← Back to explore

Rachel McAdams

Acting

Born November 17, 1978 · London, Ontario, Canada

Also known as Rachel Anne McAdams

Biography

Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a theatre degree program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions, such as the drama film Perfect Pie (2002), for which she received a Genie Award nomination, the comedy film My Name Is Tanino (2002), and the comedy series Slings & Arrows (2003–2005), for which she won a Gemini Award. In 2002, she made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy The Hot Chick. She rose to fame in 2004 with the comedy Mean Girls and the romantic drama The Notebook. In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Crashers, the psychological thriller Red Eye, and the comedy-drama The Family Stone. She was hailed by the media as Hollywood's new "it girl" and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Rising Star. After a hiatus, McAdams gained further prominence starring in the films The Time Traveller's Wife (2009), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Morning Glory (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013). For her portrayal of journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in the drama Spotlight (2015), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was followed by roles in the superhero film Doctor Strange (2016) and its sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), the romantic drama Disobedience (2017), the comedies Game Night (2018) and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), and the comedy-drama Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023). On television, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama series True Detective (2015), earning a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie nomination. She made her Broadway debut in the Amy Herzog play Mary Jane (2024), for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Description above from the Wikipedia article Rachel McAdams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Broadcast Film Critics Association AwardBest Cast · 2016
  • Satellite AwardBest Cast – Motion Picture · 2016
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture · 2016
  • Canada's Walk of Fame · 2014
  • MTV Movie AwardBest On-Screen Duo · 2005
Show all 8 awards →
  • MTV Movie AwardBest Kiss · 2005
  • MTV Movie AwardBest Breakthrough Performance · 2005
  • Academy AwardBest Supporting Actress · 2016 · nominated

Filmography47 titles

True Detective

2014as Antigone 'Ani' Bezzerides

What If...?

2021as Christine Palmer (voice)

About Time

2013as Mary

The Notebook

2004as Allie Hamilton

Spotlight

2015as Sacha Pfeiffer

The Little Prince

2015as The Mother (voice)

Explained

2018as Narrator (voice)

Midnight in Paris

2011as Inez

Marvel Studios: Legends

2021as Dr. Christine Palmer (archive footage) (uncredited)

Doctor Strange

2016as Dr. Christine Palmer

Southpaw

2015as Maureen Hope

Dave

2020as Rachel McAdams

Slings and Arrows

2003as Kate McNab

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

2023as Barbara Simon

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

2022as Dr. Christine Palmer

The Vow

2012as Paige Collins

Sherlock Holmes

2009as Irene Adler

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self

Mean Girls

2004as Regina George

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011as Irene Adler

Send Help

2026as Linda Liddle

Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

2022as Self - Dr. Christine Palmer

Disobedience

2017as Esti Kuperman

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009as Clare Abshire

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Cameo (uncredited)

Game Night

2018as Annie

Who Do You Think You Are?

2010as Self

State of Play

2009as Della Frye

Earth: Final Conflict

1997as Christine Bickwell

A Most Wanted Man

2014as Annabel Richter

Wedding Crashers

2005as Claire Cleary

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

2020as Sigrit Ericksdottir

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self

Morning Glory

2010as Becky Fuller

The Lucky Ones

2008as Colee Dunn

Red Eye

2005as Lisa Reisert

The Hot Chick

2002as Jessica

The Family Stone

2005as Amy Stone

To the Wonder

2012as Jane

Married Life

2007as Kay Nesbitt

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2003as Self

Aloha

2015as Tracy Woodside

Every Thing Will Be Fine

2015as Sara

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

2003as Self - Guest

Late Night with Seth Meyers

2014as Self

Passion

2012as Christine Stanford

Guilt by Association

2002as Danielle Mason