Born:Hayley Elizabeth Atwell
Birth Date: April 5, 1982
Birth Place: London, England, UK
Height: 5′ 7″ (1,7 m)
Born in London, England, Hayley Elizabeth Atwell has dual citizenship of the United Kingdom and the United States. An only child, Hayley was named after actress Hayley Mills. Her parents, Alison (Cain) and Grant Atwell, both motivational speakers, met at a London workshop of Dale Carnegie’s self-help bible “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. Her mother is English (with Irish ancestry) and her father is American; he was born in Missouri and is partly of Native-American descent (his Native American name is Star Touches Earth). Her parents divorced when she was age two.
Hayley Atwell has had an exciting year, with her role as Peggy Carter in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Last year, Hayley starred on our television screens in a number of exciting projects. In the ITV remake of the 1960s cult classic “The Prisoner,” she played Lucy alongside Ian McKellen, James Caviezel and Ruth Wilson. Hayley received a Golden Globe nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress category for her work in the Channel 4 drama “Pillars of the Earth,” based on Ken Follett’s novel. She went on to star again on Channel 4 in “Any Human Heart.” In this highly acclaimed adaptation of William Boyd’s novel Hayley played Freya, Logan’s mistress, alongside Kim Cattrall, Gillian Anderson and Tom Hollander.
Last year Hayley starred alongside Ben Wishaw in “Love / Hate,” a short film which was a runner-up in the 2009 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. She also trod the boards in the West End in Arthur Miller’s modern classic, “A View From the Bridge,” alongside Ken Stott and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Hayley’s outstanding performance in the role of Catherine earned her rave reviews and a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at this year’s Olivier Awards.
In 2008 Hayley starred alongside Keira Knightly in “The Duchess,” directed by Saul Dibb and based on the bestselling biography “Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire,” by Amanda Foreman. In this feature film she played lead character Bess Foster, the Duchess’ best friend. The same year audiences saw Hayley in “Brideshead Revisited,” directed by Julian Jarrold, playing the lead female role of Julia Flyte alongside Matthew Goode.
In 2007 Hayley appeared in “Cassandra’s Dream,” a satirical thriller directed by Woody Allen and co-starring Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor. Hayley played the character Angela, an ambitious actress on-the-rise, whose path crosses that of two brothers who choose to take a risk and venture in to crime in order to better their lives. The same year Hayley also appeared in “How About You,” based on the short story Hardcore, written by Maeve Binchy. Directed by Anthony Byrne, Hayley starred alongside Vanessa Redgrave, Joss Ackland, Orla Brady and Joan O’Hara.
On television, Hayley won critical acclaim for her performance in the BBC’s “The Line of Beauty,” an adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker Prize-winning novel. Written by Andrew Davies and directed by Saul Dibb, Hayley played the role of Cat Fedden and starred alongside Dan Stevens and Tim Mclnnerny. Her other television credits include “Mansfield Park,” in which she played the role of Mary and co-starred with Billie Piper; “Ruby in the Smoke,” directed by Brian Percival; and “Fear of Fanny,” directed by Coky Giedroyc.
Alongside television and film, Hayley has appeared in many theatrical roles. At the National Theatre, she played Barbara Undershaft in “Major Barbara.” Her other stage roles include “Man of Mode” (National Theatre), directed by Nicholas Hynter and written by George Etherege, for which she won critical acclaim; “Women Beware Women” (RSC), directed by Laurence Boswell; and “Prometheus Bound” (Sound Theatre), directed by James Kerr.
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