Hannah Waddingham | |
|---|---|
 Waddingham in 2025 | |
| Born | (1974-07-28)28 July 1974 (age 51) Wandsworth,London, England |
| Education | Academy of Live and Recorded Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1997–present |
| Works | Full list |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is an English actress, singer, and television presenter. She is known for her roles on stage and screen and has received various accolades including aPrimetime Emmy Award, twoCritics' Choice Television Awards and aScreen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for twoBAFTA TV Awards, twoGolden Globe Awards, and threeLaurence Olivier Awards.
She gained stardom playingRebecca Welton in theApple TV+ comedy seriesTed Lasso (2020–present), for which she won aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Other notable television roles include playingTonya Dyke inBenidorm (2014),Septa Unella in thefifth season of theHBO seriesGame of Thrones (2015–2016),Jax-Ur inKrypton (2018–2019), and Sofia Marchetti inSex Education (2019–2023). She voices the snarky goddess Deliria in animated seriesKrapopolis (2023-present), for which she earned anEmmy Award nomination. On film, she has acted in the musicalLes Misérables (2012), the thrillerWinter Ridge (2018), the animated filmThe Garfield Movie (2024), the action comedyThe Fall Guy (2024), and the action filmMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025).
On stage, she appeared in a number ofWest End musicals, earning three nominations for theLaurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances asLady of the Lake in theMonty Python musical comedySpamalot (2007),The Witch in "Into the Woods",Desirée Armfeldt in theStephen Sondheim musical revivalA Little Night Music (2010), andKatharine in theCole Porter musical romance comedyKiss Me, Kate (2013). She made herBroadway debut reprising her role in theNew York City transfer ofSpamalot (2008). Waddingham also co-hosted theEurovision Song Contest in 2023 and hosted theLaurence Olivier Awards twice in2023 and2024.
Hannah Waddingham was born on 28 July 1974[1] inWandsworth,London.[2] Waddingham is half-Manx; her mother Melodie Kelly is fromPort Erin.[3] Her mother was an opera singer, as were both of her maternal grandparents,[4] joining theEnglish National Opera when Waddingham was eight years old. She grew up around the theatre.[4][5]
Waddingham is a graduate of theAcademy of Live and Recorded Arts.[6] She has a four-octavevocal range.[7] She started out indinner theatre, performing in the interactive comedyJoey and Gina's Wedding, produced by Anthony and Joseph Tomaska.[4][8]
Waddingham has been a stage actress on both London'sWest End and New York'sBroadway.[4] She made her West End debut inSaucy Jack and the Space Vixens at The Queens Theatre in 1998 and went on to star inLautrec byCharles Aznavour in March 2000,[9] then created the role of Christine Warner inAndrew Lloyd Webber andBen Elton’sThe Beautiful Game, staying with the show for the year-long run at theCambridge Theatre from September 2000.[10] Further stage roles included Starbird inSpace Family Robinson (Julian & Stephen Butler, 2002)[6] and Satan inTonight's the Night: The Rod Stewart Musical at theVictoria Palace Theatre in 2003.[11]
Waddingham portrayed the Lady of the Lake inSpamalot, both in the London production and then onBroadway. She received anOlivier Award nomination for the role.[4] She received outstanding reviews for her portrayal of Desirée Armfeldt inTrevor Nunn's revival ofA Little Night Music.[12] Waddingham subsequently received a further Olivier Award nomination in 2010 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance inNight Music.[13]
In mid-2010, Waddingham played the Witch in the production ofInto the Woods at London'sOpen Air Theatre.[14][15] She originated the role of TheWicked Witch of the West in theWest End production ofThe Wizard of Oz, which opened on 1 March 2011 at theLondon Palladium[16] and was the first to perform the newLloyd Webber andRice song "Red Shoes Blues".[4][17] She left the production on 4 September 2011.[18] Waddingham won the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance.[19]
In 2012, Waddingham starred inChichester Festival Theatre's revival ofKiss Me, Kate.[20] The show transferred to theOld Vic Theatre on London's South Bank in November 2012.[21]
On 25 August 2023, Waddingham was announced as the host of the Fantasy, Myths and Legends Prom as part of that year'sBBC Proms; on 28 August, she pulled out just hours before the performance, in solidarity with theongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.[22][23]
In 2011, Waddingham appeared in series 4, episode 3 of theBBC sitcom,Not Going Out. She played the role of Jane, an actress in an adult film being recorded in the show.[24]
She had a small role in the 2012 filmLes Misérables,[4] and in 2014, she appeared in theITV comedyBenidorm.[7]
Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun",Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 ofGame of Thrones. She began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter and claims that she underwent actualwaterboarding during filming so that the scene would look authentic.[4][8][25] She was given the role's iconic "shame bell" as a parting gift.[4][26] She also had a recurring role on theNetflix seriesSex Education as Jackson's mother, Sophia Marchetti.[4][27]
Since 2020, Waddingham has portrayed Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond, on theApple TV+ seriesTed Lasso.[5][28][29][30] 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".[31] In 2021, she won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and theCritics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.[32]
Waddingham also appears as the character Mother Witch inHocus Pocus 2, Disney's sequel toHocus Pocus released on Disney+ on 30 September 2022.[33][34]
She portrayed Lady Bellaston in the ITV drama seriesTom Jones, based onHenry Fielding's1749 novel, inspired by the real life ofEtheldreda Townshend.[35][27][36]
In March 2023, Waddingham was announced as part of the cast forMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.[37]
In May 2023, Waddingham co-hosted theEurovision Song Contest 2023 inLiverpool, alongsideAlesha Dixon and Ukrainian singerJulia Sanina, withGraham Norton joining them for the final.[38][39]
Waddingham appeared in the 2024 action-comedy filmThe Fall Guy alongsideRyan Gosling andEmily Blunt, playing producer Gail.[40]
In 2000, Waddingham played the role of Christine in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musicalThe 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.[41]
She later sang the role of Starbird on the soundtrack recording ofSpace Family Robinson (composers:Julian Butler[42] 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'sPleasance Theatre.[43]
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.[44][45][46] The album debuted and peaked at numbers 51 and 43 on the UK Albums Downloads and Soundtrack Albums charts, respectively.[47]
Waddingham emigrated to Australia in 2012 but returned soon after.[48] She was in a relationship with Italian businessman Gianluca Cugnetto for a decade, and in 2014, they had a daughter named Kitty Cugnetto Waddingham, whom Waddingham has raised as a solo parent since 2023.[49][50]
Waddingham speaksFrench andItalian.[51]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | Elizabeth Maddox | |
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Factory Worker | |
| 2015 | Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie | Maddie Forrester | |
| 2016 | The Gatehouse | The Agent | |
| 2018 | Winter Ridge | Joanne Hill | |
| 2019 | The Hustle | Shiraz | |
| 2022 | Hocus Pocus 2 | Mother Witch | [52] |
| 2024 | The Fall Guy | Gail Meyer | |
| The Garfield Movie | Jinx | Voice[53] | |
| 2025 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | Admiral Neely | |
| Lilo & Stitch | Grand Councilwoman | Voice[54] | |
| Smurfs | Jezebeth | Voice[55] | |
| The Woman in Cabin 10 | Heidi Heatherley | [56] | |
| 2026 | High in the Clouds† | Gretsch | Voice; In production |
| TBA | Mr. Sunny Sky† | TBA | In production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Coupling | Jenny Turbot | Episode: "Split" |
| Brookside | Georgina Savage | 3 episodes | |
| 2003 | My Hero | Miranda | Episode: "Time and Time Again" |
| 2005 | William and Mary | Penelope | Episode: #3.3 |
| Footballers' Wives | Jools | Episode: #4.9 | |
| Hollyoaks: Let Loose | Mrs. Robertson | 3 episodes | |
| 2006 | My Hero | Lula | Episode: "Sidekick" |
| The Only Boy for Me | Melissa | Television film | |
| 2008 | Doctors | Dixie Deadman | Episode: "Miss Letherbridge" |
| 2010 | Jacky Parnell | Episode: "Occupational Hazard" | |
| 2012 | Rhonda Stowell | Episode: "The Promise" | |
| 2015 | Becky Harmison | Episode: "Subsidence" | |
| 2009 | M.I. High | Alannah Sucrose | Episode: "The Glove" |
| 2010 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Lola Brewster | Episode: "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" |
| 2010–2011 | My Family | Katie | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Not Going Out | Jane | Episode: "Movie" |
| 2012 | Bad Education | Loretta | Episode: "Self-Defence" |
| 2014 | Benidorm | Tonya Dyke | 7 episodes (Series 6) |
| Our Gay Wedding: The Musical | Herself | Channel 4 TV special | |
| 2015 | Partners in Crime | Blonde Assassin | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Game of Thrones | Septa Unella | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | In the Club | Dr. Stone | 4 episodes |
| Josh | Phillipa | Episode: "Close-up and Long Shot" | |
| The Entire Universe | Time & Space | Television film | |
| 2017 | 12 Monkeys | Magdalena | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Bad Move | Imelda | Episode: "Big Deal" |
| 2018–2019 | Krypton | Jax-Ur | 13 episodes[57] |
| 2019–2023 | Sex Education | Sofía Marchetti | 11 episodes |
| 2020–present | Ted Lasso | Rebecca Welton | Main role |
| 2021 | Midsomer Murders | Mimi Dagmar | Episode: "The Stitcher Society" |
| Murder, They Hope | Chief Inspector Henrietta Shepherd | Episode: "Dales of the Unexpected" | |
| 2022 | Willow | Hubert | Episode: "The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb"[58] |
| RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest judge | Series 4; "Lairy Poppins: The Rusical" | |
| 2023 | Tom Jones | Lady Bellaston | 3 episodes |
| Eurovision Song Contest | Co-presenter | Presenter for semi-finals and grand final[a] | |
| Earthshot Prize | Co-presenter | AlongsideSterling K. Brown[59] | |
| Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas | Herself | Holiday special forApple TV+ | |
| The Olivier Awards 2023 | Host | Awards ceremony[b] | |
| 2023–present | Krapopolis | Deliria | Main voice role[60] |
| 2024 | Tiddler | Narrator | Voice, television film[61] |
| The Olivier Awards 2024 | Host | Awards ceremony[c] | |
| 2025 | British Legion Festival of Remembrance | Host | Ceremony |
| TBA | Ride or Die† | Judith | Filming[62] |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas |
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So how will Hannah Waddingham celebrate her 50th birthday on July 28?
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