Allison Williams (actress)

Allison Howell Williams[1] (born April 13, 1988[2]) is an American actress and producer. For her work in horror films, she has been deemed a scream queen by 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.

Allison Williams
Williams in 2015
Born (1988-04-13) April 13, 1988
Alma materYale University (BA)
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse
(m. 2015; div. 2019)
PartnerAlexander Dreymon (2019–present)
Children1
Parent

Early life

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.[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] She graduated with a degree in English in 2010.[4][12]

Career

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.[13] The YouTube video of the performance received widespread praise on the Internet.[14]

After seeing Williams' mashup, Judd Apatow was convinced to cast Williams in the HBO series Girls.[10][15][16] The series premiered on April 15, 2012, and generated universal praise from television critics.[17][18][19][20] In 2016, Williams received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[21]

From 2011 to 2012, Williams appeared as Cheryl in the CollegeHumor series Jake and Amir.[22][23] 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.[24]

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.[25]

In 2017, Williams starred in the horror film Get Out, which was her feature film debut.[26] 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".[27][28][29] 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."[30] 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.[31] The film received critical acclaim, and the performances of the acting ensemble were praised.[32] 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."[33] 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.[34][35]

Williams was cast in the role of Charlotte on the Netflix horror film, The Perfection,[36] which was released on May 24, 2019 to positive reviews,[37] and her performance was called "compelling".[38] 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.[39] Williams appeared in the Swedish thriller film Horizon Line, which released in 2020.[40][41]

In 2020, Williams reteamed with Blumhouse Productions to executive produce and star in M3GAN.[42][43][44] She plays Gemma, a roboticist and creator of the titular robot.[45] The film was released on January 6, 2023, to critical and commercial success.[46][47] 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."[48] 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".[49] Kristy Puchko of Mashable said that she "solidly grounds the human drama within this scary sci-fi premise of a killer doll."[50]

Following her roles in Get Out, The Perfection and M3GAN, she was dubbed a horror queen by several media outlets.[51][52][53][54] She will reprise the role of Gemma in M3GAN 2.0, a sequel film that she also produces set for release in 2025.[55][56] She will star as Lucy Smith in the upcoming miniseries Fellow Travelers.[57]

Personal life

Williams began dating Ricky Van Veen, the co-founder of CollegeHumor, in 2011. They were engaged in 2014[58] and married on September 19, 2015, in a private ceremony in Saratoga, Wyoming.[59] Tom Hanks officiated the ceremony.[60] She and her husband lived in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[61][62] On June 27, 2019, Van Veen and Williams released a joint statement announcing their separation.[63]

In late 2019, Williams began dating German actor Alexander Dreymon, whom she met while filming Horizon Line. In late 2021, they had a son.[64] In December 2022, it was reported that the couple had become engaged.[65]

Filmography

Film

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[56]
2025 M3GAN 2.0 Also producer[56]

Television

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"
TBA Fellow Travelers Lucy Smith Upcoming miniseries[66]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2016 Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Girls Nominated [21]
2017 Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cast Get Out Nominated [67]
Fright Meter Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role Nominated [68]
IGN Awards Best Supporting Performer in a Movie Nominated [69]
MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Villain Nominated [34]
National Board of Review Best Cast Won [70]
Online Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [71]
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [72]
Seattle Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Won [73]
2018 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Ensemble Won [74]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Nominated [75]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated [35]

References

  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. 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
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