Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Background:

Golden Globe-nominated actress Rebecca Hall, the daughter of Royal Shakespeare Company director Peter Hall and opera diva Maria Ewing, began her career on stage before graduating to the silver screen with critically-acclaimed performances in the films "Starter for 10" (2006), "The Prestige" (2006), "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008), which earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination, and "Frost/Nixon" (2008). The rising star will next be seen in the upcoming films "Nineteen Eighty-Three," "Nineteen Seventy-Four," and "Dorian Gray."

More personally, this 5' 9" raven-haired British actress once dated actor Freddie Stevenson (born on March 9, 1980).

Theatrical Family

Childhood and Family:

"Coming from parents who are in the public eye, I learned early on not to take it all too seriously. I am not going to get completely self-obsessed and wrapped up in it all.” Rebecca Hall

The daughter of acclaimed opera singer Maria Ewing (born on March 27, 1950) and legendary Royal Shakespeare Company director Sir Peter Hall (born on November 22, 1930), Rebecca Hall was born on May 19, 1982, in London, England. She is the sister of theater set designers Emma and Lucy Hall. Her paternal grandparents are Reginald Edward Arthur Hall, a stationmaster, and Grace Pamment.

Rebecca's parents divorced when she was five. She has a half brother, who is a theatre director, named Edward Hall (born in 1967).

Rebecca attended Roedean School in East Sussex. She then studied English at St Catharine's College, in Cambridge, but dropped out in 2002.

Starter for 10

Career:

As the daughter of an acclaimed opera singer and legendary theater director, Rebecca Hall followed in her parent’s footsteps when at the age of 10, she made her professional acting debut in her father’s televised adaptation of Mary Wesley's 1984 novel, “The Camomile Lawn” (1992). She followed it up with roles in the made-for-television movie "Don't Leave Me This Way" (1993; starring Imelda Staunton and Bill Nighy), a murder mystery based on Joan Smith's novel, and an episode of the animated television series "The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends."

While attending St Catharine's College, in Cambridge, Rebecca Hall began appearing in a number of plays, including a production of Edward Albee's “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” (2001). She also appeared in student stage productions alongside Dan Stevens, who would later be her co-star in “As You Like It.”

Her performance in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” impressed her father so much that she made her professional stage debut in his West End staging of George Bernard Shaw's “Mrs. Warren's Profession” at the Strand Theatre in London. Portraying Vivie Warren, Rebecca won the 2002 Sunday Times/National Theatre Ian Charleson Award, which recognizes performances in classical roles by actors and actresses under 30 in Britain.

Rebecca also played Lady Macbeth and Hecate in the Marlowe Dramatic Society's production of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth," at the Cambridge Arts Theatre, and collaborated with her father, who directed her as heroine Rosalind in William Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It" at theatres in Europe and in the United States. Her performance in the play earned her a second nomination with the Sunday Times/National Theatre Ian Charleson Awards.

During this time, Rebecca could also be seen playing the title character in D.H. Lawrence's "The Fight For Barbara" at the Theatre Royal in Bath, which was directed by Thea Sharrock. She then portrayed Rosemary Hoyt in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1934 novel "Tender is the Night" (2003).

In 2004, Rebecca was again directed by her father, this time as Ann Whitefield, in George Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman" at the Theatre Royal in Bath. She also played Elvira in Molière's play "Don Juan" at the Theatre Royal in Bath, which was directed by Thea Sharrock. She then portrayed Sister Maria Celeste in Timberlake Wertenbaker's "Galileo's Daughter" at the Theatre Royal in Bath from July 9 to August 14, 2004. The play was directed by her father.

Rebecca made her film debut in 2006 when she was cast opposite James McAvoy in the Tom Hanks-produced "Starter for 10" (2006), a film adaptation of David Nicholls' 2003 novel that was directed by Tom Vaughan. Also that year, she played Christian Bale's wife, who would hang herself, in Christopher Nolan's film version of Christopher Priest's 1995 World Fantasy Award winning novel, "The Prestige.” The movie also starred Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, and Piper Perabo. Her performance in the film earned her an Empire Award nomination for Best Female Newcomer and a London Critics Circle Film Award (ALFS) nomination for British Newcomer of the Year.

On television, Rebecca costarred as vulnerable Antoinette Cosway, the love interest of Rafe Spall's Edward Rochester, in the TV movie version of Dominica-born author Jean Rhys' 1966 postcolonial parallel novel, "Wide Sargasso Sea" (2006).

The following year, Rebecca starred in Brian Crano's 15-minute short film "Rubberheart" (2007) and co-starred with Michael Gambon and Kelly Reilly in the dramatic TV movie "Joe's Palace" (2007).

Rebecca was recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and a London Critics Circle Film Award (ALFS Award) for British Actress of the Year for her role of Vicky, opposite Scarlett Johansson's Cristina, in Woody Allen's Golden Globe Award winning/Academy Award nominated film, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008). The film, which also stars Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, also won a Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast. Rebecca also received a Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for her work in Ron Howard's historical drama film based on the play of the same name by Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon” (2008), which starred Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in the title roles. She then appeared in Brian Crano's 10-minute comedy film "Official Selection" (2008) and in the historical TV movie "Einstein and Eddington" (2008).

Rebecca, who has been nominated for the Rising Star Award at the 2009 BAFTA Awards, is currently filming two film adaptations of David Peace's novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Three" and "Nineteen Seventy-Four." She is also working on an untitled Nicole Holofcener project with Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, and Oliver Platt, and will support Colin Firth and Ben Barnes in Oliver Parker's take on Oscar Wilde's novel, "Dorian Gray."

On stage, Rebecca plays Varya in Anton Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard,” which is directed by Sam Mendes and opened at the Harvey Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music on January 2, 2009, and is due to run until March 8, 2009.

Awards:

• Gotham: Best Ensemble Cast, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," 2008