Date of Birth
17 November 1978, London, Ontario, Canada
Birth Name
Rachel Anne McAdams
Nickname
Rach
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Biography
Rachel McAdams was
raised in St. Thomas, Ontario. Starting at the age of four, she competed in
figure skating. By the age of 13, she was performing in Shakespearean
productions in summer theater camp.
In high school, McAdams intended to apply to college to study cultural studies, because studying theater would be "a bit of a joke". At the last minute, a drama teacher encouraged her to audition to be a drama major. She eventually majored in theater at York University and graduated with honors and a B.F.A. degree.
She began her professional on-screen career with an appearance on the Disney series"The Famous Jett Jackson" (1998) followed by a pilot for MTV. After a few more films, she hit it big after her appearance in the hits Mean Girls (2004) and The Notebook (2004).
In high school, McAdams intended to apply to college to study cultural studies, because studying theater would be "a bit of a joke". At the last minute, a drama teacher encouraged her to audition to be a drama major. She eventually majored in theater at York University and graduated with honors and a B.F.A. degree.
She began her professional on-screen career with an appearance on the Disney series"The Famous Jett Jackson" (1998) followed by a pilot for MTV. After a few more films, she hit it big after her appearance in the hits Mean Girls (2004) and The Notebook (2004).
Trade Mark
Fair complexion with
a few small moles on her face and neck
Trivia
Attended Original
Kids Theatre Company in London, Ontario.
Her father, Lance, is
a truck driver and her mother, Sandy, is a nurse. She has a younger sister, Kayleen McAdams, and a younger
brother, Daniel.
Born in the same
hospital as The Notebook (2004) co-star Ryan Gosling in St. Joseph's Hospital, London,
Ontario.
In 1995, she
received an acting award for her role in the one-act high school play "I
Live in a Little Town" when it was presented at the prestigious Ontario
Showcase at the Sears Drama Festival.
Studied theater at
York University in Toronto, where she appeared in numerous stage and student
film productions. During her senior year, she played a child in "The
Piper", a workshop led by a creative team from Toronto's Necessary Angel
Theatre Company.
Worked at a
McDonald's for three summers with her sister, Kayleen
McAdams, and her brother, Dan McAdams.
Was told to partly model
the character of Regina George after Alec
Baldwin's performance in Glengarry
Glen Ross (1992).
Received a record
five MTV Movie Award nominations in a single year.
Graduated from York
University in Toronto with honors & a B.F.A. in theater
Formerly a
vegetarian.
She donated many
signed head-shots to Rocky Stone to be auctioned off to raise money to
buy more toys for less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign.
Is of Irish descent.
Attended David Rothenberg's on-camera acting
class in Toronto with fellow actors Scott
Speedman, Kenneth Mitchell, Polly Shannon and David
Sutcliffe.
In December 2005,
she was #1 on MuchMusic's "Who To Do: 20 Sexiest Girls" list. This
list is aired each year, and there is also a separate list for guys.
Ranked #14 on the
Maxim magazine Hot 100 Women of 2005 list.
Met her former boyfriend, Ryan Gosling, on the set of The Notebook (2004).
Ranked #17 on
Maxim's Hot 100 Women of 2006 list.
Was in consideration
for the role of Sue Storm in Fantastic
Four (2005), but Jessica Alba was cast instead.
Named #51 in FHM
magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
While a student at
York University, she lived in the same "house" as Ron Sparks in Vanier Residence.
Had to turn down the
female lead in The Last Kiss (2006) due to scheduling conflicts.
The role was eventually given to Jacinda
Barrett.
Was considered for
the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino
Royale (2006), before the role
was given to Eva Green.
She was voted the
#101 on FHS's list of Sexiest Women in the World (2005).
Lives in the popular
Los Angeles neighborhood of Silverlake. Other Silverlake locals include Beck, Bo Barrett, Christina Ricci, Jason Lee and Ryan Gosling.
Older sister of Kayleen McAdams.
Has been in a
relationship with Ryan Gosling twice. They were originally together
from June 2005 until July 2007 before reconciling in August 2008, only to
separate a second time in November 2008.
Chosen by Empire
magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#68). [2007].
Has a dog named
George, which she shared with Ryan
Gosling.
Has natural blonde
hair.
She doesn't own a
car. As part of her daily contribution to help conserve energy, she rides her
bike or takes the bus.
Co-founder of
www.greenissexy.org, a website which helps raise awareness about the
environment.
Was Jon Favreau's first choice to play
Pepper Potts in Iron Man (2008), but she turned the role down. Gwyneth Paltrow was subsequently cast instead.
Likes shopping at
Vintage clothing stores.
Originally auditioned
for the role of Cady in Mean
Girls (2004), before being cast
as Regina.
Avoided flying
airplanes until age 22.
Auditioned for the
role of Sophie for the musical Mamma
Mia! (2008) but lost out to
actress Amanda Seyfried. Seyfried
had lost out to McAdams previously for the role of Regina when they both
co-starred in Mean Girls (2004).
Her favorite
actresses include: Joan Cusack, Juliette Lewis, Kate Winslet, Laura Dern, Renée Zellweger and Samantha
Morton. She also considers Elizabeth
Taylor and Audrey Hepburn to be her role models.
She is allergic to
horses.
Learned to drive
after a bike accident.
Learned to
appreciate rugby from Russell
Crowe.
Publicist has
announced that Rachel does not have a Twitter account (August 2009).
Was in consideration
for the role of Rachel Dawes in The
Dark Knight (2008), but Maggie Gyllenhaal was cast instead.
Was in a
relationship with Josh Lucas (January-August 2009).
Was in consideration
for the role of Daisy Buchanan in The
Great Gatsby (2012), but Carey Mulligan was cast instead.
Ranked #48 in the
2010 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women." Previously she was ranked #50
in 2008 and #89 in 2006.
Ranked #15 in the
2007 Ask Men Australia top 99 "most desirable women" list.
In a relationship
with Michael Sheen [May 21, 2011].
Ranked #35 on the
Ask Men 2011 list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women.
Ranked #63 in the
2011 FHM list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #47 in the
2011 FHM Australia list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked #48 in the
2010 FHM UK list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
Ranked as having one
of the "Most Beautiful Famous Faces" by "The Annual Independent
Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the
World." She was ranked #43 in 2010, #62 in 2009, #88 in 2008, #32 in 2007,
and #47 in 2006.