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Allison Williams

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This article is about the American actress. For other people named Allison Williams, see Allison Williams (disambiguation).

Allison Williams
Williams in 2015
Born (1988-04-13) April 13, 1988 (age 36)
New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationYale University (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2015; div. 2019)​
Partner(s)Alexander Dreymon (2019–present; engaged)
Children1
FatherBrian Williams

Allison Howell Williams[1] (born April 13, 1988[2]) is an American actress. For her work in horror films, she has been deemed a scream queen by some in the media. She first became known for starring as Marnie Michaels in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2012–2017), which earned her a Critics' Choice Award nomination. Her breakthrough came with the role of Rose Armitage in the horror film Get Out (2017), which earned her nominations from the MTV Movie Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards among other accolades. She went on to star in the horror films The Perfection (2018) and M3GAN (2022), the latter of which she also executive produced. Her latest on-screen appearance was for the role of Lucy Smith in Showtime's Peabody Award-winning miniseries Fellow Travelers (2023).

Early life

[edit]

Williams was born and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut,[3] the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams[4] and TV producer Jane Gillan Stoddard. She has a younger brother Doug, the WCBS-TV reporter and anchor and former late-night anchor of Geico SportsNite on SportsNet New York.[5] Williams attended New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy.[6] She later attended Yale University majoring in English; she was a member of Morse College and the St. Elmo secret society.[7][8]

While in New Canaan, Williams worked in a Ralph Lauren outlet store.[9] She was also a member of the improv comedy troupe Just Add Water for four years and acted in the YouTube series College Musical.[10][11] The project featured Sam Tsui and was directed by Kurt Hugo Schneider, both of whom also attended Yale.[11] In 2010, Yale made a "That's Why I Chose Yale" promotional video featuring among others Williams, whose contribution went viral.[12][13]

She graduated Yale with a degree in English in 2010.[4][14]

Career

[edit]
Williams on the set of Girls in 2012

In 2010, Williams performed a mashup of "Nature Boy" set to RJD2's "A Beautiful Mine", the theme song for the television series Mad Men.[15] The YouTube video of the performance received widespread praise on the Internet.[16]

After seeing Williams' mashup, Judd Apatow was convinced to cast Williams in the HBO series Girls.[10][17][18] The series premiered on April 15, 2012, and generated universal praise from television critics.[19][20][21][22] In 2016, Williams received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[23]

From 2011 to 2012, Williams appeared as Cheryl in the CollegeHumor series Jake and Amir.[24][25] On December 4, 2014, she starred in the title role on NBC's live television presentation of the musical Peter Pan Live!, opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook.[26]

In November 2016, Williams appeared in Past Forward, a short film collaboration between David O. Russell and Prada. Williams wrote a series of Funny or Die sketches starring as newlywed Kate Middleton,[4] with English actor and model Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.[27]

In 2017, Williams starred in the horror film Get Out, which was her feature film debut.[28] Director Jordan Peele was convinced she was right for the role of Rose after seeing her performance in Peter Pan Live! and cast her in order to "disorient audiences".[29][30][31] Williams said that she had been "looking for a role that would weaponize everything that people take for granted about me. So I instantly signed on to it."[32] To prepare for the role, Williams isolated herself from the cast and crew during production in order to understand the psychopathic nature of her character.[33] The film received critical acclaim, and the performances of the acting ensemble were praised.[34] Johnny Hoffman of MovieWeb praised her for being "suspicious and charming from beginning to end" and wrote that "Williams proved, with this character, that she is perfectly capable of portraying an effective villain."[35] The film earned her several accolades, including nominations for the MTV Award for Best Villain and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[36][37]

Williams was cast in the role of Charlotte on the Netflix horror film The Perfection,[38] which was released on May 24, 2019, to positive reviews,[39] and her performance was called "compelling".[40] She was cast in the role of Kit Snicket throughout the second and third seasons of the Netflix comedy-drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events.[41] Williams appeared in the Swedish thriller film Horizon Line, which released in 2020.[42][43]

In 2020, Williams reteamed with Blumhouse Productions to executive produce and star in M3GAN.[44][45][46] She plays Gemma, a roboticist and creator of the titular robot.[47] The film was released on January 6, 2023, to critical and commercial success.[48][49] Jason Zinoman of The New York Times said that she had a "knack for playing it straight" and further wrote that she "capably updates the mad-scientist archetype, refusing to pause and ask questions while inventing a doll of the future, one who pairs with a child and adjusts to their needs, filling in as best friend and big sister."[50] Fletcher Peters of The Daily Beast wrote that Williams "conquers her role" and further praised her ability "to play off the absurdity with such finesse is incredible […] Williams excels in the gruesome scenes just as well as she does with the comedy".[51] Kristy Puchko of Mashable said that she "solidly grounds the human drama within this scary sci-fi premise of a killer doll."[52]

Following her roles in Get Out, The Perfection and M3GAN, she was dubbed a horror queen by several media outlets.[53][54][55][56] She will reprise the role of Gemma in M3GAN 2.0, a sequel film that she also produces set for release in 2025.[57][58] She starred as Lucy Smith in the October 2023 miniseries Fellow Travelers.[59] The series won a Peabody Award at the 83rd ceremony for "Chronicling LGBTQ+ History Over 50 Years."

Personal life

[edit]

Williams began dating Ricky Van Veen, the co-founder of CollegeHumor, in 2011. They were engaged in 2014[60] and married on September 19, 2015, in a private ceremony in Saratoga, Wyoming.[61] Tom Hanks officiated the ceremony.[62] She and her husband lived in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[63][64] On June 27, 2019, Van Veen and Williams released a joint statement announcing their separation.[65]

In late 2019, Williams began dating German actor Alexander Dreymon, whom she met while filming Horizon Line. In late 2021, they had a son.[66] In December 2022, it was reported that the couple had become engaged.[67]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Past Forward Woman #1 Short film
2017 Get Out Rose Armitage
2018 The Perfection Charlotte Willmore
2020 Horizon Line Sara Johnson
2022 M3GAN Gemma Also executive producer[58]
2025 M3GAN 2.0 Filming; also producer

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
2004 American Dreams Deborah 2 episodes
2011 Will & Kate: Before Happily Ever After Kate Middleton Recurring role; 4 episodes; also writer
The League Danielle Episode: "The Guest Bong"
2011–2012 Jake and Amir Cheryl 2 episodes
2012–2017 Girls Marnie Michaels Main role
2013 The Mindy Project Jillian 3 episodes
2014 Peter Pan Live! Peter Pan Television special
2015 The Simpsons Candace's friend Voice; Episode: "Every Man's Dream"
2018 Patrick Melrose Marianne Episode: "Bad News"
2018–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Kit Snicket Recurring role; 8 episodes
2019 Sesame Street Sanitation Worker Episode: "Oscar Uncanned"
2023 Saturday Night Live Herself Episode: "Aubrey Plaza/Sam Smith"
2023 Fellow Travelers Lucy Smith Miniseries[68]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Girls Nominated [23]
2017 Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cast Get Out Nominated [69]
Fright Meter Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated [70]
IGN Awards Best Supporting Performer in a Movie Nominated [71]
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Villain Nominated [36]
National Board of Review Best Cast Won [72]
Online Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [73]
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [74]
Seattle Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Won [75]
2018 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Ensemble Won [76]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Nominated [77]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated [37]
2024 Peabody Awards Chronicling LGBTQ+ History Over 50 Years Fellow Travelers Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sachs, Adam (February 8, 2017). "Allison Williams on Her Brand-New Blonde, Daily Doughnuts, and Her Pal Katy Perry". Allure. Retrieved November 2, 2017. I think if I'd used my middle name professionally—Howell Williams—I'd have a totally different career.
  2. ^ "Celebrity birthdays on April 13". The Miami Herald. April 13, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2014. Actress Allison Williams ('Girls') is 26.
  3. ^ Kaufman, Amy (February 17, 2017). "How Allison Williams mined the horrors of white privilege for 'Get Out'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Schuster, Dana (August 5, 2011). "Anchor's away". The New York Post. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  5. ^ Koblin, John (July 20, 2017). "Another Williams Takes His Turn Before the Camera, at SNY". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Allison Williams flies high". New Canaan Advertiser. December 4, 2014. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
    • "I went to the New Canaan Nature Center for preschool," she said. "I was so into that world, and still think about it all the time. It established my love for nature and animals." "New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy followed."
  7. ^ Mor, Michael (December 16, 2011). "Q&A: Alumna from new HBO series joining Whiffs for benefit concert". Yale News. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Klein, Alex (May 5, 2010). "WEB EXCLUSIVE: Every Yale Secret Society, 2009–2010 (or, A Tribute to Rumpus)". IvyGate. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast", Allison Williams, Dan Lippert, Erin Kief, vol. Episode 790, retrieved January 15, 2023
  10. ^ a b Serna, Danny (January 11, 2011). "HBO picks up new television series starring Allison Williams '10/". Yale Daily News. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Perlman, Jake (September 2, 2014). "'Girls' meets 'Glee'? Watch the trailer for 'College Musical' with Allison Williams". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  12. ^ https://news.yale.edu/2011/12/16/qa-alumna-new-hbo-series-joining-whiffs-benefit-concert
  13. ^ https://www.mediaite.com/online/allison-williams-this-week-the-biggest-star-in-her-family-sorry-briwi/2/
  14. ^ Yager, Sarah (January 29, 2010). "Kurt Schneider re(de)fines formula for YouTube success". The Yale Herald. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  15. ^ Shea, Danny (October 13, 2010). "Allison Williams, Brian Williams' Daughter, Sings 'Mad Men' Theme Song (VIDEO)". HuffPost. New York City: Huffington Post Media Group. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  16. ^ Sklar, Rachel (October 14, 2010). "Allison Williams, This Week The Biggest Star In Her Family (Sorry, BriWi)". Mediaite. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  17. ^ Weisman, Aly. "Here's The YouTube Video That Got Allison Williams Cast In 'Girls'". Business Insider. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  18. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 28, 2010). "Trio Cast In Lena Dunham's HBO Pilot, Including Brian Williams' Daughter Allison". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  19. ^ Hess, Amanda (March 11, 2013). "Was That a Rape Scene in Girls?". Slate Magazine. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  20. ^ Harris, Aisha (March 11, 2013). "A Seminal TV Moment f/k/a HBO's Girls "money shot": Was it the first in TV history?". Slate Magazine. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  21. ^ Keene, Allison (March 11, 2013). "'Girls': Did Lena Dunham Go Too Far?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  22. ^ Berman, Judy (January 22, 2013). "'I'm a White Girl': Why 'Girls' Won't Ever Overcome Its Racial Problem". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  23. ^ a b Lincoln, Ross (November 14, 2016). "Critics' Choice TV Nominations Unveiled". Deadline. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  24. ^ "Jake and Amir / Cheryl". CollegeHumor. December 1, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  25. ^ "Jake and Amir / Cheryl Part 2 (starring Allison Williams)". CollegeHumor. August 14, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  26. ^ Sneticker, Marc (July 30, 2014). "Allison Williams to play Peter Pan in NBC's 'Peter Pan Live'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  27. ^ "Allison Williams". Funny or Die. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  28. ^ "How Allison Williams mined the horrors of white privilege for 'Get Out'". Los Angeles Times. February 17, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  29. ^ "What White People Won't Accept Re: 'Get Outs Rose Armitage". The Mary Sue. December 1, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  30. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (March 4, 2017). "Jordan Peele: Why Allison Williams is perfect in 'Get Out'". Business Insider. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  31. ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 4, 2015). "Allison Williams To Star In Jordan Peele's Horror Movie 'Get Out'". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  32. ^ Yuan, Jada; Harris, Hunter (February 22, 2018). "How Get Out, the First Great Movie of the Trump Era, Got Made". Vulture. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  33. ^ "Allison Williams on Her Wicked Get Out Role: "I Have No Empathy for Her"". Vanity Fair. May 5, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  34. ^ Crucchiola, Jordan. "The Singularity of Allison Williams". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  35. ^ Hoffman, Jonny (October 22, 2022). "Allison Williams' 5 Best Performances, Ranked". MovieWeb. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Bell, Crystal (April 6, 2017). "Here Are Your 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominations: See The Full List". MTV. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  37. ^ a b "2018 SAG Awards Nominations: See the Full List". Vanity Fair. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  38. ^ Busch, Anita (October 27, 2017). "Allison Williams Toplines Horror Thriller 'The Perfection' For Director Richard Shepard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  39. ^ Hasty, Katie (December 30, 2018). "Here's every 2019 movie release date so far". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  40. ^ The Perfection (2018), retrieved June 22, 2021
  41. ^ Otterson, Joe (March 20, 2018). "Allison Williams Joins 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  42. ^ "Allison Williams, Alexander Dreymon to Star in STX Survival Thriller 'Horizon Line'". The Hollywood Reporter. February 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  43. ^ Williams, Trey (February 1, 2019). "'Get Out' Star Allison Williams to Star in STX Survival-Thriller 'Horizon Line'". The Wrap. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  44. ^ "M3GAN marked a big career first for Get Out's Allison Williams". Digital Spy. January 7, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  45. ^ "Why Murderous Robotic Doll 'M3GAN' Was Allison Williams' Most "Complicated" Co-Star". The Hollywood Reporter. January 8, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  46. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 7, 2020). "Allison Williams Reteams With 'Get Out' Producer Blumhouse For 'M3GAN'". Deadline. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  47. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 8, 2023). "How 'M3GAN' Boogied Her Way To The Box Office Via TikTok; Sequel Already In Works". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  48. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 8, 2023). "'M3GAN' Slays With $30M+ Opening; 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Hits Half Billion Faster Than 'Top Gun 2', 'Rogue One' – Sunday AM Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  49. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 16, 2023). "Moviegoing Happens Over MLK: 'Avatar 2' Soars With $40M 4-day, 'M3GAN' Moves $21M+, 'Puss In Boots 2′ Hits $112M, 'Otto' Bright At $15M+ – Update". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  50. ^ Zinoman, Jason (January 5, 2023). "'M3gan' Review: Wherever I Go, She Goes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  51. ^ Peters, Fletcher (January 6, 2023). "Allison Williams Deserves All the Hype in the World for 'M3GAN'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  52. ^ Puchko, Kristy (January 4, 2023). "'M3GAN review: 2023's first must-see movie has arrived". Mashable. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  53. ^ "Allison Williams Talks M3gan". Time. January 6, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  54. ^ Lee-Maxwell, Jennifer (January 10, 2023). "Allison Williams Is a Totally New Kind of Horror Queen". Collider. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  55. ^ Stewart, Sara (May 22, 2019). "How Allison Williams became Hollywood's smartest scream queen". New York Post. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  56. ^ Ryan, Patrick. "Allison Williams' friends told her to get therapy after 'Get Out,' 'The Perfection' roles". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  57. ^ Barnes, Brooks (November 16, 2022). "Hollywood Horror Blockbuster: Two Leading Producers Will Soon Join Forces". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  58. ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 18, 2023). "'M3GAN 2.0' To Happen In 2025". Deadline. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  59. ^ Otterson, Joe (June 7, 2022). "Allison Williams to Star Opposite Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  60. ^ Blumm, K.C.; Jordan, Julie (February 26, 2014). "Allison Williams Engaged to Ricky Van Veen". People. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014.
  61. ^ Kimble, Lindsay; Mizoguchi, Karen (September 19, 2015). "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen Are Married". People. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  62. ^ "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen's honeymoon was 'heavenly'". Hello!. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  63. ^ "Chelsea 'Girl': Allison Williams makes her home on Manhattan's West side". Brick Underground. February 18, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  64. ^ Sargeant, Jordan (February 11, 2015). "Allison Williams Might Be the Most Boring Person in New York". Gawker. New York City: Gawker Media. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  65. ^ Nahas, Aili; Chiu, Melody; Stone, Natalie (June 27, 2019). "Girls' Allison Williams and Husband Ricky Van Veen Separate After Nearly 4 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  66. ^ Jordan, Julie (April 25, 2022). "Allison Williams and Alexander Dreymon Welcome First Baby, Son Arlo: 'Over the Moon,' Says Source". People. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  67. ^ Kahn, Mattie (January 5, 2023). "Allison Williams is Passing on the Vibe Shift". Town & Country. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  68. ^ Otterson, Joe (June 7, 2022). "Allison Williams to Star Opposite Matt Bomer in Showtime Limited Series 'Fellow Travelers' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  69. ^ "'The Shape of Water' Leads 2017 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations". Florida Film Critics Circle. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  70. ^ "2017 Fright Meter Awards Winners". Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  71. ^ Movie of the Year - Best of 2017 Awards Wiki Guide - IGN, December 2017, retrieved July 5, 2020
  72. ^ "National Board Of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners". National Board of Review. November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  73. ^ Hipes, Patrick (December 28, 2017). "'Get Out' Named Best Picture By Online Film Critics Society". Deadline. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  74. ^ Murray, Rebecca (December 9, 2017). "San Diego Film Critics 2017 Nominees: 'Three Billboards,' 'Shape of Water,' and 'Dunkirk' Top the List". Showbiz Junkies. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  75. ^ "'Blade Runner 2049' Leads the 2017 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations". Seattle Film Critics Society. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  76. ^ Appelo, Tim. "Complete List of Winners at the 2018 Movies for Grownups Awards". AARP. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  77. ^ "2017 Awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
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