Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 27 April 1976) is an English actress who began her career on stage and then moved into film. She has received several awards, including aΒ Golden Globe Award, and nominations for twoΒ Academy AwardsΒ and twoΒ British Academy Film Awards.
After graduating from theΒ Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she became a stage actress in productions such asΒ Romeo and Juliet (playingΒ Juliet),Β Much Ado About Nothing, andΒ A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her first major role was inΒ Mike Leigh'sΒ All or NothingΒ in 2002. She continued working with Leigh, appearing in a supporting role inΒ Vera DrakeΒ (2004) and taking the lead inΒ Happy-Go-LuckyΒ (2008), for which she won several awards, including theΒ Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture β Musical or ComedyΒ and theΒ Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Hawkins appeared in twoΒ Woody AllenΒ films,Β Cassandra's DreamΒ (2007) andΒ Blue Jasmine (2013); for the latter, she received a nomination for theΒ Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to play lead roles inΒ Made in DagenhamΒ (2010),Β PaddingtonΒ (2014),Β Maudie (2016), andΒ Paddington 2Β (2017), and appeared inΒ GodzillaΒ (2014),Β Godzilla: King of the MonstersΒ (2019) andΒ WonkaΒ (2023). For starring Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman in the fantasy filmΒ The Shape of WaterΒ (2017), she earned critical acclaim and was nominated for theΒ Academy Award for Best Actress.
She has also appeared in stage productions with theΒ Royal Court TheatreΒ in London, and in 2010 made herΒ BroadwayΒ debut inΒ Mrs. Warren's Profession. In 2012, she starred inΒ ConstellationsΒ at the Royal Court Theatre, which later moved to theΒ Duke of York's TheatreΒ in theΒ West End. On television, she appeared in theΒ BBCΒ adaptations ofΒ Tipping the VelvetΒ (2002) as Zena Blake andΒ FingersmithΒ (2005) as Sue Trinder. She also appeared asΒ Anne ElliotΒ inΒ PersuasionΒ (2007),Β ITV's adaptation ofΒ Jane Austen's novel.
