About Rachel McAdams
Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. A graduate of York University in 2001 with a BFA in theatre, she is known for her starring roles in comedy and drama films as well as her work in television and theater. Her accolades include nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Tony Award. In 2026, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As a leading actress, her films have grossed over $3.4 billion worldwide. McAdams made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy The Hot Chick in 2002. She rose to fame in 2004 with her portrayal of Regina George in the comedy Mean Girls and Allie Calhoun in the romantic drama The Notebook. In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Crashers, the psychological thriller Red Eye, and the comedy-drama The Family Stone. She was hailed by the media as Hollywood's new "it girl", and received a nomination for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. After a hiatus, McAdams gained further prominence starring in the films The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), Sherlock Holmes (2009), Morning Glory (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013). For her portrayal of journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in the drama Spotlight (2015), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This was followed by roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Doctor Strange (2016) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), the romantic drama Disobedience (2017), the comedies Game Night (2018) and Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), the comedy-drama Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023), and the horror-thriller Send Help (2026). On television, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology crime drama series True Detective (2015), earning a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie nomination. She made her Broadway debut playing a struggling single mother in Amy Herzog's play Mary Jane (2024) for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The Italian-Canadian co-production was filmed in Sicily when McAdams was 22 years old, and it marked her first time on an airplane. Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the "spontaneous and combustible" performances of the two leads while Roger Ebert was won over by the "beauty and clarity" of McAdams's performance. McAdams won an MTV Movie Award and four Teen Choice Awards.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.