Hayley Atwell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hayley Atwell
Atwell in 2022
Born	Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (1982-04-05) 5 April 1982 (age 43) London, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom United States
Alma mater	Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2005–present
Partner(s)	Ned Wolfgang Kelly (2022–present; engaged)

Hayley Elizabeth Atwell (born 5 April 1982) is a talented British and American actress. She is well-known for playing Agent Peggy Carter in the exciting Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. She also starred in popular films like Cinderella (2015), Christopher Robin (2018), and the action-packed Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023).

Before her big movie roles, Hayley Atwell was famous for her work in plays in London's West End. She also appeared in historical dramas like Brideshead Revisited (2008) and The Duchess (2008).

About Hayley Atwell's Early Life

Hayley Elizabeth Atwell was born in London, England, on 5 April 1982. She is the only child of her parents. Her mother, Allison Cain, is British, and her father, Grant Atwell, is an American photographer. Her father is from Kansas City, Missouri, and has Irish and Native American family roots. Hayley has dual citizenship, meaning she is a citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Hayley went to Sion-Manning Roman Catholic Girls' School in London. Later, she studied at the London Oratory School. Before going to university, she took two years off. During this time, she traveled with her father and worked for a person who helps cast actors in movies and shows.

After her travels, Hayley went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. This is a famous school where she trained to be an actress for three years. She graduated in 2005 with a special degree in acting. Some of her classmates at Guildhall became famous actresses too, like Jodie Whittaker and Michelle Dockery.

Hayley Atwell's Acting Career

Starting Out: Early Roles (2005–2009)

Hayley Atwell began her acting career on stage in 2005. Her first professional play was Prometheus Bound in London. She played a character named Io and received good reviews for her performance. In 2006, she acted in another play called Women Beware Women for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

From 2007 to 2008, Hayley performed in two plays at the Royal National Theatre. These plays were Man of Mode and Major Barbara. For her role in Major Barbara, she won a special award called the Ian Charleson Commendation.

Hayley also started acting in movies during this time. Her first big movie role was in Woody Allen's film Cassandra's Dream in 2007. In 2008, she appeared in The Duchess, which earned her a nomination for a Best Supporting Actress award. Later that year, she was in the movie Brideshead Revisited.

In 2009, Hayley made her debut in London's West End with the play A View From the Bridge. She played Catherine, a young woman in a troubled family. Her performance was praised and she was nominated for an Olivier Award. Also in 2009, she appeared in the TV miniseries The Prisoner.

Becoming Famous: Marvel and More (2010–2016)

Atwell at the 66th British Academy Film Awards in 2013

In 2010, Hayley Atwell starred in the TV miniseries Pillars of the Earth. For this role, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

A very important role came for Hayley in April 2010. She was chosen to play Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She first appeared as Peggy Carter in the 2011 superhero film Captain America: The First Avenger. This role made her very popular. She also voiced Peggy Carter in the 2011 video game Captain America: Super Soldier.

In 2013, Hayley starred in the TV show Restless. She also appeared in an episode of the science fiction TV series Black Mirror called "Be Right Back". Her acting in this episode was highly praised. That same year, she was nominated for her second Olivier Award for her performance in the play The Pride. She also appeared in a short Marvel film called Agent Carter.

Atwell at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

Hayley continued to play Peggy Carter in more Marvel movies. She was in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Ant-Man (2015). She also played Peggy Carter in two episodes of the TV show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. From 2015 to 2016, she had the main role in her own TV series, Agent Carter. She also voiced Peggy Carter in the video game Lego Marvel's Avengers.

In 2015, Hayley played Cinderella's mother in Disney's live-action movie Cinderella.

New Projects: Theatre and Mission Impossible (2017–Present)

In 2017, Hayley Atwell starred in the miniseries Howards End, based on a classic novel. In 2018, she played Evelyn Robin, the wife of the main character, in Disney's Christopher Robin.

Hayley returned to the stage in 2018 for plays like Dry Powder and Measure for Measure. Her performance in Measure for Measure was highly praised.

In 2019, Hayley was in a three-part BBC show called The Long Song. She also returned as Peggy Carter in the huge Marvel movie Avengers: Endgame. In September 2019, it was announced that Hayley would star in the Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One movie, which came out in 2023. She also voiced Mittens the cat in the movie Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (2021). In 2022, she played Peggy Carter again, as Captain Carter, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

In 2024, Hayley was cast to play Peggy Carter again in the upcoming movie Avengers: Doomsday, set for release in 2026.

Hayley Atwell's Personal Life

Hayley Atwell lived in London for many years. In 2015, she moved to Los Angeles to be closer to where her TV show Agent Carter was filmed. However, she still has a home in London. Hayley enjoys learning new things. While filming Captain America: The First Avenger in 2010, she took a three-month course in art history.

Hayley Atwell started a relationship with music producer Ned Wolfgang Kelly in 2022. In April 2023, they shared the happy news that they were engaged to be married. Hayley is also a big fan of video games.

Acting Roles

Denotes projects that have not yet been released

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2007	Cassandra's Dream	Angela Stark
	How About You	Ellie Harris
2008	Brideshead Revisited	Julia Flyte
	The Duchess	Elizabeth "Bess" Foster
2009	Love Hate	Hate	Short film
2010	Tomato Soup	Movie Star	Short film
2011	Captain America: The First Avenger	Peggy Carter / Agent Carter
2012	I, Anna	Emmy
	The Sweeney	DC Nancy Lewis
2013	Jimi: All Is by My Side	Kathy Etchingham
	Agent Carter	Peggy Carter	Short film
2014	Captain America: The Winter Soldier
	Testament of Youth	Hope Milroy
2015	Cinderella	Cinderella's Mother
	Avengers: Age of Ultron	Peggy Carter
	Ant-Man		Cameo
2016	The Complete Walk: Cymbeline	Imogen	Short film
2018	Christopher Robin	Evelyn Robin
2019	Blinded by the Light	Ms. Clay
	Avengers: Endgame	Peggy Carter
2021	Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway	Mittens	Voice
2022	Independent Miss Craigie	Narrator	Documentary
	Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	Peggy Carter / Captain Carter (Earth-838)
2023	Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One	Grace
2024	The Imaginary	Lizzie	Voice; English dub
	Paddington in Peru	Madison
2025	Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning	Grace	Post-production
	Grand Prix of Europe		Voice
	Rogue Trooper		Post-production

Television Roles

Video Game Roles

Stage Roles (Plays)

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
2005	Prometheus Bound	Io / Force	Sound Theatre
2006	Women Beware Women	Bianca	Royal Shakespeare Company
2007	The Man of Mode	Belinda	Royal National Theatre
2008	Major Barbara	Barbara Undershaft	Royal National Theatre
2009	A View from the Bridge	Catherine	Duke of York's Theatre
2011	The Faith Machine	Sophie	Royal Court Theatre
2013	The Pride	Sylvia	Trafalgar Studios
2018	Dry Powder	Jenny	Hampstead Theatre
	Measure for Measure	Angelo / Isabella	Donmar Warehouse
2019	Rosmersholm	Rebecca West	Duke of York's Theatre
2025	Much Ado About Nothing	Beatrice	Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Key

Denotes plays that have not yet premiered

Radio Roles

Awards and Nominations

Hayley Atwell has been nominated for and won several awards for her acting. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Hayley Atwell para niños