Rachel McAdams (born 17.11.1978) Rachel McAdams is a Canadian actress whose film appearances include 'The Notebook', 'The Vow', 'Mean Girls' and 'Midnight in Paris'.
Childhood: Rachel McAdams was born in London, Ontario and grew up in St Thomas. Her parents are nurse Sandra and former truck driver Lance. She attended Myrtle Street Public School and later Central Elgin Collegiate Institute where she played sports and was in the student council, Crimestoppers program and Peer Helping Team.
She enrolled at York University on their theatre program and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree. She began figure skating when she was 4 and competed in competitions until she was 18. She became interested in acting at 7 and went to Disney and Shakespeare summer camps. At 12, she was in the Original Kids Theatre Company and she later directed children's theatre. She had a summer job at McDonalds for three years.
Acting career: Rachel McAdams first TV appearance was on an MTV pilot called 'Shotgun Love Dolls' in 2001. She made her feature film debut in the same year in 'My Name is Tanino'. In 2002, she had a starring role in the Hollywood flick 'The Hot Chick' in which she plays a popular high school cheerleader who accidently swaps bodies with a criminal.
Her breakthrough role came with 'Mean Girls' in 2004 where she played queen bee Regina George. The film grossed $129 million worldwide and landed her with two MTV Awards. 2004 also saw her appear in the tear-jerker romance 'The Notebook' alongside Ryan Gosling. The pair initially did not get on during filming, but later began dating. In 2005, she starred in 'Wedding Crashers' which grossed over $285 million worldwide as well as thriller 'Red Eye' and 'The Family Stone'.
In 2006, she was asked to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair with Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson but refused to take part in the photoshoot on discovering it was to be a nude shoot. Keira later spoke of her respect for Rachel making that decision. Rachel took a break from acting between 2006 and 2007 even turning down offers for roles in hit films such as 'The Devil Wears Prada', 'Casino Royale', 'Mission: Impossible III' and 'Get Smart'. In 2008, she appeared in the film noir 'Married Life' alongside Pierce Brosnan and Chris Cooper, and 'The Lucky Ones' which grossed the least out of all her films. In 2009, she played a reporter in 'State of Play', starred in science-fiction romance 'The Time Traveller's Wife' and appeared in 'Sherlock Holmes' alongside Robert Downey Jr., a film which earned $524 million at the box office. In 2010 she played a television producer in 'Morning Glory' and 2011 saw her appear in Woody Allen's 'Midnight in Paris' for which Allen won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
She also starred in the Holmes sequel 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows'. In 2012 she starred with Channing Tatum in 'The Vow' and will soon appear in the romance 'To the Wonder' as well as 'A Most Wanted Man' and 'About Time'.
Personal life: Rachel McAdams currently lives in Harbord Village in Toronto in a house with her brother as well as holding a U.S. green card. She practises Kundalini yoga and enjoys cooking and gardening. She was in a relationship for two years with her 'Notebook' co-star Ryan Gosling from 2005. In 2009, she dated actor Josh Lucas and was until 2013 dating Michael Sheen who was her 'Midnight in Paris' co-star.
Biography by Contactmusic.com