Rebecca Hall

Early life and education

Rebecca Maria Hall was born in London on 3 May 1982, the daughter of American opera singer Maria Ewing and Sir Peter Hall, an English stage director and founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her mother was born in Detroit, the daughter of an African-American mixed-race father and a Dutch mother. She is a descendant of American Revolutionary War veteran Bazabeel Norman, a free African man.

Years later, as a guest on Finding Your Roots, Hall discovered that, while her maternal grandfather, Norman Isaac Ewing, had performed as a Native American figure and was reported as a Sioux chief in newspapers, he was the son of mixed-race African-American parents, and had no Native American ancestry. His father, Hall's great-grandfather John William Ewing, had been born into slavery. After the American Civil War, he became a prominent figure in the black community of Washington, D.C. Hall has 91% European DNA and 9% sub-Saharan African DNA, according to an Ancestry.com DNA test. Hall's parents separated when she was still young, eventually divorcing in 1990.

Hall attended Roedean School, where she became head girl. She studied English literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, before dropping out in 2002, just before her final year. During her time at Cambridge, she was active in the student theatre scene and also set up her own theatre company. She was a member of the Marlowe Society and performed in several productions alongside her housemate Dan Stevens, an English literature student at Emmanuel College.

Career

Film and television

Hall's first professional role came in 1992, when at the age of nine she appeared as young Sophy in her father's television adaptation of Mary Wesley's The Camomile Lawn. 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 appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's Joe's Palace in 2007, in addition to appearing in several other television films, including Wide Sargasso Sea and Rubberheart.

Hall's Hollywood fame was sparked when she starred in the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) as one of the title characters, Vicky. Her performance was well-received, 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 David Frost, played by Michael Sheen. 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. 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. The following year, she played the female lead in the British ghost film The Awakening, released in September 2011.

In 2012, she took on the role of Beth Raymer in the comedy-drama film Lay the Favorite, 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". She 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. 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). In 2014, she starred opposite Johnny Depp in Wally Pfister's directorial debut Transcendence (2014). In 2015, Hall starred in the romantic comedy Tumbledown and Joel Edgerton's directorial debut The Gift.

In the 2016 biographical drama Christine, Hall played Christine Chubbuck, a real-life TV news reporter. Her performance was praised by critics. In 2017, she portrayed Elizabeth Holloway Marston, a psychologist who inspired the character of Wonder Woman, in Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. The same year, Hall joined the cast of A Rainy Day in New York, directed by Woody Allen. After re-reading accounts related to allegations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen, Hall, in January 2018, donated her salary to Time's Up. She said, "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."

In 2018, Hall provided English dubbing for the character Mother in Mirai. In 2021, Hall starred in and co-executive produced the well-reviewed horror-thriller The Night House. The same year, she appeared in the monster film Godzilla vs. Kong and made her directorial debut with the drama Passing, based on the 1929 American novel of the same name by Nella Larsen. Hall wrote the screenplay and co-produced the film, which was largely inspired by her own mixed-race heritage, as well as her African-American ancestors who passed as white. Passing premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim. Its distribution rights were acquired by Netflix for approximately $16 million.

Hall is a signatory of the Film Workers for Palestine boycott pledge that was published in September 2025.

Stage

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" and "accomplished", earned her the Ian Charleson Award in 2003.

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, which gained her a second Charleson nomination and starred in the title role of Thea Sharrock's revival of D. H. Lawrence's The Fight for Barbara.

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.

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 and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. This was a second leg of the US tour that began in 2003 with venues at the Shubert Theater New Haven, Connecticut, Columbus, Ohio, and the Wilbur Theater in Boston.

In 2008–2009, 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. The project gave performances with the same cast in Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2010–2011, she played Viola in a production of Twelfth Night at London's National Theatre, directed by her father.

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.

Personal life

Hall and director Sam Mendes were in a relationship from 2011 to 2013. In 2014, Hall met actor Morgan Spector while co-starring in a Broadway production. They married in 2015. Their daughter was born in 2018.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Rebecca Hall Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica.
2. Hattenstone, Simon. (12 June 2010). "Who, me? Why everyone is talking about Rebecca Hall". The Guardian.
3. 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.
4. McLellan, Joseph. (15 November 1990). "Article: Extra-Sensuous Perception; Soprano Maria Ewing, a Steamy 'Salome'". [[The Washington Post]].
5. Marsh, Robert C.. (18 December 1988). "Growth of Maria Ewing continues with 'Salome' // Role of princess proves crowning achievement". Chicago Sun-Times.
6. Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', 4 January 2022
7. "Rebecca Hall Relationships". [[TV Guide]].
8. Karavaggelis, Anthi. (3 November 2011). "Former Cambridge student takes her first leading role". The Cambridge Student.
9. Farber, Jim. (20 February 2005). "For Rebecca Hall, it's all in the family business". [[U-T San Diego]].
10. "''The Prestige'' production notes".
11. (2002). "Macbeth". [[Marlowe Society]].
12. West, Naomi. (29 October 2011). "Rebecca Hall takes the lead". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
13. (23 December 2008). "Hall of fame: Rebecca Hall". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
14. Grant, Jules. (9 November 2006). "BBC, HBO unite for Poliakoff copro".
15. Nugent, Benjamin. (30 April 2010). "Rated 'R' for Rebecca". gq.
16. "Awards Database – The BAFTA site". Bafta.org.
17. (16 September 2012). "It's Time for StudioCanal's Awakening". Dread Central.
18. "The Awakening".
19. Malcolm, Derek. (2012). "Lay the Favourite – review". [[London Evening Standard]].
20. O'Donovan, Gerard. (10 May 2013). "Baftas 2013: the contenders". The Daily Telegraph.
21. (5 March 2013). "Rebecca Hall Joins Transcendence With Johnny Depp & Paul Bettany". [[Empire (magazine).
22. McClintock, Pamela. (30 January 2014). "Berlin: Rebecca Hall to Star Opposite Jason Sudeikis in 'Tumbledown'". The Hollywood Reporter.
23. Barton, Steve. (25 March 2015). "Joel Edgerton Receives The Gift". [[Dread Central]].
24. Lodge, Guy. (24 January 2016). "Sundance Film Review: 'Christine'".
25. Smith, Nigel M.. (24 January 2016). "Christine review: Rebecca Hall astonishes in real-life horror story".
26. Kilday, Gregg. (11 September 2017). "Diego Luna, Liev Schreiber Join Woody Allen's New Movie".
27. Stefansky, Emma. (13 January 2018). "Rebecca Hall Donated Her Salary from Woody Allen's Next Movie to Time's Up". [[Condé Nast]].
28. "Passing Reviews".
29. Bradshaw, Peter. (28 October 2021). "Passing review – Rebecca Hall's stylish and subtle study of racial identity". The Guardian.
30. Kelley, Sonaiya. (29 January 2021). "'Passing' explores the complications of biracial identity. For Rebecca Hall, it's personal.".
31. Rao, Mallika. (1 September 2021). "'Imagine a Black Woman Just Wanting Something'".
32. Jackson, Angelique. (3 February 2021). "Netflix Nears $16M Deal to Acquire Rebecca Hall's 'Passing'".
33. Betts, Anna. (2025-09-10). "Actors and directors pledge not to work with Israeli film groups 'implicated in genocide'". The Guardian.
34. Billington, Michael. (11 October 2002). "Mrs Warren's Profession". The Guardian.
35. Loveridge, Lizzie. (October 2002). "Mrs Warren's Profession, a ''Curtainup'' review".
36. Lathan, P.. (20 April 2003). "Another Hall Hits the Heights". The British Theatre Guide.
37. Paddock, Terri. (14 April 2003). "Rebecca Hall & Tempest Two Win Charleson Awards". whatsonstage.com.
38. Brantley, Ben. (15 December 2003). "THEATER REVIEW; Actress Finds Shadows in Shakespearean Spunk". The New York Times.
39. Paddock, Terri. (29 March 2004). "Dillon Wins Ian Charleson Award for Master Builder". whatsonstage.com.
40. Spencer, Charles. (10 July 2003). "Long-lost – but no masterpiece". The Telegraph.
41. Cripps, Charlotte. (15 July 2004). "Rebecca Hall: My art belongs to Daddy". The Independent.
42. Connema, Richard. (15 April 2005). "Sir Peter Hall's Production of The Bard's As You Like It is Stimulating". talkinbroadway.com.
43. Haithman, Diane. (25 February 2005). "Taking the fast lane to success". Los Angeles Times.
44. (August 2025). "The Shubert Theatre – Shows".
45. "CAPA Touring Productions". capa.com.
46. (14 November 2003). "Reviews: As You Like It".
47. (3 April 2007). "Mendes and Spacey in theatre link". BBC News.
48. link. (14 May 2009 bam.org)
49. Benedict, David. (23 January 2011). "Twelfth Night". [[Variety (magazine).
50. Gioia, Michael. (20 December 2013). "Broadway Revival of Sophie Treadwell's Machinal, Starring Rebecca Hall, Begins Previews Dec. 20". Playbill.
51. Adams, Stephen. (27 November 2011). "Sam Mendes: I am seeing Rebecca Hall".
52. Mead, Rebecca. (3 June 2017). "Rebecca Hall's Complicated Inheritance".
53. (25 May 2017). "Rebecca Hall and Morgan Spector: Together, Onstage and off". [[The New York Times]].
54. (11 September 2018). "Celebrities attend Sir Peter Hall Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey".
55. (29 March 2024). "Rebecca Hall Explains Why Being a Working Mom in Her 'Crazy' Job Is a 'Blessing and a Curse' (Exclusive)".
56. "Don't Leave Me This Way (TV) (1993)".
57. "Rubberheart – Brian Crano".
58. Han, Angie. (24 February 2016). "Steve McQueen HBO Drama Codes of Conduct Stalls At HBO".
59. "BBC announces new drama The Listeners starring Rebecca Hall".
60. Campione, Katie. (December 3, 2025). "'The Beauty' Guest Cast Revealed Including Bella Hadid, Vincent D'Onofrio, More; FX Shares First Look & Premiere Date For Ryan Murphy Series". Deadline Hollywood.
61. Sharf, Zack. (21 October 2021). "Gotham Awards 2021 Nominations: 'Pig,' 'Green Knight,' 'Passing' Compete for Best Feature".