Sally Hawkins

Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 27 April 1976) is an English actress of stage and screen. She began her career on stage and then moved into film, for which she has received several accolades.

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she started her career as a stage actress in Shakespeare productions Romeo and Juliet (playing Juliet), Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her first major role was in Mike Leigh's All or Nothing (2002). She continued working with Leigh, appearing in a supporting role in Vera Drake (2004) and taking the lead in Happy-Go-Lucky (2008), for which she won several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

Hawkins appeared in two Woody Allen films, Cassandra's Dream (2007) and Blue Jasmine (2013); for the latter, she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to play lead roles in Made in Dagenham (2010), Paddington (2014), Maudie (2016), Paddington 2 (2017), and Bring Her Back (2025), and also appeared in Submarine (2010), Godzilla (2014), Spencer (2021), and Wonka (2023). For starring as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman in the period romantic dark fantasy film The Shape of Water (2017), she earned critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

In 2010, she made her Broadway debut in Mrs. Warren's Profession and in 2012 she starred in Constellations at the Royal Court Theatre, which later moved to the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End. On television, she appeared in the BBC adaptations of Tipping the Velvet (2002) as Zena Blake, and Fingersmith (2005) as Sue Trinder. She also appeared as Anne Elliot in Persuasion (2007), ITV's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel.