Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and filmmaker. She made her first onscreen appearance at age 10 in the 1992 television adaptation of The Camomile Lawn, directed by her father, Sir Peter Hall. Her professional stage debut came in her father's 2002 production of Mrs. Warren's Profession, which earned her the Ian Charleson Award.
Rebecca Hall | |
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Hall in 2010 | |
| Born | Rebecca Maria Hall 3 May 1982 London, England, UK |
| Alma mater | St Catharine's College, Cambridge |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents | |
| Relatives |
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In 2006, following her film debut in Starter for 10, Hall got her breakthrough role in Christopher Nolan's thriller film The Prestige. In 2008, she starred as Vicky in Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama Vicky Cristina Barcelona, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Hall then appeared in a wide array of films, including Ron Howard's historical drama Frost/Nixon (2008), Ben Affleck's crime drama The Town (2010), the horror thriller The Awakening (2011), the superhero film Iron Man 3 (2013), the science fiction film Transcendence (2014), the psychological thriller The Gift (2015), the live-action/CGI fantasy adventure film The BFG (2016), and the biographical drama Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017). In 2016, Hall was praised by critics for her portrayal of news reporter Christine Chubbuck in the biographical drama Christine.[1] She portrayed Dr. Ilene Andrews in the MonsterVerse films Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024). She made her directorial debut with Passing (2021), receiving critical acclaim.
Hall has also made several notable appearances on British television. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 2009 Channel 4 miniseries Red Riding: 1974. In 2013, she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress[2] for her performance in BBC Two's Parade's End.
Early life and education edit
Hall was born on 3 May 1982 in London,[3] the daughter of American opera singer Maria Ewing and English stage director and Royal Shakespeare Company founder Sir Peter Hall. Her mother was born in Detroit, to an African-American mixed-race father and a Dutch mother; she is a descendant of Revolutionary War veteran Bazabeel Norman, a free black man.[4][5][6][7] On Finding Your Roots, Hall discovered that, while her maternal grandfather, Norman Isaac Ewing, had performed as a Native American figure and was recorded as a Sioux chief in newspapers, he had been born to mixed-race African-American parents, and had no Native American ancestry. His own father, Hall's great-grandfather John William Ewing, had been born into slavery and became a prominent figure in Washington, D.C.'s Black community. Hall has 91% European DNA and 9% sub-Saharan African DNA according to an Ancestry.com DNA test.[8]
Hall's parents separated when she was still young, eventually divorcing in 1990.[4] Hall has five paternal half-siblings: stage director Edward Hall, producer Christopher Hall, actresses Jennifer Caron Hall and Emma Hall, and set designer Lucy Hall.[4][9]
Hall attended Roedean School, where she became head girl.[4] She studied English literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, before dropping out in 2002, just before her final year.[4][10][11] During her time at Cambridge, she was active in the student theatre scene and also set up her own theatre company.[12] She was a member of the Marlowe Society and performed in several productions alongside housemate Dan Stevens, an English literature student at Emmanuel College.[13][14]
Career edit
Film and television edit
Hall's first professional role came in 1992, when she appeared as young Sophy in her father's television adaptation of Mary Wesley's The Camomile Lawn at the age of nine.[15] Her feature film debut came in 2006 as Rebecca Epstein in the film adaptation of David Nicholls's Starter for Ten. She got her breakthrough with the role of Sarah Borden in Christopher Nolan's film The Prestige (2006). She then appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's Joe's Palace in 2007,[16] as well as appearing in several other television films including Wide Sargasso Sea and Rubberheart.
Hall's Hollywood fame grew when she starred in the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) as one of the title characters, Vicky.[17] Her performance was well-received,[17] and she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 2008, she appeared in Ron Howard's historical drama Frost/Nixon as the girlfriend of Michael Sheen's David Frost. The following year she was cast in the British fantasy-horror film Dorian Gray based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Following a small role in the indie film Please Give, Hall starred in Ben Affleck's crime drama The Town (2010) opposite Affleck and Jon Hamm.[17] In June 2010, she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Paula Garland in the 2009 Channel 4 production Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974.[18] The following year she played the female lead in the British ghost film The Awakening, released in September 2011.[19][20]
In 2012, she took on the role of Beth Raymer in the comedy-drama film Lay the Favourite, based on Raymer's memoir of the same title; one review commented that she "plays Raymer as an endearing force of nature who somehow manages to survive in a dangerous world through sheer force of character."[21] She next starred in the BBC/HBO/VRT production of Parade's End (2012) opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, which earned her a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Best Actress.[22] In 2013, Hall replaced Jessica Chastain as Maya Hansen in the superhero film Iron Man 3. The same year she appeared in the political thriller Closed Circuit (2013). She then starred opposite Johnny Depp in Wally Pfister's directorial debut Transcendence (2014).[23] In 2015, Hall starred in the romantic comedy Tumbledown and Joel Edgerton's directorial debut The Gift.[24][25]
In the 2016 biographical drama Christine, Hall played the role of real-life news reporter Christine Chubbuck. Variety called her "discomfitingly electric in the best role she's yet been offered".[26]
In 2017, she portrayed Elizabeth Holloway Marston, a real-life psychologist who inspired Wonder Woman, in Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. The same year, Hall joined the cast of A Rainy Day in New York, re-teaming her with Woody Allen.[27] In January 2018, Hall donated her salary to Time's Up after re-reading literature pertaining to the sexual abuse allegation against Woody Allen, stating: "I see not only how complicated this matter is, but that my actions have made another woman feel silenced and dismissed. I regret this decision and wouldn't make the same one today."[28] Hall provided English dub for the character Mother in Mirai (2018).
Beginning the 2020s, Hall starred in and co-executive produced the well-reviewed horror-thriller The Night House, which was released in 2021. The same year, she appeared in the monster film Godzilla vs. Kong and made her directorial debut with the drama Passing, which she also wrote and co-produced. Passing premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim,[29][30][31][32] before its distribution rights were acquired by Netflix for approximately $16 million.[33]
Stage edit
Hall made her professional stage debut in 2002 when she starred as Vivie in her father's production of Mrs Warren's Profession at the Strand Theatre in London. Her performance, described as "admirable"[34] and "accomplished",[35] earned her the Ian Charleson Award in 2003.[36][37]
In 2003, Hall's father celebrated 50 years as a theatre director by staging a season of five plays at the Theatre Royal in Bath, Somerset. Hall starred in two of these plays; she appeared as Rosalind in her father's production of As You Like It,[38] which gained her a second Charleson nomination[39] and starred in the title role of Thea Sharrock's revival of D. H. Lawrence's The Fight for Barbara.[40] In 2004, Hall appeared in three plays for the Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal Bath, two of which her father directed: Man and Superman in which she played Ann, and Galileo's Daughter in which she played Sister Maria Celeste. The third, Molière's Don Juan, in which she played the part of Elvira, was directed by Sharrock.[41]
In 2005, Hall reprised the role of Rosalind in a touring production of As You Like It, again under the direction of her father. This tour played the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames, the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the Curran Theatre in San Francisco[42] and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles.[43] This was a second leg of the U.S. tour that began in 2003 with venues at the Shubert Theater[44] New Haven, Connecticut,[45] Columbus, Ohio, and the Wilbur Theater in Boston.[46]
In 2008–09, Hall appeared in Sam Mendes's first instalment of the Bridge Project as Hermione in The Winter's Tale and as Varya in The Cherry Orchard.[47] The project gave performances with the same cast in Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.[48] In 2010–11, she played Viola in a production of Twelfth Night at London's National Theatre, directed by her father.[49]
Hall made her Broadway debut in 2013 in Sophie Treadwell's expressionist play Machinal. The Roundabout Theater production, directed by Lyndsey Turner, began previews on 20 December 2013, with the official opening on 16 January 2014 at the American Airlines Theatre.[50]
Personal life edit
In 2010, there was intense media speculation, despite Hall's denials, of an affair between Hall and director Sam Mendes, who was married to Kate Winslet at the time.[51][4] Hall and Mendes were in a relationship from 2011 to 2013.[52][53]
In 2014, Hall met actor Morgan Spector while co-starring in a Broadway production.[54] They married in 2015.[53][54] Their first child was born in 2018.[55][56]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Starter for 10 | Rebecca Epstein | |
| The Prestige | Sarah Borden | ||
| 2008 | Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Vicky | |
| Frost/Nixon | Caroline Cushing | ||
| Official Selection | Emily Dickinson | Short film | |
| 2009 | Dorian Gray | Emily Wotton | |
| 2010 | Please Give | Rebecca | |
| The Town | Claire Keesey | ||
| Everything Must Go | Samantha | ||
| 2011 | A Bag of Hammers | Mel | |
| The Awakening | Florence Cathcart | ||
| 2012 | Lay the Favourite | Beth Raymer | |
| 2013 | Iron Man 3 | Maya Hansen | |
| Closed Circuit | Claudia Simmons-Howe | ||
| A Promise | Charlotte Hoffmeister | ||
| 2014 | Transcendence | Evelyn Caster | |
| 2015 | Tumbledown | Hannah | |
| The Gift | Robyn Callem | ||
| 2016 | Christine | Christine Chubbuck | |
| The BFG | Mary | ||
| 2017 | The Dinner | Katelyn Lohman | |
| Permission | Anna | Also producer | |
| Professor Marston and the Wonder Women | Elizabeth Holloway Marston | ||
| 2018 | Mirai | Mother (voice) | English dub |
| Teen Spirit | Jules | ||
| Holmes & Watson | Dr. Grace Hart | ||
| 2019 | A Rainy Day in New York | Connie Davidoff | |
| 2020 | The Night House | Beth | Also executive producer |
| 2021 | Passing | — | Director, producer and writer |
| Godzilla vs. Kong | Ilene Andrews | ||
| With/In | Segment: "Mother!!" | ||
| 2022 | Resurrection | Margaret | |
| The Listener | (voice) | ||
| 2024 | Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire[57] | Ilene Andrews | Post-Production |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Camomile Lawn | Young Sophie | 4 episodes |
| 1993 | The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends | Lucie (voice) | Episode: "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher" |
| Don't Leave Me This Way | Lizzie Neil[58] | TV movie | |
| 2006 | Wide Sargasso Sea | Antoinette Cosway | TV movie |
| 2007 | Rubberheart | Maggie[59] | Short; based on a short story by Hall |
| Joe's Palace | Tina | TV movie | |
| 2008 | Einstein and Eddington | Winifred Eddington | TV movie |
| 2009 | Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974 | Paula Garland | TV movie |
| 2012 | Parade's End | Sylvia Tietjens | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Codes of Conduct | Rebecca Rotmensen[60] | Unaired pilot[60] |
| 2016 | Horace and Pete | Rachel | Episode #1.1 |
| 2020 | Tales from the Loop | Loretta | 6 episodes |
Music videos edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | "A Case of You" | Girl | James Blake video |
Awards and nominations edit
References edit
- ^ M. Smith, Nigel (24 January 2016). "Christine review: Rebecca Hall astonishes in real-life horror story". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005. Gives name at birth as "Rebecca Maria Hall".
- ^ a b c d e f Hattenstone, Simon (12 June 2010). "Who, me? Why everyone is talking about Rebecca Hall". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ^ Isenberg, Barbara (8 November 1992). "MUSIC No-Risk Opera? Not Even Close Maria Ewing, one of the most celebrated sopranos in opera, leaps again into the role of Tosca, keeping alive her streak of acclaimed performances while remaining true to herself". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ McLellan, Joseph (15 November 1990). . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
- ^ Marsh, Robert C. (18 December 1988). . Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
- ^ Stated on Finding Your Roots, January 4, 2022
- ^ "Rebecca Hall Relationships". TV Guide. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ^ "Former Cambridge student takes her first leading role" (PDF). The Cambridge Student. 3 November 2011. p. 06.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Farber, Jim (20 February 2005). . U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- ^ "Macbeth". Marlowe Society. 2002. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ^ West, Naomi (29 October 2011). . The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011.
- ^ "Hall of fame: Rebecca Hall". The Daily Telegraph. 23 December 2008. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ Grant, Jules (9 November 2006). "BBC, HBO unite for Poliakoff copro". C21Media. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Nugent, Benjamin (30 April 2010). "Rated 'R' for Rebecca". gq. Retrieved 8 October 2010.
- ^ "Awards Database – The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "It's Time for StudioCanal's Awakening". Dread Central. 16 September 2012.
- ^ . Optimum Releasng. Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Malcolm, Derek (2012). "Lay the Favourite – review". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
plays Raymer as an endearing force of nature who somehow manages to survive in a dangerous world through sheer force of character
- ^ O'Donovan, Gerard (10 May 2013). "Baftas 2013: the contenders". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
- ^ "Rebecca Hall Joins Transcendence With Johnny Depp & Paul Bettany". Empire. 5 March 2013. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (30 January 2014). "Berlin: Rebecca Hall to Star Opposite Jason Sudeikis in 'Tumbledown'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Barton, Steve (25 March 2015). "Joel Edgerton Receives The Gift". Dread Central. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (24 January 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'Christine'". Variety. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (11 September 2017). "Diego Luna, Liev Schreiber Join Woody Allen's New Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
- ^ Stefansky, Emma (13 January 2018). "Rebecca Hall Donated Her Salary from Woody Allen's Next Movie to Time's Up". Vanity Fair. New York City: Condé Nast. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- ^ "Passing Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (28 October 2021). "Passing review – Rebecca Hall's stylish and subtle study of racial identity". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Kelley, Sonaiya (29 January 2021). "'Passing' explores the complications of biracial identity. For Rebecca Hall, it's personal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Rao, Mallika (1 September 2021). "'Imagine a Black Woman Just Wanting Something'". Vulture. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
- ^ Jackson, Angelique (3 February 2021). "Netflix Nears $16M Deal to Acquire Rebecca Hall's 'Passing'". Variety. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Billington, Michael (11 October 2002). "Mrs Warren's Profession". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- ^ Loveridge, Lizzie (October 2002). "Mrs Warren's Profession, a Curtainup review". CurtainUp. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Lathan, P. (20 April 2003). . The British Theatre Guide. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2006.
- ^ Paddock, Terri (14 April 2003). . whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Brantley, Ben (15 December 2003). "THEATER REVIEW; Actress Finds Shadows in Shakespearean Spunk". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Paddock, Terri (29 March 2004). . whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Spencer, Charles (10 July 2003). "Long-lost – but no masterpiece". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Cripps, Charlotte (15 July 2004). "Rebecca Hall: My art belongs to Daddy". The Independent. London. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ Connema, Richard (15 April 2005). "Sir Peter Hall's Production of The Bard's As You Like It is Stimulating". talkinbroadway.com. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ Haithman, Diane (25 February 2005). "Taking the fast lane to success". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
- ^ "The Shubert Theatre – Shows". The Shubert Theatre.
- ^ . capa.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
- ^ "Reviews: As You Like It". TheaterMania. 14 November 2003. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Mendes and Spacey in theatre link". BBC News. 3 April 2007.
- ^ Bridge project info at BAM 14 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine bam.org
- ^ Benedict, David (23 January 2011). "Twelfth Night". Variety.
- ^ Gioia, Michael (20 December 2013). . Playbill. Archived from the original on 25 December 2013.
- ^ "Did Rebecca Hall Come Between Sam Mendes And Kate Winslet?". Huffington Post. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ Adams, Stephen (27 November 2011). "Sam Mendes: I am seeing Rebecca Hall". Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ a b Mead, Rebecca (3 June 2017). "Rebecca Hall's Complicated Inheritance". The New Yorker. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
- ^ a b Soloski, Alexis (25 May 2017). "Rebecca Hall and Morgan Spector: Together, Onstage and off". The New York Times.
- ^ Schneller, Johanna (8 February 2018). "Rebecca Hall's fight for nuance in the #TimesUp era". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ "Celebrities attend Sir Peter Hall Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey". alamy.com. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ Vitto Oddo, Marco (25 August 2022). "'Godzilla vs. Kong 2' Synopsis Reveals New Details About Monsterverse Sequel". Collider. from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
- ^ "Don't Leave Me This Way (TV) (1993)". Filmaffinity.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
- ^ a b Han, Angie (24 February 2016). "Steve McQueen HBO Drama Codes of Conduct Stalls At HBO". SlashFilm.
- ^ Sharf, Zack (21 October 2021). "Gotham Awards 2021 Nominations: 'Pig,' 'Green Knight,' 'Passing' Compete for Best Feature". IndieWire. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
External links edit
- Rebecca Hall at IMDb
- at the TCM Movie Database [dead link]