Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is a British actress and singer. She is best known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series '' Ted Lasso'' (2020–present), for which she won the

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...

in 2021 and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and 2022. She has also appeared in a number of West End shows, including ''

Spamalot ''Spamalot'' (also known as ''Monty Python's Spamalot'') is a musical comedy with music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, and lyrics and book by Idle. It is adapted from the 1975 film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Like the motion pictu ...

'', the 2010 Regent's Park revival of ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. T ...

'', and '' The Wizard of Oz'' as the

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...

; and has received three

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

nominations for her work. Her other work includes appearing as an ensemble member in the 2012 film adaptation of ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', and joining the cast of the fifth season of the HBO series ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

'' as

Septa Unella George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others beyo ...

in 2015. She co-starred in the 2018 British psychological thriller ''

Winter Ridge ''Winter Ridge'' is a 2018 British psychological thriller drama film directed by Dom Lenoir and starring Matt Hookings, Olwen Catherine Kelly, Michael McKell, Hannah Waddingham, Justin McDonald and Alan Ford. It was written by Ross Owen William ...

'', and has had a supporting role on the series ''

Sex Education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

'' since 2019.

Early life and education

Waddingham was born in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its nam ...

in London. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer as were both her maternal grandparents. Her mother joined the

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

when Waddingham was eight years old, and she grew up around the theatre. Waddingham is a graduate of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She has a four octave

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

. She started out in dinner theatre, performing in the interactive comedy '' Joni and Gina's Wedding''.

Career

Stage career

Waddingham has been a stage actress on both London's West End and New York's

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

. She performed as Starbird in ''

Space Family Robinson ''Space Family Robinson'' was an original science-fiction comic-book series published by Gold Key Comics. It predates the ''Lost in Space'' television series. Both are loosely based on the 1812 novel by Johann David Wyss and similarly named movie ...

'' (Julian & Stephen Butler, 2002) and Suzanne Valadon in ''

Lautrec Lautrec (; oc, Lautrèc) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. Demography Remarkable sites Lautrec is listed among "The Most Beautiful Villages of France" as well as a "Remarkable Site for Taste" thanks to its renowne ...

''. Waddingham portrayed the Lady of the Lake in ''

'', both in the London production and then on

. She received an

nomination for the role. She received outstanding reviews for her portrayal of Desirée Armfeldt in

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

's revival of '' A Little Night Music'', including being described by one critic as the "

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

of musical theatre". Waddingham subsequently received a further Olivier Award nomination in 2010 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Night Music''. In mid-2010, Waddingham played the Witch in the production of ''

'' at London's

Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

. She originated the role of The

in the West End production of '' The Wizard of Oz'', which opened on 1 March 2011 at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

and was the first to perform the new Lloyd Webber and

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

song "Red Shoes Blues". She left the production on 4 September 2011. Waddingham won the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance. Waddingham appeared in the concert premiere of Styles and Drew's Soho Cinders at the Queens Theatre, London in 2011, and was replaced by Jenna Russell for the show's first fully staged production in 2012. In 2012, Waddingham starred in

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

's revival of '' Kiss Me, Kate''. The show transferred to the Old Vic Theatre on London's South Bank in November 2012.

Screen career

In 2011, Waddingham appeared in Season 4, Episode 3 of the hit BBC sitcom, '' Not Going Out''. She played the role of Jane, an actress in an adult film being recorded in the show. She had a small role in the 2012 film ''

'', and in 2014, starred on the ITV comedy ''

Benidorm Benidorm is a town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotel ...

''. Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun",

, in season 5 and 6 of ''

''. She started filming nine weeks after giving birth to her daughter, and did her own stunts for a scene in which she is

waterboarded Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboardi ...

. She was given the role's iconic "shame bell" as a parting gift. She also has a recurring role on the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

series ''

'' as Jackson's overbearing mother, Sophia Marchetti. Since 2020, Waddingham has portrayed Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond on the

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

series '' Ted Lasso''. The show has been praised for its "refreshing" portrayal of a supportive female friendship between Rebecca and Juno Temple's character, Keeley. She does 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". In 2021, she won the

and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role. Waddingham also appears as the character Mother Witch in ''Hocus Pocus 2'', Disney's sequel to ''Hocus Pocus'' released on Disney+ on September 30, 2022. The actor's time on screen has been described as an "Oscar-worthy performance" and " om the moment she enters, she commands the screen with unquestionable authority." She will portray Lady Bellaston in the ITV drama miniseries ''Tom Jones'', based on

Henry Fielding Henry Fielding (22 April 1707 – 8 October 1754) was an English novelist, irony writer, and dramatist known for earthy humour and satire. His comic novel ''Tom Jones'' is still widely appreciated. He and Samuel Richardson are seen as founders ...

's 1749

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

Recordings

Billed simply as Hannah, Waddingham placed "Our Kind of Love" in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in October 2000, where it peaked at No. 41. She later sang the role of Starbird on the soundtrack recording of ''

'' (composers:

Julian Butler Julian Butler (born 15 Aug 1970) is an English composer, lyricist and writer. He is best known for his work in children's theatre. Career Butler wrote the script, lyrics and co-wrote the music for ''Space Family Robinson'', a musical star ...

& 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 The Pleasance is a theatre, bar, sports and recreation complex in Edinburgh, Scotland, situated on a street of the same name. It is owned by the University of Edinburgh, and for nine months of the year it serves the Edinburgh University Stude ...

. She played the role of Christine in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musical ''The Beautiful Game'' in London's West End, and sings the role in the cast recording.

Personal life

Waddingham is in a relationship with Italian businessman Gianluca Cugnetto. Their daughter (born 2014) has an autoimmune disease,

Henoch–Schönlein purpura Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP), also known as IgA vasculitis, is a disease of the skin, mucous membranes, and sometimes other organs that most commonly affects children. In the skin, the disease causes palpable purpura (small, raised areas of b ...

. She 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."

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Waddingham, Hannah 1974 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Alumni of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts Actresses from London English film actresses English musical theatre actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses Living people Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners People from Wandsworth