Hayley Elizabeth Atwell, born on April 5, 1982, is an actress from both Britain and America. She was born and raised in London and studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Atwell made her stage debut in 2005, starring in James Kerr’s adaptation of the Ancient Greek tragedy Prometheus Bound. Since then, she has appeared in various West End productions and television shows. Her breakthrough role came as Lady Elizabeth Foster in the film The Duchess (2008), which earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the British Independent Film Awards.
Atwell gained international recognition for her portrayal of Agent Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). She reprised the role in the short film Agent Carter (2013) and the subsequent television series of the same name, along with other films, live-action series, and animated series within the Marvel Universe. In addition to her Marvel roles, Atwell has also appeared in Testament of Youth (2014), Cinderella (2015), and Christopher Robin (2018).
On the stage, Atwell has been nominated for Laurence Olivier Awards. She received a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in A View from the Bridge (2010), and nominations for Best Actress for her leading roles in The Pride (2013) and Rosmersholm (2020). In 2020, Atwell started hosting the podcast series True Spies, where she delves into the world of espionage and asks listeners how they would handle real-life spy situations.
