Rachel McAdams Biography

Rachel McAdams was born to Sandra and Lance. She has two younger siblings. Her mother is a nurse while her father is a truck driver turned furniture mover.

As a child, she began figure skating and won many regional awards in the sport. Even though she was very skilled at skating, she never considered it to be more than a hobby.

She developed her interest in acting as a child and attended Disney and Shakespeare summer camps. She has also appeared in the Original Kids Theatre Company, London productions.

She attended the Myrtle Street Public School before joining the Central Elgin Collegiate Institute. She participated in sports and served on the student council.

She joined the four-year theatre program at York University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honors degree in 2001.

She made her movie debut in the 2002 comedy film ‘My Name is Tanino’, an Italian-Canadian co-production.

Her first Hollywood movie also happened in 2002. She played a high school student in ‘The Hot Chick’ whose body is magically swapped with that of a criminal.

She got her first big breakthrough in 2004 when she was selected to play Regina George, a beautiful but manipulative teenager in ‘Mean Girls’. The film was a huge commercial hit and she was highly praised for her role.

She was flooded with film offers following the success of ‘Mean Girls’. She played the role of Allie Hamilton in ‘Notebook’ in 2004 which also starred Ryan Gosling. The movie did well at the box office and received several awards.

She played Clare Cleary, an environmental activist in the romantic comedy ‘Wedding Crashers’ in 2005. The movie became a very huge hit reaching No. 2 at the box office on its first weekend. She acted in two more films the same year: ‘The Red Eye’ and ‘The Family Stone’.

She had become very popular by now and was in much demand. She was invited along with Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley to appear on the March 2006 cover of ‘Vanity Fair’. She, however, opted out when she learned it was a session without clothes.

She took a short break from acting during 2006 and most of 2007. She got several lucrative movie offers which she turned down.

She returned to the big screen in late 2007 with the movie ‘Married Life’ in which she played Kay, a young widow who is pursued by two considerably older men played by Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper.

The year 2009 was a very productive one for her. She acted in three films, ‘State of Play’- a political thriller, ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’- a romantic drama, and the action mystery ‘Sherlock Holmes’.

She portrayed a television producer Becky Fuller in ‘Morning Glory’ (2010). The film revolved around how Becky tries to revive a failing morning show and improve its ratings. The movie was considered a star vehicle for the actress.

In 2011, she starred in Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’ in which she played the role of Inez. Her role was critically praised and the movie went on to become a very big commercial grosser.

She appeared in three movies in 2012: ‘The Vow’, ‘Passion’, and ‘To the Wonder’. In 2013, she starred as ‘Mary’ in the romantic comedy-drama film ‘About Time’ written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film garnered praise from critics and grossed over $88.5 million on a budget of $12 million. She was next seen in films like ‘A Most Wanted Man,’ ‘Every Thing Will Be Fine,’ ‘The Little Prince,’ ‘Aloha,’ ‘Southpaw,’ and ‘Spotlight.’

She portrayed ‘Christine Palmer’ in the 2016 American superhero film ‘Doctor Strange’ directed by Scott Derrickson. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing over $677.8 million on a $165–236.6 million budget. The following year, she played the role of ‘Esti Kuperman’ in the Sebastián Lelio-written and directed romantic drama film ‘Disobedience.’ The film opened to a positive reception and holds an 84% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

She went on to star in films like ‘Game Night,’ ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ In 2023, she starred as ‘Barbara Simon’ in the coming-of-age period comedy-drama film ‘Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.’ written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig. The film received massive acclaim upon release, earning an amazing 99% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

She rose to international fame with her portrayal of the teenage beauty Regina George in ‘Mean Girls’. She won many awards and the movie was listed among the Greatest Ever High School Movies by ‘Entertainment Weekly’.

Her role in the romantic comedy ‘The Notebook’ was critically appreciated and earned her many accolades. She played the love interest of Ryan Gosling in the movie. The film has since then acquired a cult following.

She won the Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series for ‘Slings and Arrows’ in 2004.

She has won several MTV Movie Awards including one for Best Breakthrough Female Performance for ‘Mean Girls’ in 2005.

She had been in relationships with fellow actors Ryan Gosling and Michael Sheen in the past. In 2016, she started dating Jamie Linden. The couple announced the birth of their son, Linden, in 2018. They welcomed their second child, a daughter, in 2021.

She is a dedicated environmentalist and supports several eco-friendly social causes.