 2010 Atwell appeared in Channel 4's adaptation of William Boyd's Any Human Heart , and later that year, Ken Follett's miniseries Pillars of the Earth for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. [23] [24]
In April 2010, Atwell was cast as the love interest in a then-forthcoming film about Captain America as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [25] She first starred as Peggy Carter in the 2011 American superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger . [26] MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the "Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011". [27] She also voiced Carter in the 2011 video game Captain America: Super Soldier . [28] Following a short break from the theatre, Atwell later starred in Alexi Kaye Campbell's 2011 production of The Faith Machine, directed by Jamie Lloyd at the Royal Court Theatre. [29] [30]
In 2013, Atwell starred in BBC Two's adaptation of William Boyd's espionage novel, Restless . [31] [32] In February of that year, she also starred in "Be Right Back", an episode in Charlie Brooker's critically acclaimed science fiction television series Black Mirror . [33] Atwell received critical praise, with critics deeming her performance one of the best of the series. [34] [35] That same year, Atwell also worked with Alexi Kaye Campbell and Jamie Lloyd again in a revival of The Pride at Trafalgar Studios. [36] Her performance gained her a second Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress. [36] That year, she also appeared in the Marvel One-Shot short film Agent Carter . [37]
Atwell returned to Marvel for the 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier , [38] [39] and in the 2015 films Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man . As Carter, she appeared in two episodes of the ABC television show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , and as the lead role in Agent Carter , which aired from 2015 to 2016. [40] Agent Carter was cancelled by ABC on 12 May 2016. [41] She also provided Carter's voice in Lego Marvel's Avengers [42] and Avengers: Secret Wars . [43] In 2015, Atwell played Cinderella's mother in Disney's live action adaptation of Cinderella directed by Kenneth Branagh. [44]
In February 2016, Atwell was cast in the ABC series Conviction . [45] The series aired 13 episodes between October 2016 and January 2017; in May 2017, ABC announced it had been cancelled. [46] [47]
Atwell starred as Margaret Schlegel in BBC One's 2017–2018 miniseries, Howards End , based on the classic E.M. Forster novel and adapted by playwright Kenneth Lonergan. [48] In 2018, she played Evelyn Robin, the wife of the titular character in Disney's live action Winnie-the-Pooh film Christopher Robin directed by Marc Forster and co-starring with Ewan McGregor. [49]
Atwell returned to the stage in 2018 in Dry Powder at the Hampstead Theatre and later appeared in Josie Rourke's Measure for Measure at the Donmar Warehouse, opposite Jack Lowden. [50] [51] The production gained critical acclaim, with The Daily Telegraph adding that it was "beautifully staged and expertly performed". [52] As a result of positive reception, the play's run was extended.
In 2019, Atwell starred opposite Tamara Lawrance in a three-part BBC adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel The Long Song , about a slave on a sugar plantation in 19th-century Jamaica. [53] [54] [55] She also reprised the role of Peggy Carter in Avengers: Endgame . In September 2019, it was announced that Atwell will star in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and the eighth Mission: Impossible film, both directed by Christopher McQuarrie and scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States in 2023 and 2025, respectively. [56] In 2020, Atwell began hosting the podcast series True Spies. [57] In 2021, early reviews for Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway revealed Atwell as part of the film's voice cast as Mittens the cat. [58] In 2022, Atwell partnered with The Picturehouse as part of the Picturehouse Ambassador Program as part of her own program Hayley Selects. [59]
Described as the "queen of period-drama" by The Guardian , Atwell has been praised by directors for "the professional example she sets" and her work in period-drama films and television shows. [60] Atwell received an Ian Charleson Commendation for her work in Major Barbara (2009), and has received three Laurence Olivier Award nominations, first for her work in A View from the Bridge (2009), [61] then in 2011 for her work in the revival of The Pride , and again in 2020 for her performance as Rebecca West in Rosmersholm . [62] Atwell was also nominated for a WhatsOnStage Award for her role in The Pride. [63]
In 2010, Atwell lived in a flat in London. [1] In 2015, she moved to Los Angeles to be close to the production of Agent Carter , [64] although she still retained her personal home in London. During the filming of Captain America: The First Avenger in 2010, Atwell took a three-month course in art history and haiku at the Open University. [64]
In October 2017, at the time of the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, a story emerged that, during filming of Brideshead Revisited in 2007, Weinstein had told Atwell she looked like a "fat pig" on screen and should eat less. [65] Atwell later gave her own memory of events, saying that someone unconnected to Weinstein had suggested she lose weight to look more like a flapper. She also said that she did not believe that Weinstein was a sex addict, but a predator who should be punished for harassing women. [66]
In a 2015 interview, Atwell discussed how her role as Peggy Carter influenced a then-recent tweet she made to her Twitter followers about having her image digitally altered on the cover of a German magazine. When one visitor to her page asked her, "Why are you so beautiful?", she retorted, "Why am I so photoshopped?" In the interview, Atwell stated, "It's important that young girls understand what photoshop is. I do feel a certain amount of responsibility now that I'm playing Peggy." [67]
Atwell began a relationship with music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly in 2022. [68] In April 2023, they announced their engagement. [69]
Atwell is a video game enthusiast. [70]
† | Denotes projects that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | Whatever Love Means | Sabrina Guinness | Television film |
2006 | Fear of Fanny | Jane | Television film |
The Ruby in the Smoke | Rosa Garland | Television film | |
The Line of Beauty | Catherine "Cat" Fedden | 3 episodes | |
2007 | Mansfield Park | Mary Crawford | Television film |
The Shadow in the North | Rosa Garland | Television film | |
2009 | The Prisoner | Lucy / 4-15 | 5 episodes |
2010 | The Pillars of the Earth | Aliena | 8 episodes |
Any Human Heart | Freya Deverell | 4 episodes | |
2012 | Falcón | Consuelo Jiménez | 4 episodes |
Playhouse Presents | The Banker | Episode: "The Man" | |
Restless | Eva Delectorskaya | 2 episodes | |
2013 | Black Mirror | Martha | Episode: "Be Right Back" |
Life of Crime | Denise Woods | 3 episodes | |
2014 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Peggy Carter / Agent Carter | 2 episodes |
2015–2016 | Agent Carter | Lead role; 18 episodes | |
2016 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Clark Gregg vs. Hayley Atwell" |
Return of the Spider Monkeys | Narrator | Documentary television film | |
2016–2017 | Conviction | Hayes Morrison | 13 episodes |
2017–2019 | Avengers Assemble | Peggy Carter | Voice; 2 episodes |
2017 | Howards End | Margaret Schlegel | Miniseries |
2018 | The Long Song | Caroline Mortimer | Miniseries |
2018–2019 | 3Below: Tales of Arcadia | Zadra | Voice; Main role; 17 episodes |
2019 | Criminal: UK | Stacey Doyle | Episode: "Stacey" |
2021–present | What If...? | Peggy Carter / Captain Carter | Voice; 6 episodes |
2024 | Heartstopper | Aunt Diane | Season 3 [73] |
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft | Lara Croft | Voice; Main role [74] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Captain America: Super Soldier | Peggy Carter | Voice role |
2016 | Lego Marvel's Avengers |
Year | Title | Role | Venue | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Prometheus Bound | Io / Force | Sound Theatre | |
2006 | Women Beware Women | Bianca | Royal Shakespeare Company | |
2007 | The Man of Mode | Belinda | Royal National Theatre | |
2008 | Major Barbara | Barbara Undershaft | Royal National Theatre | |
2009 | A View from the Bridge | Catherine | Duke of York's Theatre | |
2011 | The Faith Machine | Sophie | Royal Court Theatre | |
2013 | The Pride | Sylvia | Trafalgar Studios | |
2018 | Dry Powder | Jenny | Hampstead Theatre | |
Measure for Measure | Angelo / Isabella | Donmar Warehouse | ||
2019 | Rosmersholm | Rebecca West | Duke of York's Theatre | |
2025 | Much Ado About Nothing † | Beatrice | Theatre Royal Drury Lane | [75] |
† | Denotes plays that have not yet premiered |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Doctor Who: Blood of the Daleks | Asha Gryvern | BBC Radio 7 |
2007 | Felix Holt, the Radical | Esther Lyon | BBC Radio 4 |
2008 | The Leopard | Angelica | BBC Radio 3 |
Doctor Who: The Doomwood Curse | Eleanor | BBC Radio 7 | |
2010 | Doctor Who: The Whispering Forest | Seksa | |
2013 | Doctor Who: The Sands of Life | President Moorkurk | |
2014 | The Martian Chronicles | Spender | BBC Radio 4 |
2016 | The Magus | Lily | |
2017 | Ecco [76] | Jo Miles | |
Cassandra at the Wedding [77] | Cassandra Edwards | ||
Ode to Saint Cecilia | St. Cecilia | Augustine Institute Radio Theater | |
2018 | The Merchant of Venice | Portia | BBC Radio 3 |
Toby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor. He is known for his extensive character actor roles on stage and screen. From 1989 to 1991, Jones trained at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. He made his stage debut in 2001 in the comedy play The Play What I Wrote, which played in the West End and on Broadway, earning him a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2020, he was nominated for his second Olivier Award, for Best Actor for his performance in a revival of Anton Chekov's Uncle Vanya.
Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in books featuring Captain America. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, she debuted, unnamed, in Tales of Suspense #75 as a World War II love interest of Steve Rogers in flashback sequences. She would later be better known as the aunt of Sharon Carter.
Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. During World War II, Rogers, a frail man, is transformed into the super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull (Weaving) from using the Tesseract as an energy source for world domination.
Marvel One-Shots are a series of direct-to-video short films produced by Marvel Studios, set within or inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Initially released from 2011 to 2014, they were included as special features on the MCU films' Blu-ray and digital distribution releases. The films, which range from 3 to 15 minutes, are designed to be self-contained stories that provide more backstory for characters or events introduced in the films. Two of the shorts inspired the development of MCU television series.
Marvel's Agent Carter, or simply Agent Carter, is an American television series created by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely for ABC, based on the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter following her roles in the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger and the 2013 Marvel One-Shot short film of Agent Carter. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and shares continuity with the franchise's films and other television series. The series was produced by ABC Studios, Marvel Television, and Fazekas & Butters, with Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, and Chris Dingess serving as showrunners.
The first season of the American television series Agent Carter, which is inspired by the film Captain America: The First Avenger and the Marvel One-Shot short film of the same name, features the character Peggy Carter, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, as she must balance doing administrative work and going on secret missions for Howard Stark while trying to navigate life as a single woman in 1940s America. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and was produced by ABC Studios, Marvel Television, and Fazekas & Butters. Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, and Chris Dingess served as showrunners.
Agent Carter is a 2013 American direct-to-video short film featuring the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. It is the fourth Marvel One-Shot short film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise and taking place after Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). The film is directed by Louis D'Esposito from a screenplay by Eric Pearson, and stars Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, along with Bradley Whitford and Dominic Cooper. In Agent Carter, Peggy Carter sets out on a solo mission to acquire the mysterious Zodiac while facing sexism post-World War II at the SSR, a precursor to S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Now is Not the End" is the first episode of the first season of the American television series Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she goes undercover to try clear the name of her friend Howard Stark. The episode is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's films. It was written by series creators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and directed by Louis D'Esposito who previously directed the Marvel One-Shots short film that inspired the series.
"Bridge and Tunnel" is the second episode of the first season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she searches for a truck filled with imploding bombs, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Eric Pearson and directed by Joseph V. Russo.
"A Sin to Err" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she hunts for a Russian spy in New York, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Lindsey Allen and directed by Stephen Williams.
"The Blitzkrieg Button" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she must hide the fugitive Howard Stark while she retrieves the titular device for him, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Brant Englestein and directed by Stephen Cragg.
The second and final season of the American television series Agent Carter, which is inspired by the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger and the 2013 Marvel One-Shot short film of the same name, features the character Peggy Carter, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, as she moves to Los Angeles to deal with the threats of the new atomic age in the wake of World War II, gaining new friends, a new home, and potential new love. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise, and was produced by ABC Studios, Marvel Television, and Fazekas & Butters. Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, and Chris Dingess served as showrunners.
"A View in the Dark" is the second episode of the second season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she learns of the newly discovered Zero Matter, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Eric Pearson & Lindsey Allen and directed by Lawrence Trilling.
"The Atomic Job" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter as she tries to steal an atomic bomb, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Lindsey Allen and directed by Craig Zisk.
"Life of the Party" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television series Agent Carter, inspired by the films Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the Marvel One-Shot short film also titled Agent Carter. It features the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter teaming up with former adversary Dottie Underwood, and is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the films of the franchise. The episode was written by Eric Pearson and directed by Craig Zisk.
Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a group of American superhero films produced by Marvel Studios based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. The phase began in 2013 with the release of Iron Man 3 and concluded in 2015 with the release of Ant-Man. It includes the crossover film Avengers: Age of Ultron, also released in 2015. Kevin Feige produced every film in the phase. The six films of the phase grossed over US$5.2 billion at the global box office and received generally positive critical and public response.
Margaret "Peggy" Carter, also known as Agent Carter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise portrayed by Hayley Atwell, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Carter is depicted as a British MI6 agent and member of the Strategic Scientific Reserve who became Steve Rogers's love interest during World War II. Following the war, she become one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., eventually serving as the Director. Atwell has received critical praise for her depiction of the character.
Marvel's ABC television series are a set of interconnected American television series created for the broadcast network ABC, based on characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics. Produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios, they are set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledge the continuity of the franchise's films and other television series. When categorizing their wider television slate, Marvel considers the ABC series to be their "Marvel Heroes" series.
"What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?" is the first episode of the first season of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It explores what would happen if the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) occurred differently, with Peggy Carter taking the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers and becoming the superhero "Captain Carter". The episode was written by head writer A. C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews.