Hannah Waddingham

Early life and education

Hannah Waddingham was born on 28 July 1974 in Wandsworth, London. Waddingham is half-Manx; her mother Melodie Kelly is from Port Erin. Her mother was an opera singer, as were both of her maternal grandparents, joining the English National Opera when Waddingham was eight years old. She grew up around the theatre.

Waddingham is a graduate of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She started out in dinner theatre, performing in the interactive comedy Joey and Gina's Wedding, produced by Anthony and Joseph Tomaska.

Career

Stage career

Waddingham has been a stage actress on both London's West End and New York's Broadway. then created the role of Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s The Beautiful Game, staying with the show for the year-long run at the Cambridge Theatre from September 2000. Further stage roles included Starbird in Space Family Robinson (Julian & Stephen Butler, 2002) and Satan in Tonight's the Night: The Rod Stewart Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 2003.

Waddingham portrayed the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, both in the London production and then on Broadway. She received an Olivier Award nomination for the role. Waddingham subsequently received a further Olivier Award nomination in 2010 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Night Music.

In mid-2010, Waddingham played the Witch in the production of Into the Woods at London's Open Air Theatre. She originated the role of The Wicked Witch of the West in the West End production of The Wizard of Oz, which opened on 1 March 2011 at the London Palladium and was the first to perform the new Lloyd Webber and Rice song "Red Shoes Blues". She left the production on 4 September 2011. Waddingham won the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance.

In 2012, Waddingham starred in Chichester Festival Theatre's revival of Kiss Me, Kate. The show transferred to the Old Vic Theatre on London's South Bank in November 2012.

On 25 August 2023, Waddingham was announced as the host of the Fantasy, Myths and Legends Prom as part of that year's BBC Proms; on 28 August, she pulled out just hours before the performance, in solidarity with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

Screen career

In 2011, Waddingham appeared in series 4, episode 3 of the BBC sitcom, Not Going Out. She played the role of Jane, an actress in an adult film being recorded in the show.

She had a small role in the 2012 film Les Misérables, and in 2014, she appeared in the ITV comedy Benidorm.

Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun", Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones. She began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter and claims that she underwent actual waterboarding during filming so that the scene would look authentic. She was given the role's iconic "shame bell" as a parting gift. She also had a recurring role on the Netflix series Sex Education as Jackson's mother, Sophia Marchetti.

Since 2020, Waddingham has portrayed Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond, on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. She did her own singing in the season one episode "Make Rebecca Great Again" and the season two episodes "Carol of the Bells" and "No Weddings and a Funeral". In 2021, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.

Waddingham also appears as the character Mother Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, Disney's sequel to Hocus Pocus released on Disney+ on 30 September 2022.

She portrayed Lady Bellaston in the ITV drama series Tom Jones, based on Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, inspired by the real life of Etheldreda Townshend.

In March 2023, Waddingham was announced as part of the cast for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

In May 2023, Waddingham co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, alongside Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them for the final.

Waddingham appeared in the 2024 action-comedy film The Fall Guy alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, playing producer Gail.

Recordings

In 2000, Waddingham played the role of Christine in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musical The Beautiful Game in London's West End. In October 2000, Waddingham (billed simply as "Hannah"), released a single of the song "Our Kind of Love" from the production. The single peaked at No. 41 in the UK charts.

She later sang the role of Starbird on the soundtrack recording of Space Family Robinson (composers: Julian Butler and Stephen Butler), released by Pop! Records in May 2002, coinciding with the stage production (also featuring Waddingham as Starbird) which ran for three weeks at London's Pleasance Theatre.

On 22 November 2023, Waddingham's debut album, a live album, was released. Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas was recorded at the show of the same name for Apple TV. The album debuted and peaked at numbers 51 and 43 on the UK Albums Downloads and Soundtrack Albums charts, respectively.

Personal life

Waddingham emigrated to Australia in 2012 but returned soon after. She was in a relationship with Italian businessman Gianluca Cugnetto for a decade and they had a daughter in 2014, whom Waddingham has raised as a solo parent since 2023.

Waddingham speaks French and Italian.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Discography

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (1 May 2024). "Hannah Waddingham Says There's No Way Her 50th Birthday Will Top Turning 40".
2. (11 December 2023). "Hannah Waddingham".
3. (22 February 2023). "Manx actress to host Eurovision Song Contest". Manx Radio.
4. Girimonte, Melissa. (11 November 2021). "Hannah Waddingham: Things Fans Might Not Know About The Ted Lasso Star". Looper.
5. Bletchly, Rachael. (8 January 2014). "I'd never been groped in my life - and then I joined the cast of Benidorm". Mirror.
6. Kirkland, Justin. (23 July 2021). "A Few Glasses of Airplane Champagne With Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham". Esquire.
7. "Productions: The Beautiful Game". thisistheatre.com.
8. (8 June 2016). "Space Family Robinson".
9. "Productions: Tonight's The Night". thisistheatre.com.
10. (8 February 2010). "Olivier awards nominations". [[The Guardian]].
11. [http://www.olivierawards.com/news/view/item115074/Into-The-Woods-wins-Best-Musical-Revival/ "Into the Woods wins Best Musical Revival"]. Olivier Awards. {{webarchive. link. (12 January 2012)
12. Raven, Paul (11 February 2011). [http://www.westendtheatre.com/10035/news/second-chance-to-see-into-the-woods-and-all-my-sons/ "Second Chance To See Into The Woods"]. Westendtheatre.com.
13. "Hannah Waddingham, Paul Keating and More Cast in London Palladium's New Wizard of Oz".
14. "Marianne Benedict taking over from Hannah Waddingham in Wizard of Oz".
15. "Full List: 2012 Whatsonstage.com Award winners".
16. Dominic Cavendish. (28 June 2012). "Kiss Me Kate, Chichester Festival Theatre, review". Telegraph Media.
17. "Kiss Me, Kate".
18. (25 August 2023). "Hannah Waddingham will present the Fantasy, Myths and Legends Prom at the Royal Albert Hall".
19. (28 August 2023). "Hannah Waddingham: Actress drops out of BBC Proms at last minute due to strike".
20. "Not Going Out: Season 4, Episode 3".
21. Hallemann, Caroline. (23 July 2021). "Hannah Waddingham on the Gift of Ted Lasso". Town & Country.
22. Amiet, Kristen. (15 September 2021). "Rebecca And Keeley's Friendship Brings Another Unexpected Joy To 'Ted Lasso'". Junkee.
23. Weekes, Princess. (14 December 2020). "The Refreshing Friendship Between Keeley and Rebecca in Ted Lasso". The Mary Sue.
24. Rodrigues, Lyndsey. (16 July 2021). "Why Female Friendships Like the Ladies' From 'Ted Lasso' Need More Screentime". The Latch.
25. Aquilina, Tyler. (1 September 2021). "Ted Lasso co-creator shares proof that star Hannah Waddingham does her own singing". Entertainment Weekly.
26. Schneider, Michael. (18 January 2021). "'Ozark,' 'The Crown' and Netflix Lead 26th Annual Critics' Choice Awards TV Nominations". Variety.
27. (October 2022). "The power of Hannah Waddingham's character Mother Witch in "Hocus Pocus 2"".
28. "Hannah Waddingham Is a Hot Witch Mommy In 'Hocus Pocus 2' And I'm Living For It".
29. Goldbart, Max. (3 November 2021). "Emmy-Winning 'Ted Lasso' Star Hannah Waddingham Joins ITV/Masterpiece's 'Tom Jones'". Deadline.
30. Davies, Matilda. (4 November 2021). "Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham joins Doctor Who's Pearl Mackie in ITV drama". Digital Spy.
31. (1926). "The Lively Lady Townshend and her Friends". William Heinemann Ltd.
32. McPherson, Christopher. (2023-03-10). "'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 2' Adds Hannah Waddingham".
33. (22 February 2023). "Meet our Eurovision 2023 family!". BBC.
34. Halliday, Josh. (12 May 2023). "Eurovision's Hannah Waddingham: from Ted Lasso to 'overnight national treasure'". The Guardian.
35. Kit, Borys. (2022-11-11). "Hannah Waddingham Joins Ryan Gosling in ''The Fall Guy'' (Exclusive)".
36. Roberts, David. (2006). "British Hit Singles & Albums". Guinness World Records Limited.
37. "Julian Butler {{!}} Theatre Composer".
38. "Space Family Robinson".
39. Saner, Emine. (18 December 2023). "'There's just this wave of love!' Hannah Waddingham on Emmys, Eurovision and her wildest year ever".
40. Petri, Alexandra E.. (21 November 2023). "Hannah Waddingham's voice (and humor) take center stage in 'Home for Christmas'".
41. (22 November 2023). "Hannah Waddingham - Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas (Soundtrack from the Apple Original)".
42. "Hannah Waddingham Chart History".
43. Purves, Libby. (12 November 2012). "Kiss me Kate: how Trevor Nunn saw past the 6ft blonde in Hannah Waddingham". The Times.
44. Bullard, Benjamin. (4 April 2024). "Is Hannah Waddingham Single? All About The Fall Guy Star's Family, Child & More". NBC Insider.
45. (28 January 2024). "Hannah Waddingham awaits 'fabulous' man in her life". The International News.
46. (2023-05-11). "Hannah Waddingham: From Ted Lasso to a Eurovision Song Contest star". BBC News.
47. Schwartz, Ryan. (2021-10-31). "Disney+'s ''Hocus Pocus 2'' Sets Fall 2022 Release, Adds Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale and Sam Richardson".
48. Grobar, Matt. (2022-08-17). "''Garfield'': Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham & Cecily Strong Board Animated Feature From Alcon Entertainment".
49. McDonough, Jennifer. (August 22, 2024). "''Lilo & Stitch'' Is Coming to Life! See the Cast of the Live-Action Movie Side-by-Side with the Animated Characters from the Original".
50. Gardner, Chris. (2024-04-11). "''The Smurfs Movie'' Sets Starry Cast to Join Rihanna; Dave Bautista, Eric Nam Board ''Airbender'' Franchise".
51. Grobar, Matt. (2024-09-23). "Guy Pearce, Hannah Waddingham, Kaya Scodelario, Gugu Mbatha-Raw & More Join Keira Knightley In Netflix Thriller ''The Woman In Cabin 10''".
52. Petski, Denise. (2018-01-24). "''Krypton'': Hannah Waddingham Cast As Jax-Ur In Syfy Superman Prequel Series".
53. Jirak, Jamie. (2022-12-07). "''Willow'' Writer Breaks Down That Big Episode 3 Cameo (Exclusive)".
54. (September 2025). "Prince William hits green carpet for Earthshot ceremony".
55. White, Peter. (2023-03-02). "Dan Harmon's ''Krapopolis'' Renewed For Season 3 At Fox Ahead Of Premiere As Animated Series Moves To 2023-24 Season".
56. (1 August 2024). "BBC announces Hannah Waddingham, Lolly Adefope, and Rob Brydon to lead the cast of Tiddler, a new animation based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler".
57. Schneider, Michael. (27 Feb 2025). "Bill Nighy Joins Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham in Amazon Prime Video Action Series ‘Ride or Die’ (EXCLUSIVE)".
58. (20 March 2024). "BAFTA Television 2024: The Winners and Nominations".
59. Davis, Clayton. (7 March 2021). "Critics Choice Awards 2021 Full Winners: Chloe Zhao's 'Nomadland' Continues Its Reign on Awards Season".
60. "Hannah Waddingham".
61. (9 July 2021). "HCA TV Awards Nominations: 'Ted Lasso' Leads Programs For Inaugural Honors; NBC, HBO & Netflix Lead Nets". Penske Media Corporation.
62. "International Film Festival of Wales {{!}} 2018".
63. "Olivier Winners 2007".
64. "Olivier Awards Winners 2010 – Official London Theatre".
65. "Olivier Winners 2013".
66. Hipes, Patrick. (13 July 2021). "Emmy Nominations: 'The Crown', 'The Mandalorian' Top List; HBO/HBO Max Edges Netflix For Top Spot – Full List Of Nominees".
67. (12 July 2022). "2022 Emmy Awards Nominations Revealed".
68. "Hannah Waddingham".
69. "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". [[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]].
70. (4 February 2021). "SAG Awards: 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' 'Minari' Top Film Nominations".
71. (12 January 2022). "SAG Awards: 'House of Gucci,' 'The Power of the Dog' Lead Film Nominations".
72. (10 January 2024). "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®". [[Screen Actors Guild]].
73. Cordero, Rosy. (15 July 2021). "'Ted Lasso,' 'WandaVision,' & 'I May Destroy You' Lead 2021 TCA Award Nominations".
74. "Archive.ph".
75. (14 February 2010). "Full List: 2010 Whatsonstage.com Award Winners".
76. (17 February 2013). "Full list: Winners announced of the 2013 Whatsonstage.com Awards".