Rachel Anne McAdams was born on November 17, 1978, in London, Ontario, Canada, to Sandra Kay Gale, a nurse, and Lance Frederick McAdams, a truck driver and furniture mover. Her ancestry is a mix of English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish. McAdams began her acting career as a teenager, performing in Shakespearean productions at summer theater camp, and went on to graduate with honors from York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater.
She made her television debut in an episode of Disney's The Famous Jett Jackson in 1998. McAdams then co-starred in the Canadian television series Slings and Arrows, a comedy-drama about a Shakespearean theater group, and won a Gemini award for her performance in 2003.
Her breakout role as Regina George in the hit comedy Mean Girls in 2004 catapulted her to stardom, and she went on to star in The Notebook, opposite Ryan Gosling, in the same year. The film was a surprise box office success and became a classic romantic drama for a new generation of moviegoers. McAdams and Gosling dated until mid-2007.
McAdams showcased her versatility in films such as Wedding Crashers, Red Eye, and The Family Stone in 2005. She then explored the independent film world with Married Life in 2007, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and starred Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, and Patricia Clarkson.
McAdams continued to take on a wide range of roles, starring in The Lucky Ones, State of Play, and The Time Traveler's Wife in 2008 and 2009. She also starred in the international blockbuster Sherlock Holmes, opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, in 2009.
In 2010, McAdams starred in Morning Glory, and in 2011, she appeared in Midnight in Paris, opposite Owen Wilson, and returned to romantic drama territory with The Vow, opposite Channing Tatum. She also starred in To the Wonder, opposite Ben Affleck, and Passion, opposite Noomi Rapace, in 2012.
Throughout her career, McAdams has received numerous awards and nominations, including the ShoWest "Supporting Actress of the Year" Award and the "Breakthrough Actress of the Year" at the Hollywood Film Awards in 2005. She was also awarded the ShoWest "Female Star of the Year" in 2009. As of 2011, she has been romantically linked with her Midnight in Paris co-star Michael Sheen.
