Allison Williams (actress)

Allison Howell Williams[1] (born April 13, 1988)[2] is an American actress and singer. She first received recognition for starring as Marnie Michaels in the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2012–2017), for which she was nominated for a Critic's Choice Award. She then portrayed Rose Armitage in the horror film Get Out (2017), for which she received various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. She has also starred as the title role in Peter Pan Live! (2014) and appeared as Kit Snicket in the series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2019).

This article is about the American actress. For the American sportscaster, see Allison Williams (reporter). For the 2003 pageant titleholder, see Allison Williams (Miss West Virginia).

Allison Williams
Williams in 2018
Born (1988-04-13) April 13, 1988
New Canaan, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma materYale University
OccupationActress
Years active2004–present
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2015; div. 2019)​
Parent(s)

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 brother, Doug, three years her junior.[5]

Williams attended New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy.[6] She also attended Yale University, where she majored in English was a member of Morse College and St. Elmo secret society.[7][8] At Yale, Williams was also a member of the improv comedy troupe Just Add Water for four years and acted in the YouTube series College Musical.[9][10] The project featured Sam Tsui and was directed by Kurt Hugo Schneider, both of whom attended Yale.[10] She graduated with a degree in English in 2010.[4][11]

Career

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.[12] The YouTube video of the performance received widespread praise on the Internet,[13] and convinced Judd Apatow that she should be given a part in the HBO series Girls.[4] She was cast shortly after and credited her experience at Just Add Water for passing the audition.[9][14] Girls premiered on April 15, 2012, and ran until 2017. She received praise for the role, and in 2016 she received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[15]

Williams on Inauguration Day in 2013

From 2011 to 2012, Williams appeared as Cheryl in the CollegeHumor series Jake and Amir.[16][17] 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.[18] 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, in which she starred as newlywed Kate Middleton,[4] with English actor and model Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.[19]

In 2017, Williams starred in the horror film Get Out. She was cast in the film by director Jordan Peele, who became convinced she was right for the role of Rose after seeing her performance in Peter Pan Live!.[20] The film received critical acclaim, and the performances of the acting ensemble and Williams were praised, earning her several awards and nominations, including being nominated for the MTV Award for Best Villain and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[21][22] In the same year, Williams was cast in the role of Charlotte on the Netflix horror film, The Perfection,[23] which was released on May 24, 2019.[24]

In 2018, she was cast in a recurring role as Kit Snicket throughout the second and third seasons of the Netflix comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events.[25] Williams next appeared in the Swedish thriller film Horizon Line, which released in 2020.[26][27]

Activism

Williams is an ambassador for Horizons National. She led the 2016 "10 Days of Giving" campaign to raise awareness and funds for the organization's educational goals and is expected to revisit this role in 2017.[28] She has also done work with Product Red to fund HIV/AIDS programs in Africa, and is currently involved with the Transformational Prison Project as an advocate for criminal justice reform. In 2017, she talked about her political views, advocacy, millennial activism, and women in Hollywood on the Politico podcast, Women Rule.[29]

Personal life

Williams began dating Ricky Van Veen, co-founder of CollegeHumor, in 2011. They became engaged in 2014,[30] and married on September 19, 2015 in a private ceremony in Saratoga, Wyoming.[31] Tom Hanks officiated the ceremony.[32] She and her husband lived in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.[33][34] On June 27, 2019, Van Veen and Williams issued a joint statement of their separation.[35]

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 Completed

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
2011–2012 Jake and Amir Cheryl 2 episodes
2011 The League Danielle Episode: "The Guest Bong"
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"
2018–2019 A Series of Unfortunate Events Kit Snicket Recurring role; 8 episodes
2018 Patrick Melrose Marianne Episode: "Bad News"
2019 Sesame Street Sanitation Worker Episode: "Oscar Uncanned"

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2016 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Girls Nominated [15]
2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Villain Get Out Nominated [21]
National Board of Review Best Cast Won [36]
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [37]
Seattle Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Won [38]
Florida Film Critics Circle Best Cast Nominated [39]
Online Film Critics Society Best Ensemble Nominated [40]
[41]
IGN Awards Best Supporting Performer in a Movie Nominated [42]
2018 Georgia Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Nominated [43]
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated [22]

References
  1. Adam Sachs (February 8, 2017). "Allison Williams on Her Brand-New Blonde, Daily Doughnuts, and Her Pal Katy Perry". 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. Los Angeles, California: Tronc. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  4. Schuster, Dana (August 5, 2011). "Anchor's away". New York Post. New York City: News Corp. Retrieved July 6, 2014.
  5. Koblin, John (July 20, 2017). "Another Williams Takes His Turn Before the Camera, at SNY". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  6. "Allison Williams flies high". New Canaan Advertiser. New Canaan, Connecticut: Hearst Communications. 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. Serna, Danny (January 11, 2011). "HBO picks up new television series starring Allison Williams '10/". Yale Daily News. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  10. Perlman, Jake (September 2, 2014). "'Girls' meets 'Glee'? Watch the trailer for 'College Musical' with Allison Williams". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  11. Yager, Sarah (January 29, 2010). "Kurt Schneider re(de)fines formula for YouTube success". The Yale Herald. Yale University. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  12. Shea, Danny (October 13, 2010). "Allison Williams, Brian Williams' Daughter, Sings 'Mad Men' Theme Song (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. New York City: Huffington Post Media Group. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  13. Sklar, Rachel (October 14, 2010). "Allison Williams, This Week The Biggest Star In Her Family (Sorry, BriWi)". Mediaite. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  14. 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.
  15. Lincoln, Ross (November 14, 2016). "Critics' Choice TV Nominations Unveiled". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  16. "Jake and Amir / Cheryl". CollegeHumor. December 1, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  17. "Jake and Amir / Cheryl Part 2 (starring Allison Williams)". CollegeHumor. August 14, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  18. Sneticker, Marc (July 30, 2014). "Allison Williams to play Peter Pan in NBC's 'Peter Pan Live'". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  19. "Allison Williams". Funny or Die. Los Angeles, California: Gary Sanchez Productions. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  20. Hipes, Patrick (November 4, 2015). "Allison Williams To Star In Jordan Peele's Horror Movie 'Get Out'". Deadline Hollywood. Los Angeles, California: Eldridge Industries. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  21. Bell, Crystal (April 6, 2017). "Here Are Your 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards Nominations: See The Full List". MTV. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  22. Vanity Fair Editors (December 13, 2017). "2018 SAG Awards Nominations: See the Full List". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  23. Busch, Anita (October 27, 2017). "Allison Willliams Toplines Horror Thriller 'The Perfection' For Director Richard Shepard". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  24. Hasty, Katie (December 30, 2018). "Here's every 2019 movie release date so far". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  25. Otterson, Joe (March 20, 2018). "Allison Williams Joins 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  26. "Allison Williams, Alexander Dreymon to Star in STX Survival Thriller 'Horizon Line'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  27. "'Get Out' Star Allison Williams to Star in STX Survival-Thriller 'Horizon Line'". TheWrap. February 1, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  28. "Allison Williams Sets the Stage for Horizons Giving Day". Horizonsnational.org. Horizons National. May 4, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  29. "Allison Williams re-imagines 'Girls' in the Trump era". Politico. Arlington, Virginia: Capitol News Company. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  30. Blumm, K.C.; Jordan, Julie (February 26, 2014). "Allison Williams Engaged to Ricky Van Veen". People. Time. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
  31. Kimble, Lindsay; Mizoguchi, Karen (September 19, 2015). "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen Are Married". People. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  32. "Allison Williams and Ricky Van Veen's honeymoon was 'heavenly'". HELLO! US. Hello. October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  33. "Chelsea 'Girl': Allison Williams makes her home on Manhattan's West side". Brick Underground. February 18, 2015.
  34. Sargeant, Jordan (February 11, 2015). "Allison Williams Might Be the Most Boring Person in New York". Gawker. New York City: Gawker Media.
  35. 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 September 27, 2020.
  36. National Board of Review Editors (November 29, 2017). "National Board Of Review Announces 2017 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  37. 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.
  38. Seattle Film Critics Society Editors (December 11, 2017). "'Blade Runner 2049' Leads the 2017 Seattle Film Critics Society Nominations". Seattle Film Critics Society. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  39. "'The Shape of Water' Leads 2017 Florida Film Critics Awards Nominations". Florida Film Critics Circle. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  40. Neglia, Matt. "The 2017 Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) Nominations". NextBigPicture. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  41. Hipes, Patrick (December 28, 2017). "'Get Out' Named Best Picture By Online Film Critics Society". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  42. Movie of the Year - Best of 2017 Awards Wiki Guide - IGN, retrieved July 5, 2020
  43. "2017 Awards". Georgia Film Critics Association. January 8, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
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