Allison Williams

Early life and education

Allison Howell Williams was born on April 13, 1988, in Hartford, Connecticut, and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut. She is the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams and TV producer Jane Gillan Stoddard. She has a younger brother Doug, the WCBS-TV reporter and anchor and former late-night anchor of Geico SportsNite on SportsNet New York.

Williams attended New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy.

• "I went to the New Canaan Nature Center for preschool," she said. "I was so into that world, and still think about it all the time. It established my love for nature and animals." "New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy followed." She later attended Yale University majoring in English; she was a member of Morse College and the St. Elmo Society. In 2010, Yale made a "That's Why I Chose Yale" promotional video featuring (among others) Williams, whose contribution went viral. She graduated Yale with a bachelor's degree in English in 2010.

Career

2004–2016: Early work and television breakthrough

Williams began her career as a member of the improv comedy troupe Just Add Water, working with them for four years and acting in the YouTube series College Musical. The project featured Sam Tsui and was directed by Kurt Hugo Schneider, both of whom also attended Yale.

In 2010, Williams performed a mashup of "Nature Boy" set to RJD2's "A Beautiful Mine", the theme song for the television series Mad Men. The YouTube video of the performance received widespread praise on the Internet. After seeing Williams' mashup, Judd Apatow was convinced to cast Williams in the HBO series Girls. The series premiered on April 15, 2012, and generated high praise from television critics but sparked many controversies. Williams was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 22nd Critics' Choice Awards.

From 2011 to 2012, Williams appeared as Cheryl in the CollegeHumor series Jake and Amir. On December 4, 2014, she starred in the title role on NBC's live television presentation of the musical Peter Pan Live!, opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. In November 2016, Williams appeared in Past Forward, a short film collaboration between David O. Russell and Prada. Williams wrote a series of Funny or Die sketches starring as newlywed Kate Middleton, with English actor and model Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.

2017–present: Mainstream recognition

In 2017, Williams starred in the horror film Get Out, which was her feature film debut. Director Jordan Peele was convinced she was right for the role of Rose after seeing her performance in Peter Pan Live! and cast her in order to "disorient audiences". Williams said that she had been "looking for a role that would weaponize everything that people take for granted about me. So I instantly signed on to it." To prepare for the role, Williams isolated herself from the cast and crew during production in order to understand the psychopathic nature of her character. The film received critical acclaim, and the performances of the acting ensemble were praised. Johnny Hoffman of MovieWeb praised her for being "suspicious and charming from beginning to end" and wrote that "Williams proved, with this character, that she is perfectly capable of portraying an effective villain." The film earned her several accolades, including nominations for the MTV Award for Best Villain and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

That same year, Williams was cast in the role of Charlotte on the Netflix horror film The Perfection, released on May 24, 2019, to mixed reviews though her performance was called "compelling". In 2018, she was cast as Kit Snicket in the Netflix comedy-drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events, a recurring character throughout the show's second and third seasons. Two years later, Williams appeared in the Swedish thriller film Horizon Line.

Three years after Get Out, Williams reteamed with Blumhouse to executive produce and star in M3GAN. She plays Gemma, a roboticist and creator of the titular robot. The film was released on January 6, 2023, to commercial success, becoming the second highest-grossing film of her career. Williams was also critically lauded for her performance. Jason Zinoman of The New York Times said that she had a "knack for playing it straight" and further wrote that she "capably updates the mad-scientist archetype, refusing to pause and ask questions while inventing a doll of the future, one who pairs with a child and adjusts to their needs, filling in as best friend and big sister." Fletcher Peters of The Daily Beast wrote that Williams "conquers her role" and further praised her ability "to play off the absurdity with such finesse is incredible [...] Williams excels in the gruesome scenes just as well as she does with the comedy". Kristy Puchko of Mashable said that she "solidly grounds the human drama within this scary sci-fi premise of a killer doll." Also in 2023, Williams starred in the miniseries Fellow Travelers.

Williams was announced in early 2022 to reprise the role of Gemma in M3GAN 2.0, which she would also produce. The film was released in June 2025 and failed to replicate the success of its predecessor; however, The Hollywood Reporter David Rooney believed it gave Williams an opportunity to "step into the fray with gusto". Her next film, Regretting You (2025), was a commercial success but was panned by critics. Adrian Horton of The Guardian believed it wasted having Williams in the lead.

Personal life and public image

Williams began dating Ricky Van Veen, the co-founder of CollegeHumor, in 2011. They were engaged in 2014 and married on September 19, 2015, in a private ceremony in Saratoga, Wyoming. Tom Hanks officiated the ceremony. On June 27, 2019, Van Veen and Williams released a joint statement announcing their separation.

In late 2019, Williams began dating German actor Alexander Dreymon, whom she met while filming Horizon Line. In late 2021, they had a son. In December 2022, it was reported that the couple had become engaged. In June 2025, it was announced that the couple had married quietly in 2023.

Following her roles in Get Out, The Perfection and the M3GAN films, Williams was deemed a horror queen by several media outlets. In 2025, The Guardian deemed her "an underrated actor".

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

References

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3. Sachs, Adam. (February 8, 2017). "Allison Williams on Her Brand-New Blonde, Daily Doughnuts, and Her Pal Katy Perry".
4. (April 13, 2014). "Celebrity birthdays on April 13". The Miami Herald.
5. Schuster, Dana. (August 5, 2011). "Anchor's away". The New York Post.
6. Koblin, John. (July 20, 2017). "Another Williams Takes His Turn Before the Camera, at SNY". The New York Times.
7. Mor, Michael. (December 16, 2011). "Q&A: Alumna from new HBO series joining Whiffs for benefit concert".
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9. Morand, Michael. (2011-12-16). "Q&A: Alumna from new HBO series joining Whiffs for benefit concert {{!}} Yale News".
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11. Yager, Sarah. (January 29, 2010). "Kurt Schneider re(de)fines formula for YouTube success". The Yale Herald.
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40. (February 2019). "Allison Williams, Alexander Dreymon to Star in STX Survival Thriller 'Horizon Line'".
41. Williams, Trey. (February 1, 2019). "'Get Out' Star Allison Williams to Star in STX Survival-Thriller 'Horizon Line'".
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43. (2023-01-08). "Why Murderous Robotic Doll 'M3GAN' Was Allison Williams' Most "Complicated" Co-Star".
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45. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2023-01-08). "How 'M3GAN' Boogied Her Way To The Box Office Via TikTok; Sequel Already In Works".
46. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2023-01-08). "'M3GAN' Slays With $30M+ Opening; 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Hits Half Billion Faster Than 'Top Gun 2', 'Rogue One' – Sunday AM Box Office Update".
47. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (2023-01-16). "Moviegoing Happens Over MLK: 'Avatar 2' Soars With $40M 4-day, 'M3GAN' Moves $21M+, 'Puss In Boots 2′ Hits $112M, 'Otto' Bright At $15M+ – Update".
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51. Otterson, Joe. (2022-06-07). "Allison Williams to Star Opposite Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' (Exclusive)".
52. Barnes, Brooks. (2022-11-16). "Hollywood Horror Blockbuster: Two Leading Producers Will Soon Join Forces". The New York Times.
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58. (February 26, 2014). "Allison Williams Engaged to Ricky Van Veen". People.
59. (September 19, 2015). "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen Are Married". People.
60. (October 6, 2015). "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen's honeymoon was 'heavenly'".
61. (June 27, 2019). "Girls' Allison Williams and Husband Ricky Van Veen Separate After Nearly 4 Years of Marriage".
62. (April 25, 2022). "Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon Welcome First Baby, Son Arlo: 'Over the Moon,' Says Source".
63. Kahn, Mattie. (January 5, 2023). "Allison Williams is Passing on the Vibe Shift".
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