
Biography
Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 27 April 1976) is an English actress who began her career on stage and then moved into film. She has received several awards, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she became a stage actress in productions such as Romeo and Juliet (playing Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her first major role was in Mike Leigh's All or Nothing in 2002. She continued working with Leigh, appearing in a supporting role in Vera Drake (2004) and taking the lead in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), for which she won several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Hawkins appeared in two Woody Allen films, Cassandra's Dream (2007) and Blue Jasmine (2013); for the latter, she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to play lead roles in Made in Dagenham (2010), Paddington (2014), Maudie (2016), and Paddington 2 (2017), and appeared in Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Wonka (2023). For starring Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman in the fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017), she earned critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. She has also appeared in stage productions with the Royal Court Theatre in London, and in 2010 made her Broadway debut in Mrs. Warren's Profession. In 2012, she starred in Constellations at the Royal Court Theatre, which later moved to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End. On television, she appeared in the BBC adaptations of Tipping the Velvet (2002) as Zena Blake and Fingersmith (2005) as Sue Trinder. She also appeared as Anne Elliot in Persuasion (2007), ITV's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel.
Awards & recognition
- Silver Bear · 2008
- 66th Golden Globe Awards
- Academy Award — Best Actress · 2018 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 2014 · nominated
- European Film Award — Best Actress · 2008 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles

Maudie

Desert Flower

Paddington 2

The Hollow Crown

Bring Her Back

Submarine

A Boy Called Christmas

The Phone Call

Fingersmith

Kensuke's Kingdom

The Shape of Water

Jane Eyre

Conan

Persuasion

Vera Drake

Man to Man with Dean Learner

Paddington

All or Nothing

Wonka

Blue Jasmine

The Smeds and the Smoos

Never Let Me Go

An Education

Layer Cake

The Phantom of the Open

Stick Man

Spencer

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

A Brilliant Young Mind

Made in Dagenham

Shiny Shiny Bright New Hole in My Heart

The Snail and the Whale

Room on the Broom

Happy-Go-Lucky

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

The Lost King

The Double

Godzilla

Great Expectations

Cassandra's Dream

Eternal Beauty

Casualty

Love Birds

Mammals

Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky

The Killing Gene

All Is Bright

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Cordelia

Byron