Hayley Atwell Biography

Hayley Elizabeth Atwell was born on 5 April, 1982 in London, England. Her father, Grant Atwell, an American citizen of partly Native-American descent, earned his living as a massage therapist, shaman and photographer. Her mother, Alison nee Cain, was a motivational speaker of partly Irish ancestry. Hayley was their only child.

Her parents divorced when Hayley Atwell was two years old. Thereafter, her father returned home to America, while she remained in London and was raised by her mother. However, as she grew up, she began to spend her summers in Missouri with her father.

At the age of eight, she became a committed vegetarian when she witnessed Loyd Grossman putting a live lobster into boiling water. At nine, she attended a Power into Action workshop with her mother, in course of which she walked over hot coal.

While it is not known where she began her education, it is certain she was introduced to the theatre early in her life by her mother, who believed that theatres provided the much-needed insight into society.  At eleven, she saw Ralph Fiennes playing Hamlet, an incident she remembered all her life.

For her secondary education, she went to Sion-Manning Roman Catholic Girl's School, where she excelled in academics and played Rugby. At sixteen, she moved to London Oratory School for her A-level.

Soon after her graduation, Hailey took two years of hiatus. During this period, she traveled around with her father and even worked for a while for a casting director. In 2002, she resumed her education, studying at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and earned her BA in Acting in 2005.

In 2005, soon after graduation, Hayley Atwell began her career in stage, portraying a maiden exiled by Zeus in the ancient Greek tragedy drama, Prometheus Bound. She earned critical acclaim for her performance. Also in the same year, she debuted on television, portraying Sabrina Guinness in Whatever Love Means.

In 2006, she starred as Bianca in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, Women Beware Women. Also in the same year, she got her first major on-screen role, appearing as Catherine Fedden in BBC Two's miniseries, The Line of Beauty, and also her first radio drama role in Doctor Who: Blood of the Daleks.

Her first film role came in 2007, playing Angela Stark in Cassandra's Dream. Concurrently, she appeared in major roles in television films like Mansfield Park and The Shadow in the North. Equally active on stage, she played Belinda in the National Theatre production, The Man of Mode.

In 2008, she starred as Barbara in the National Theatre production, Major Barbara, and received an Ian Charleson Commendation for it. Concurrently, she continued to appear on screen, starring in films like Brideshead Revisited and The Duchess, receiving British Independent Film Award nomination for her role of Lady Elizabeth Foster in the latter.

In 2009, she made her West End debut with A View from the Bridge, being nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her role of Catherine in it. Concurrently, she continued to appear in major roles in television series, earning Golden Globe Award nomination for her role in The Pillars of the Earth (2010).

In 2011, Hayley Atwell made her international breakthrough with her role of Agent Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. Thereafter, she started appearing in number of films and television productions, taking a temporary break from the stage.

In 2013, she returned to the stage, collaborating with Alexi Kaye Campbell and Jamie Lloyd to stage the London revival of The Pride. Appearing in it as Sylvia at Trafalgar Studios, she won another Laurence Olivier Award nomination for her performance.

While acting on stage, she continued to appear in star roles in films and on television. In 2014, she once again reprised the role of Agent Peggy Carter in the film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, concurrently appearing in the same role in television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter.

In 2015, she appeared in the role of Peggy Carter in two different films, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. By then, her character had become so popular that ABC decided to make a television series called Marvel's Agent Carter (2015-2016) and she was chosen to play the lead role.

In 2016-2017, she appeared as Hayes Morrison in 13 episodes of Conviction, a legal drama on ABC.  Giving voice to Carter in Lego Marvel's Avengers, serving as the narrator in Return of the Spider Monkeys, appearing as Margaret Schlegel in Howards End were three more important works of this period.

In 2018, she returned to the stage after an absence of five years, playing Jenny in Dry Powder and Angelo / Isabella in Measure for Measure.

In 2018-2019, she appeared in a voice role (Zadra) in 17 episodes of 3Below: Tales of Arcadia. Also in the same period, she appeared in three films; Christopher Robin, Blinded by the Light and Avengers: Endgame. 

In May 2022, she had her last Peggy Carter film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, released. Two more films, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One and Part Two, are scheduled to be released in 2023 and 2024 respectively

Hayley Atwell is best known for portraying Margaret Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise, receiving special commendation for her work in Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers: Endgame and Agent Carter.

Equally adept on stage, she has also left her mark in various stage productions, including Major Barbara, The Pride and Rosmersholm.

Hayley Atwell rumored to be in a relationship with one of her childhood friends, who is a doctor by profession. However, she has also been seen with other men, including Gabriel Bisset-Smith, Evan Jones, Tom Cruise etc.