British actress (born 1976)
Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 1976) is an English actress of stage and screen. She began her career on stage and then moved into film, for which she has receivedseveral accolades including aGolden Globe Award , in addition to nominations for twoAcademy Awards and twoBritish Academy Film Awards .
After graduating from theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art , she started her career as a stage actress in productions such asRomeo and Juliet (playingJuliet ),Much Ado About Nothing , andA Midsummer Night's Dream . Her first major role was inMike Leigh 'sAll or Nothing in 2002. She continued working with Leigh, appearing in a supporting role inVera Drake (2004) and taking the lead inHappy-Go-Lucky (2008), for which she won several awards, including theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and theSilver Bear for Best Actress .
Hawkins appeared in twoWoody Allen films,Cassandra's Dream (2007) andBlue Jasmine (2013); for the latter, she received a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress . She went on to play lead roles inMade in Dagenham (2010),Paddington (2014),Maudie (2016), andPaddington 2 (2017), and appeared inGodzilla (2014),Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) andWonka (2023). For starring as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman in the fantasy filmThe Shape of Water (2017), she earned critical acclaim and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress .
She has also appeared in stage productions with theRoyal Court Theatre in London, and in 2010 made herBroadway debut inMrs. Warren's Profession . In 2012 she starred inConstellations at the Royal Court Theatre, which later moved to theDuke of York's Theatre in theWest End . On television, she appeared in theBBC adaptations ofTipping the Velvet (2002) as Zena Blake, andFingersmith (2005) as Sue Trinder. She also appeared asAnne Elliot inPersuasion (2007),ITV 's adaptation ofJane Austen 's novel. In 2025, Hawkins appeared inBring Her Back , an Australiansupernatural horror film directed byDanny and Michael Philippou .
Early life and education [ edit ] Sally Cecilia Hawkins[ 1] was born inDulwich ,London , in 1976,[ 2] the daughter ofJacqui Hawkins and Colin Hawkins, both authors and illustrators of children's books.[ 3] Her parents both haveIrish ancestry.[ 4] She has a brother, Finbar, a television and film producer[ 5] withAardman Animations , who also writes children's books.[ 6]
Hawkins grew up inBlackheath in aNational Trust -protectedgingerbread house designed byPatrick Gwynne .[ 7] She developed an interest in acting at the age of three when she went to acircus show. She intended to go into comedy but ended up doing theatre plays.[ 8]
She attendedJames Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich,[ 9] and attended theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art , graduating in 1998 with an Acting (RADA Diploma).[ 10]
Hawkins started her career primarily as a stage actress in such productions asAccidental Death of an Anarchist [when? ] ,Romeo and Juliet [when? ] ,The Cherry Orchard [when? ] ,Much Ado About Nothing [when? ] ,A Midsummer Night's Dream [when? ] , andMisconceptions [when? ] .[citation needed ] She also appeared inCasualty (1999),[ 11] and inDoctors (2000).[ 11]
In 1998, while still a student, she was cast as an extra inStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace .[ 12]
In 2002, Hawkins played Samantha inMike Leigh 's filmAll or Nothing .[ 11] It was the first of three films Hawkins and Leigh worked on together, the second of which was the 2004 filmVera Drake . She appeared as Slasher in the 2004 action filmLayer Cake .[ 11] Her first major television role came in 2005, when she played Susan Trinder inFingersmith ,[ 11] an adaptation ofSarah Waters 'novel of the same name , in which she co-starred withImelda Staunton . She then starred in another BBC adaptation,Patrick Hamilton 'sTwenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky .[ 11] Between 2003 and 2005 she appeared in four episodes of the BBC comedy seriesLittle Britain .[ 11] She acted inDavid Hare 's adaptation ofFederico García Lorca 's playThe House of Bernarda Alba in 2005, atRoyal National Theatre .
Hawkins on the set ofPersuasion in 2006 She has also lent her voice to numerous radio series such asConcrete Cow ,[ 13] on which she also was a writer,Ed Reardon's Week ,[ 13] War with the Newts , andThink the Unthinkable .[ 13]
In 2006, Hawkins returned to the stage, appearing at theRoyal Court Theatre inJez Butterworth 'sThe Winterling . During 2006, she also made uncredited appearances inRichard Ayoade 'sMan to Man with Dean Learner where she played various uncredited roles in various deleted scenes included on the series DVD. She was later directed by Ayoade in two of his films,The Double (2013),[ 11] andSubmarine (2010).[ 11] In 2007, she playedAnne Elliot in the television film ofJane Austen 'sPersuasion .[ 14] Her performance was well received by critics and was awarded aGolden Nymph .[ 15] She also starred alongsideColin Farrell andEwan McGregor in theWoody Allen filmCassandra's Dream (2007).[ 11]
In 2008, Hawkins had her breakthrough when reunited with Leigh for a third time in the 2008comedy-drama filmHappy-Go-Lucky (2008),[ 16] portraying Poppy Cross, a kindhearted primary school teacher.Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars, praising its humor and depth and Hawkins's acting, stating "[Sally Hawkins] is a joy to behold."[ 16] Peter Bradshaw wrote inThe Guardian that "Sally Hawkins plays [Poppy] superbly", while Tom Long ofThe Detroit News dubbed her performance "Oscar -worthy".[ 17] Her performance received many accolades, including winning aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy andSilver Bear for Best Actress .[ 18] [ 19]
Three films starring Hawkins,Made in Dagenham ,Submarine ,[ 11] andNever Let Me Go ,[ 11] all premiered at the2010 Toronto International Film Festival .[ 20] All three received positive reviews and Hawkins's performances were met with critical acclaim. Regarding her performance inMade In Dagenham, Roger Ebert wrote that "[Hawkins] shows an effortless lightness of being"[ 21] while Xan Brooks ofThe Guardian remarked that "Hawkins gives a winning performance".[ 22] In October 2010, she appeared onBroadway as Vivie inMrs. Warren's Profession at the American Airlines Theatre.[ 23] In 2011 she had a supporting role in the film adaptation ofJane Eyre ,[ 11] and was the female lead in theromantic comedy filmLove Birds .[ 11]
In 2012, she andRafe Spall co-starred in the playConstellations at theRoyal Court Theatre and laterDuke of York's Theatre . The play was met with positive reviews and won the best play category at theEvening Standard Theatre Awards .[ 24] She also starred as Mrs Joe in the filmGreat Expectations (2012).[ 11]
In 2013, Hawkins starred oppositeCate Blanchett and was directed by Woody Allen for the second time in the critically acclaimed filmBlue Jasmine , a role for which she received her firstAcademy Award nomination forBest Supporting Actress ,[ 25] as well as nods for theBAFTA ,[ 26] theGolden Globe and other accolades.[ 27] The same year she starred inAll Is Bright ,[ 11] alongsidePaul Giamatti andPaul Rudd , and appeared as a receptionist in the Richard Ayoade filmThe Double .[ 11] In 2014, she appeared inGodzilla ,[ 11] as Dr Vivienne Graham, a scientist assisting Dr Ishiro Serizawa, played byKen Watanabe .Godzilla received positive reviews and grossed over $529 million to become Hawkins's most seen film to that point. She reprised the role in 2019'sGodzilla: King of the Monsters ,[ 28] which grossed $177 million in its opening weekend and subsequently earned $386 million worldwide, making it one of thehighest-grossing films of 2019 . She also co-starred withJohn Hawkes andMichael Cera in theCharlie Kaufman television pilotHow and Why , which was not picked up.[ 29] Hawkins portrayed the mother ofAsa Butterfield 's character in the drama filmX+Y , which premiered at the2014 Toronto International Film Festival .[ 30]
Hawkins's "Paws"-themedPaddington Bear statue in London, auctioned to raise funds for theNSPCC In November 2014, Hawkins portrayed Mrs Brown in the critically acclaimed filmPaddington .[ 31] The film is based on the children's books byMichael Bond where Paddington, an anthropomorphic bear who migrates from the jungles of Peru to the streets of London, is adopted by the Brown family. Hawkins reprised her role as Mrs Brown for the sequel,Paddington 2 (2017), which also received acclaim.[ 32] [ 33]
In 2017, she appeared in theGuillermo del Toro filmThe Shape of Water ,[ 34] as Elisa Esposito, amute woman who falls in love with a capturedhumanoid amphibian creature. She received widespread acclaim for her performance. Matthew Norman ofLondon Evening Standard called it a career defining performance.[ 34] Mark Kermode ofThe Guardian called her "sublime",[ 35] Mihir Fadnavis ofFirstpost called it a "winning performance",[ 36] while Ann Horaday writing forThe Washington Post stated that "Sally Hawkins delivers a beautiful performance".[ 37] Hawkins earned nominations for theAcademy Award ,[ 38] Golden Globe ,[ 39] BAFTA ,[ 40] andSAG Award for Best Actress.[ 41] The film itself wonBest Picture at the90th Academy Awards .[ 42]
In 2022, she starred inThe Lost King , a dramatisation of the story ofPhilippa Langley , the woman who initiated the search to findKing Richard III's remains under a car park inLeicester .[citation needed ]
In 2023, Hawkins appeared inWonka , a film which serves as a prequel to theRoald Dahl novelCharlie and the Chocolate Factory , exploringWilly Wonka 's origins.[ 43]
In 2025, Hawkins appeared inBring Her Back , an Australian supernatural horror film directed byDanny and Michael Philippou .[ 44]
Upon the 2014 release ofPaddington , Hawkins designed a "Paws"-themedPaddington Bear statue, which was located outside the Duke of York Square shopping centre (one of 50 placed around London), with the statues auctioned to raise funds for theNational Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).[ 45]
Acting credits and accolades [ edit ] Hawkins has won many awards, including aGolden Globe Award , in addition to nominations for twoAcademy Awards and twoBritish Academy Film Awards .[citation needed ]
She won several awards forHappy-Go-Lucky (2008), including theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and theSilver Bear for Best Actress .[citation needed ] In 2017 she earned critical acclaim and was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Elisa Esposito inThe Shape of Water .[citation needed ]
Hawkins revealed in 2018 that she haslupus ,[ 46] which can make it difficult for her to travel.[ 6] She is alsodyslexic .[ 47]
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Retrieved4 April 2016 . ^a b c "Sally Hawkins - Radio Credits" .comedy.co.uk . Retrieved20 June 2019 .^ Donaldson, Rachel Helyer (1 October 2010)."Sally Hawkins saves the day in Made in Dagenham" .The First Post . Archived fromthe original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved4 April 2016 . ^ "Brit actress Sally Hawkins to visit Mill Valley film fest" .Marinscope Community Newspapers . 1 October 2008. Archived fromthe original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved9 March 2014 .^a b Ebert, Roger."Happy-Go-Lucky Movie Review & Film Summary (2008)" .www.rogerebert.com .Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved20 June 2019 . ^ "Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)" .Rotten Tomatoes .Archived from the original on 1 August 2018. Retrieved20 June 2019 .^ Silverman, Stephen (11 December 2008)."Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Score Golden Globe Nods" .People .Archived from the original on 11 October 2015. Retrieved11 December 2008 . ^ "Nominations & Winners" .Golden Globes .Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved12 December 2008 .^ Frenette, Brad (27 July 2010)."Toronto International Film Fest announces 2010 lineup" .National Post .Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved21 December 2010 . ^ Ebert, Roger."Made in Dagenham Movie Review (2010)" .www.rogerebert.com .Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved20 June 2019 . ^ Brooks, Xan (20 September 2010)."Made in Dagenham | Film review" .The Guardian .ISSN 0261-3077 .Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved20 June 2019 . ^ "Theater Review: A Friendly Clash of Charms in Mrs. Warren's Profession" .Vulture . 3 October 2010.Archived from the original on 18 April 2016. Retrieved4 April 2016 .^ Battersby, Matilda (2 January 2013)."Lift off for the writer with stars in his eyes" .The Independent .Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved4 April 2016 . ^ "Oscars 2014 Winners: The Complete List" .The Hollywood Reporter . 2 March 2014.Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. 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Awards for Sally Hawkins
1950–1975 1976–2000 2001–present
Drama (1996–2010, 2018–present) Musical or Comedy (1996–2010, 2018–present) Motion Picture (2011–2017)
1956–1975 1976–2000 2001–2020
International National Academics People Other