Rachel Hilson

Last updated

Rachel Hilson
Born
Rachel Naomi Hilson

1995 (age 29–30)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater New York University
Occupations
  • Actress
  • writer
Years active2010–present

Rachel Naomi Hilson (born 1995) is an American actress. She started her career in 2010 with a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife as Nisa Dalmar. In 2025, she performed the co-lead role as FBI agent Nina Hayes in the Max crime thriller series Duster . She has also had recurring roles on NBC's Rise and This Is Us and a lead role on the Hulu teen drama Love, Victor .

Contents

Early life and education

Rachel Naomi Hilson was born in 1995 [1] in Baltimore, Maryland to Anita and Robert Hilson. [2] [3] She has a sister named Kimberly. [1] [4]

Hilson began dancing at age 3. [1] While she had many aspirations, her passion for dance stuck. Hilson told Backstage "I dedicated my life to Nutcrackers, spring recitals, dance camps" and recreating scenes from the 2000 movie Center Stage as Eva. [5] Hilson was discovered by an agent at age 12 and took up acting. [6] That summer, her mother convinced Hilson to attend the Broadway Artist Alliance in New York. She was then recruited by Nancy Carson of the Carson-Adler Agency, who would later become her agent, to dance in the children's musical series LazyTown . After traveling to Iceland with her mom for the tapings, Hilson signed with Carson a few months later. From there, she auditioned for the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA). [5] At BSA, Hilson continued dancing and acting, but also participated in sports. [1] Hilson credited her high school theater program with helping her overcome her shyness. [7]

Hilson attended the New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she created her own curriculum. [8] Throughout her college career, Hilson performed in several theatre productions including Hamlet . She graduated in 2018 with a concentration in Writing and Performing Race. [9] She worked part-time as a bread salesman, even serving actress Lupita Nyong'o at one point. [10]

Career

Living in Baltimore, Hilson and her mother would take bus rides to New York for auditions. One of the first auditions she booked was the recurring role of Nisa on The Good Wife when she was 15. [5] Over the next decade, Hilson appeared in episodes of Royal Pains , Elementary , Nurse Jackie , The Affair , Madam Secretary , The Americans , Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and First Wives Club . [11] [8]

Hilson starred opposite Halle Berry in her first feature film, Kings , which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. [9] She described the project was a "dream come true". That same year, she had a recurring role as Harmony on NBC's short lived musical drama, Rise . [7]

In 2019, Hilson recurred on This Is Us as the teenage version Beth Pearson, played by Susan Kelechi Watson. [2] In August 2019, Hilson replaced Johnny Sequoyah as Mia in Love, Victor , the sequel to the 2018 film, Love, Simon . [12] [13] [14] This was her first role as a series regular.

On August 21, 2021, Hilson joined the cast of HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty . [15]

In 2025 she was a co-lead on the Max series Duster opposite Josh Holloway. [16]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013CassCass MorrisLead role
2017NightJessShort film
Kings Nicole PattersonIndependent film
2019As they SleptEleanorShort film
2023 Red, White & Royal Blue Nora Holleran
TBA Judgment Day TBAFilming

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010 The Good Wife Nisa DalmarRecurring role: 7 Episodes
2012 Royal Pains Niece 1Episode: "Sand Legs"
2015 Elementary LexiEpisode: "Seed Money"
The Slap LizEpisode: "Connie"
Nurse Jackie PatientEpisode: "Jackie and the Wolf"
The Affair Student Tour GuideEpisode: "208"
2016 Madam Secretary BeccaEpisode: "Higher Learning"
2017 The Americans LindaEpisode: "The Soviet Division"
2018 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Tiana WilliamsEpisode: "Guardian"
Rise Harmony CurtisRecurring role: 10 Episodes
2019 Fosse/Verdon JaneEpisode: "Life Is a Cabaret"
First Wives Club MeganEpisode: "Storytelling"
This Is Us Beth ClarkeRecurring role: 11 Episodes
2020 High Maintenance HaileyEpisode: "Backflash"
2020–2022 Love, Victor Mia BrooksSeries regular
2021 American Horror Story: Double Feature Jamie HowardMain role: 4 Episodes
2022 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Cindy DayMain role
2025 Duster NinaMain role

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jackson, Kai (November 23, 2010). "Baltimore Teen To Debut On 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV . Retrieved March 5, 2022. Rachel Hilson is 15 and an aspiring actress…
  2. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 7, 2019). "'This Is Us' Casts Young & Teen Beth; Carl Lumbly To Play Her Father". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Rachel Hilson - Actress". TV Insider . TVGM Holdings, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Virginia Lawrence". Obituaries. Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald . July 28, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Hilson, Rachel (July 8, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson's Secret to Success? Eternal Curiosity". Backstage . Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  6. ↑ Fujii, Andrea (January 16, 2012). "Baltimore Teenager Lands Recurring Role On CBS Hit Series 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV . Retrieved March 6, 2022. At only 16 years old, a local Baltimore student…
  7. 1 2 Britto, Brittany (March 13, 2018). "Baltimore School for the Arts alum to appear in NBC drama 'Rise,' Halle Berry movie 'Kings'" . The Baltimore Sun . Tribune Publishing . Retrieved March 9, 2022. Later this year, Hilson , 22…
  8. 1 2 Walsh, Erin (July 6, 2020). "RACHEL HILSON". sbjct. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Alumna Rachel Hilson Stars in "Love, Victor"". News. NYU Gallatin. June 17, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  10. ↑ Frederick, Candice (June 26, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson Knows That Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance". Shondaland . Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  11. ↑ Rueben (June 16, 2020). "Salute to Rising Stars". NiceGirlsTV.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 30, 2019). "'Love, Simon': Rachel Naomi Hilson Joins Disney+ Series In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  13. ↑ Trapunski, Charles (June 18, 2020). "INTERVIEW: LOVE, VICTOR'S RACHEL HILSON". Brief Take. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. ↑ Dominick, Nora (June 14, 2021). "Rachel Hilson On Being "Proud" Of Mia In "Love, Victor" Season 2 And How It Was Important Mia "Advocated" For Herself". BuzzFeed . Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  15. ↑ Otterson, Joe (August 21, 2021). "Bo Burnham Exits HBO's LA Lakers Series, Five More Added to Cast". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  16. ↑ Hodges, Jake (May 2, 2023). "'Duster' Cast, Crew, Release Window, and Everything We Know So Far About J.J. Abrams' Crime Series". Collider. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
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