Hannah Waddingham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Waddingham in 2023 | |
| Born | 28 July 1974 |
| Education | Academy of Live and Recorded Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and television presenter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Children | 1 |
Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is an English actress and television presenter. She is known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series Ted Lasso (2020–2023), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and 2022.[1] She has also appeared in a number of West End shows, including Spamalot, the 2010 Regent's Park revival of Into the Woods, and The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West, and has received three Olivier Award nominations for her work.
Waddingham's other work includes appearing as an ensemble member in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, and joining the cast of the fifth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones as Septa Unella in 2015.[2] She co-starred in the 2018 British psychological thriller Winter Ridge directed by Dom Lenoir, and she has had a supporting role on the series Sex Education (2019–2023). In 2023, she co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest.
Waddingham was born in Wandsworth in London.[citation needed] Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer, as were both of her maternal grandparents.[3] Her mother joined the English National Opera when Waddingham was eight years old, and she grew up around the theatre.[3][4]
Waddingham is a graduate of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts.[5] She has a four-octave vocal range.[6] She started out in dinner theatre, performing in the interactive comedy Joni and Gina's Wedding.[3][7]
Waddingham has been a stage actress on both London's West End and New York's Broadway.[3] She made her West End debut in ‘Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens’ at The Queens Theatre in 1998 and went on to star in Lautrec by Charles Aznavour in March 2000,[8] then created the role of Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s The Beautiful Game, staying with the show for the year-long run at the Cambridge Theatre from September 2000.[9] Further stage roles included Starbird in Space Family Robinson (Julian & Stephen Butler, 2002)[5] and Satan in Tonight's the Night: The Rod Stewart Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 2003.[10]
Waddingham portrayed the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, both in the London production and then on Broadway. She received an Olivier Award nomination for the role.[3] She received outstanding reviews for her portrayal of Desirée Armfeldt in Trevor Nunn's revival of A Little Night Music.[11] Waddingham subsequently received a further Olivier Award nomination in 2010 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Night Music.[12]
In mid-2010, Waddingham played the Witch in the production of Into the Woods at London's Open Air Theatre.[13][14] She originated the role of The Wicked Witch of the West in the West End production of The Wizard of Oz, which opened on 1 March 2011 at the London Palladium[15] and was the first to perform the new Lloyd Webber and Rice song "Red Shoes Blues".[3][16] She left the production on 4 September 2011.[17] Waddingham won the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance.[18]
In 2012, Waddingham starred in Chichester Festival Theatre's revival of Kiss Me, Kate.[19] The show transferred to the Old Vic Theatre on London's South Bank in November 2012.[20]
On 25 August 2023, Waddingham was announced as the host of the Fantasy, Myths and Legends Prom as part of that year's BBC Proms; on the 28th August, she pulled out just hours before the performance, in solidarity with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.[21][22]
In 2011, Waddingham appeared in series 4, episode 3 of the BBC sitcom, Not Going Out. She played the role of Jane, an actress in an adult film being recorded in the show.[23]
She had a small role in the 2012 film Les Misérables,[3] and in 2014, she appeared in the ITV comedy Benidorm.[6]
Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun", Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones, she began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter.[3][7][24] She was left with lingering aquaphobia and claustrophobia as a result.[7] She was given the role's iconic "shame bell" as a parting gift.[3][25] She also has a recurring role on the Netflix series Sex Education as Jackson's mother, Sophia Marchetti.[3][26]
From 2020 to 2023, Waddingham portrayed Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond, on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso.[4][27][28][29] 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".[30] In 2021, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.[1]
Waddingham also appears as the character Mother Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, Disney's sequel to Hocus Pocus released on Disney+ on 30 September 2022.[31][32]
She portrayed Lady Bellaston in the ITV drama series Tom Jones, based on Henry Fielding's 1749 novel.[33][26]
In March 2023, Waddingham was announced as part of the cast for the untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film.[34]
In May 2023, Waddingham co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, alongside Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them for the final.[35][36]
In 2000, Waddingham played the role of Christine in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musical The 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.[37]
She later sang the role of Starbird on the soundtrack recording of Space Family Robinson (composers: Julian Butler[38] & 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's Pleasance Theatre.[39]
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.[40][41][42] The album debuted and peaked at numbers 51 and 43 on the UK Albums Downloads and Soundtrack Albums charts, respectively.[43]
Waddingham keeps her Emmy award in her daughter's bedroom to remind her that "mummy will only ever be away when it's for a really, blooming good reason."[3]
Waddingham speaks fluent French and Italian and has stated her love for languages.[44]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas |
|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | How to Lose Friends & Alienate People | Elizabeth Maddox | |
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Factory Worker | |
| 2018 | Winter Ridge | Joanne Hill | |
| 2019 | The Hustle | Shiraz | |
| 2022 | Hocus Pocus 2 | Mother Witch | |
| 2023 | Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas | Herself | |
| 2024 | The Fall Guy † | TBA | Post-production |
| The Garfield Movie † | TBA (voice) | In production | |
| 2025 | Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film † | TBA | In production |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Coupling | Jenny Turbot | |
| Brookside | Georgina Savage | 1 episode | |
| 2003, 2006 | My Hero | Lula / Miranda / Thermowoman | 1 episode (Series 4); 1 episode (Series 6) |
| 2005 | William and Mary | Penelope | 1 episode |
| Footballers' Wives | Jools | 1 episode | |
| Hollyoaks: Let Loose | Mrs. Robertson | 3 episodes | |
| 2006 | The Only Boy for Me | Melissa | Television film |
| 2008 | Doctors | Dixie Deadman | |
| 2009 | M.I. High | Alannah Sucrose | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Marple | Lola Brewster | 1 episode |
| 2010–2011 | My Family | Katie | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Lola Brewster | 1 episode |
| Not Going Out | Jane | 1 episode | |
| 2012 | Bad Education | Loretta | 1 episode |
| 2014 | Our Gay Wedding: The Musical | Herself | |
| Benidorm | Tonya Dyke | Main role, 7 episodes (Series 6) | |
| 2015 | Partners in Crime | Blonde Assassin | 3 episodes; miniseries |
| 2015–2016 | Game of Thrones | Septa Unella | 8 episodes |
| 2016 | The Entire Universe | Herself | Television film |
| Josh | Phillipa | 1 episode | |
| 2017 | 12 Monkeys | Magdalena | Recurring role, 4 episodes |
| 2018–2019 | Krypton | Jax-Ur / Sela-Sonn | Recurring (season 1); starring (season 2) |
| 2019–2023 | Sex Education | Sofía Marchetti | Recurring role, 11 episodes |
| 2020–2023 | Ted Lasso | Rebecca Welton | Main role |
| 2021 | Murder, They Hope | Chief Inspector Henrietta Shepherd | 1 episode |
| 2021 | Midsomer Murders | Mimi Dagmar | 1 episode |
| 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race UK | Guest judge | Series 4 |
| Willow | Hubert | 1 episode | |
| 2023 | The Olivier Awards 2023 | Host | |
| Tom Jones | Lady Bellaston | 4 episodes | |
| Eurovision Song Contest | Co-presenter | Presenter for semi-finals and grand final | |
| Earthshot Prize | Co-presenter | Alongside Sterling K. Brown[45] | |
| Krapopolis | Deleria | Main role | |
| Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas | Herself | Holiday special for Apple TV+ |
| † | Denotes series that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | The Beautiful Game | Christine | Cambridge Theatre | West End |
| 2002 | Space Family Robinson | Starbird | Pleasance Theatre Islington | London |
| 2003 | Tonight's the Night | Satan | Victoria Palace Theatre | West End |
| 2006 | Bad Girls: The Musical | Nikki Wade | West Yorkshire Playhouse | Leeds |
| 2006–2007 2008 |
Spamalot | Lady of the Lake | Palace Theatre Shubert Theatre |
West End Broadway |
| 2009 | A Little Night Music | Desirée Armfeldt | Menier Chocolate Factory Garrick Theatre |
West End |
| 2010 | Into the Woods | The Witch | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | London |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Miss Gulch / Wicked Witch | London Palladium | West End |
| 2011 | Soho Cinders Gala Concert | Marilyn Platt | Queen's Theatre | London |
| 2012 | Kiss Me, Kate | Lilli Vanessi / Katharina Minola | The Old Vic | Off-West End |
