Maisie Williams

HOME

TheInfoList

Click Here for Items Related To - Maisie Williams

OR:

Maisie Williams on: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Amazon]

Margaret Constance "Maisie" Williams (born 15 April 1997) is an English actress. Williams made her acting debut in 2011 as

Arya Stark Arya Stark is a fictional character in American author George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' epic fantasy novel series, and its television adaptation ''Game of Thrones'', where she is portrayed by English actress Maisie Williams. S ...

, a lead character in the HBO epic

medieval fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthu ...

television series '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019). She gained recognition and critical praise for her work on the show, and received two Emmy Award nominations. Williams' other television appearances include guest starring as Ashildr in the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

science fiction series '' Doctor Who'' (2015), she has also starred in the British docudrama television film '' Cyberbully'' (2015), and in the British

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

teen

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

'' iBoy'' (2017). She played Kim Noakes, the central character in comedy action drama series ''

Two Weeks to Live ''Two Weeks to Live'' is a 1943 American Lum and Abner film directed by Malcolm St. Clair. Plot This time around, Abner Peabody, proud owner of the Jot 'Em Down general store in Pine Ridge, Arkansas, inherits railroad stock from his Uncle Ern ...

'' (2020), and portrayed punk rock icon Jordan ( Pamela Rooke) in '' Pistol'' (2022) a biopic about the Sex Pistols. Williams has also voiced Cammie MacCloud in the American animated web series '' Gen:Lock'' (2019–present). In 2014, she starred as Lydia in her first feature film, the coming-of-age mystery drama '' The Falling'', for which she received critical acclaim and awards recognition. She co-starred in films such as the romantic period-drama film ''

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...

'' (2017), the animated prehistorical sports comedy film '' Early Man'' (2018), and the romantic comedy-drama film '' Then Came You'' (2018). In 2020, she starred in the superhero horror film '' The New Mutants'' and the

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and c ...

'' The Owners''. In 2018, she made her stage debut in

Lauren Gunderson Lauren Gunderson (born February 5, 1982) is an American playwright, screenwriter, and short story author, born in Atlanta. She lives in San Francisco, where she teaches playwriting. Gunderson was recognized by ''American Theatre'' magazine as A ...

's play '' I and You'' at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. Roxana Silbert has been the artistic director since ...

in London, to positive critical reviews. In 2019, Williams jointly developed and launched the social media platform Daisie, a multi-media networking app designed to be an alternative means to help artists and creators (especially those who are trying to get started) in their careers.

Early life

Margaret Constance Williams was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

on 15 April 1997 to Gary Williams and Hilary Frances (née Pitt), a university course administrator who later gave up her job to support her daughter's acting career. Williams' parents divorced when she was four months old. The youngest of four siblings - James, Beth and Ted - Williams was raised by her mother and stepfather in a three-bedroom

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

in the village of

Clutton, Somerset Clutton is a village and civil parish on the eastern edge of the affluent Chew Valley, close to the Cam Brook river, in the Bath and North East Somerset Council area, within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The village lies east of ...

. From an early age from when "she was tiny", Williams has always been known as "Maisie", nicknamed because of her perceived likeness to the cartoon character from the UK newspaper comic strip '' The Perishers''. Williams went to Clutton

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and

Norton Hill School Norton Hill School is a state school with academy status in Midsomer Norton, Somerset, England. It is part of the Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership academy group. It was formerly the Midsomer Norton Grammar School. The school had 1,519 stude ...

in Midsomer Norton school. She subsequently transferred to Bath Dance College to study Performing Arts, where she trained in musical theatre,

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

pointe Pointe technique ( ) is the part of classical ballet technique that concerns ''pointe work'', in which a ballet dancer supports all body weight on the tips of fully extended feet within pointe shoes. A dancer is said to be ''en pointe'' () wh ...

, tap, street, freestyle,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

and

trampolining Trampolining or trampoline gymnastics is a competitive Olympic sport in which athletes perform acrobatics while bouncing on a trampoline. In competition, these can include simple jumps in the straight, pike, tuck, or straddle position to more co ...

, with the ambition of becoming a professional dancer. She left school at 14 years old partly due to the successful commencement of her acting career. She was then home educated, but did not take any education examinations.

Acting career

Debut, 2011–2019: ''Game of Thrones''

At the age of 12, Williams commenced her professional acting career by co-starring in one of the largest ensemble casts on television. She was cast as

, the feisty young

tomboy A tomboy is a term for a girl or a young woman with masculine qualities. It can include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and actively engage in physical sports or other activities and behaviors usually associated with boys or men. W ...

daughter of a noble family in HBO's historical fantasy drama series '' Game of Thrones'' (based on

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948), also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels ''A Song ...

's '' A Song of Ice and Fire''

epic fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, ...

novel series). Williams almost missed the audition (her second in her career) because it coincided with a school trip to a farm; her mother convinced her to go to the audition. As the series viewership rose, the international popularity of ''Game of Thrones'' gave Williams global recognition. The character of Arya Stark is regarded as an anti heroine, a fan favourite that developed into one of the central protagonists in the ''Game of Thrones'' fantasy epic. The character's story arc across the first six seasons encompasses severance, trauma, tragedy and revenge. The physical role required a young actor who could portray a deadly

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

. Williams, who is naturally right-handed but kept in character by performing left handed in the show, did the majority of her own stunts and fight scenes in the series. She was told a year before the filming of " The Long Night" to build up her stamina for the episode. Her performance in that episode, longest battle scene in film and television history, was nominated for the 2020 BAFTA TV Awards under the "Must-see moment" category. Williams appeared in all eight broadcast seasons of ''Game of Thrones'', the final episode of which aired in May 2019. Williams has said that while she looks back at her role as Arya with pride and affection she did not miss that period of her personal life. Arya was not only younger than Williams was, but the role demanded that she was made to look boyish with short hair and make up, plus a strap across her chest that made Williams feel ashamed during her mid teen years as her feminine body developed. The character did not match who she was becoming in reality nor did Arya resemble what Williams believed to be attractive, and at the same time she resented her own body for not matching with that of her character's.

Critical reception

Williams received critical praise and recognition for her portrayal of Arya in the show. In 2012, the second year of her professional acting career, she was submitted in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress for the

64th Primetime Emmy Awards The 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in prime time television programming from June 1, 2011 until May 31, 2012, were held on Sunday, September 23, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. ABC televised the cer ...

by HBO, but did not make the nomination shortlist. She was awarded both the 2012 Portal Award for Best Young Actor and the Portal Award for Best Supporting Actress – Television (at 15 years, the youngest actress to achieve this). In November 2013, she received the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Teen Award for Best British Actor. August 2014 she was presented with "Best Supporting Actress, Drama" in the EWwy Awards. In 2015, she was awarded the

Empire Hero Award The Empire Hero Award is an honorary Empire Award presented by the British film magazine ''Empire''. The Empire Hero Award was first introduced at the 15th Empire Awards ceremony in 2010 with Jude Law receiving the award. Actor Tom Hiddleston is ...

, and the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Television Series. In 2016 she reached the nomination short list for a Primetime Emmy Award for

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre-, or even gender-, specific. Begin ...

. In 2018 Williams was nominated for the Best Performance in a Show in the

MTV Movie & TV Awards The MTV Movie & TV Awards (formerly the MTV Movie Awards) is a film and television awards show presented annually on MTV. The first MTV Movie Awards were presented in 1992. The ceremony was renamed the MTV Movie & TV Awards for its 26th editio ...

. In 2019 her performance in the final season of the drama resulted in her again receiving the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series, as well as nominations for the Best Hero and Best Fight in the MTV Movie & TV Awards and

People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show, recognizing people in entertainment, voted online by the general public and fans. The show has been held annually since 1975, with the winners originally determined using Gallup Polls until ...

for The Female TV Star and The Drama TV Star. In the same year Williams achieved her second nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Daniel D'Addario from ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said that Williams "entered the show as a child with minimal experience, but swiftly proved herself a very gifted performer... Millions watched her grow into her talents – and a fitting end to her very unusual journey through her first role" would be for her to win an Emmy.

Ongoing acting career

2012–2015: ''The Falling'', ''Cyberbully'' and ''Doctor Who''

In 2012, Williams portrayed Loren Caleigh in the three part

...
supernatural thriller series '' The Secret of Crickley Hall''. Williams took part in ''The Olympic Ticket Scalper'', a

Funny or Die Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a re ...

skit. She also appeared in the independent film ''Heatstroke'' (2012), and the short film ''Up on the Roof'' (2013). In 2014, Williams played the lead role of Lydia in the British melodramatic coming of age mystery film drama '' The Falling'', set in an all-girls school, for which she was awarded the

London Film Critics' Circle The London Film Critics' Circle is the name by which the Film Section of The Critics' Circle is known internationally. The word London was added because it was thought the term Critics' Circle Film Awards did not convey the full context of the ...

Award for Young Performer of the Year,

Evening Standard British Film Award The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by London's ''Evening Standard'' newspaper. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony ...

Rising Star and the European

Shooting Stars Award The Shooting Stars Awards are presented annually by the pan-European network organization European Film Promotion (EFP) to emerging actors from Europe. "Shooting Stars" is an initiative of the EFP for the international promotion and networking of p ...

at the

65th Berlin International Film Festival The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the President of the Jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The ...

for her role in Carol Morley's feature. The film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 11 October 2014, and was released theatrically on 24 April 2015 in the UK. Guy Lodge of ''

'' described Williams as "prodigiously gifted" and giving a "brilliantly articulated ... bristling, often spikily funny performance." In 2014, she also played Abbie in the Irish comedy-drama film ''

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

''.

SDCC 2015 - Maisie Williams (19674032865)

In January 2015, Williams (a victim of cyberbullying herself) starred as Casey Jacobs in the one-hour-long BAFTA nominated '' Cyberbully'', a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

docudrama

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

. Writing for ''The Guardian'', Filipa Jodelka described Williams' central, almost solo, performance as a "tour-de-force". In 2015, Williams guest starred in four episodes of series 9 of the BBC science fiction series '' Doctor Who'' ("

The Girl Who Died "The Girl Who Died" is the fifth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 October 2015, and was written by Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat and directed ...

", "

The Woman Who Lived "The Woman Who Lived" is the sixth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 24 October 2015. It was written by Catherine Tregenna and directed by Ed Bazalge ...

", "

Face the Raven "Face the Raven" is the tenth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 November 2015, and was written by Sarah Dollard and directed by Justin Molotnikov. ...

" and " Hell Bent"), in the recurring role of Ashildr, a Viking girl made immortal by the Doctor. Williams' performance in "The Woman Who Lived" was described as "superb" by Patrick Mulkern of the '' Radio Times''.

2017–2019: ''iBoy'', ''Early Man'', ''I and You'' and ''gen:LOCK''

In 2017, Williams starred, alongside

Bill Milner William Henry Milner (born 4 March 1995) is an English actor. He starred as Will Proudfoot in ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), Edward in '' Is Anybody There?'' (2008), and the young Erik Lensherr in '' X-Men: First Class'' (2011). Early life William ...

, as Lucy in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

science fiction teen superhero thriller film '' iBoy''. Tristram Fane Saunders of the ''Daily Telegraph'' wrote that she brought "depth, humour and honesty to the role." Also in 2017, Williams appeared as Isabel Baxter in ''

'' a romantic period-drama film directed by

Haifaa al-Mansour Haifaa al-Mansour ( ar, هيفاء المنصور ''Hayfā’a al-Manṣūr''; born 10 August 1974), is a Saudi Arabian film director. She is one of the country's best-known and most controversial directors, and the first female Saudi filmmaker ...

and written by Emma Jensen. In 2018, she

voiced Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds (usually consonants). Speech sounds can be described as either voiceless (otherwise known as ''unvoiced'') or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer ...

the character Goona, a Bronze Age fearless rebel tomboy football enthusiast in

Nick Park Nicholas Wulstan Park (born 6 December 1958) is a British animator who created ''Wallace and Gromit'', ''Creature Comforts'', ''Chicken Run'', ''Shaun the Sheep'', and '' Early Man''. Park has been nominated for an Academy Award a total of ...

's animated prehistoric comedy sports film '' Early Man'' which also featured

Eddie Redmayne Edward John David Redmayne (; born 6 January 1982) is an English actor. Known for his roles in biopics and blockbusters, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Olivier Awards. He ...

and

Tom Hiddleston Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...

, though both Gwilym Mumford of ''The Guardian'' and Kate Stables of the British Film Institute noted that Williams' accent varied during the film. From 18 October to 24 November 2018, Williams starred as Caroline in the stage play ''I and You'', which was written by

. The play premiered at the

in London. The play did well at the box office and Williams' stage performance was regarded a critical success, with the production later being broadcast free on Instagram from 30 November to 3 December 2018 and again during the last week of March 2020. She also starred in the eleven-minute short film ''Corvidae'', a dark fairy tale filmed in 2013 and released in 2018, of which Craig Holton of ''flickfeast'' commented that Williams brought "an undeniably ethereal quality to this short film, helping it make the leap from grounded realism to eldritch bucolic fantasy". In 2019, Williams starred alongside Asa Butterfield and

Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva ( bg, Николина Каменова Добрева, ; born January 9, 1989), credited professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is best known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce o ...

in the coming of age romantic comedy-drama film '' Then Came You'', in which she played a teenager with a terminal illness. Frank Scheck of the ''Hollywood Reporter'' felt that Williams made her "sprightly character appealingly vulnerable". The film premiered at the Woodstock Film Festival on 12 October 2018 and was released nationwide in 2019. From 2019 to 2021 Williams has voiced the role Cammie MacCloud, a mischievous Scottish hacker, in the U.S. animated web series '' Gen:Lock'' that is set in a dystopian future, which is broadcast on the

Rooster Teeth Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC is an American digital media company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Founded in 2003 by Burnie Burns, Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, Jason Saldaña, Gus Sorola, and Joel Heyman, Rooster Teeth is a subsidiary of W ...

subscription service. On 4 November 2021, the second season of nine episodes premiered on

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

first before it is released on Rooster Teeth three months later.

2020: ''The New Mutants'', ''Two Weeks to Live'', and ''The Owners''

Originally set for release in April 2018, in late August 2020, Williams co-starred in the delayed Disney/Fox superhero horror film '' The New Mutants''. ''The New York Times'' said Williams portrayed the

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

superhero Rahne Sinclair / Wolfsbane—a Scottish

mutant In biology, and especially in genetics, a mutant is an organism or a new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is generally an alteration of the DNA sequence of the genome or chromosome of an organism. It ...

who can turn into a wolf, but struggles to reconcile this with her religious beliefs -- "with endearing sincerity". Though the film received mixed to negative reviews her performance was regarded as good by ''The Hollywood Reporter'', including adding "layers of panache and emotion" to her character. The film was released in "in theatres" which were partly open, with reduced capacity, due to the worldwide

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, in August 2020 (despite many other major Disney films being further delayed). Written and directed by Josh Boone, the film also stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Blu Hunt,

Charlie Heaton Charlie Ross Heaton (born 6 February 1994) is an English actor and musician. He is known for starring as Jonathan Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present) and for his roles in feature films like '' ...

Alice Braga Alice Braga Moraes (; born 15 April 1983) is a Brazilian actress and producer. She has appeared in several Brazilian films, starring as Angélica in the acclaimed '' City of God'' (2002), Karinna in ''Lower City'' (2005), and Dolores in '' Only ...

and Henry Zaga. The ''Los Angeles Times'' described the same sex romantic relationship between Williams' Rahne and Hunt's

Danielle Moonstar Danielle "Dani" Moonstar, originally codenamed Psyche and later Mirage, is a fictional Northern Cheyenne superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in the graphic novel ''The New Mutants'' (Sept. 19 ...

as feeling honest and a central part of the story that grounded the film with "a sense of humanity", which also made the ''New Mutants'' both a rare LGBTQ inclusive superhero film and groundbreaking for a Disney release. Released in September 2020, Williams was the lead in ''

'', a six-part dark, deadpan comedy revenge drama. Williams plays Kim Noakes, who (following the murder of her father) has been raised in total isolation, living off the grid in the wilderness, by her overprotective doomsday prepping badass survivalist mother, Tina (played by Sian Clifford). Action is set in motion following a seemingly harmless prank played on Kim of a fake video that makes her believe that everybody in the world has just two weeks to live. Kim – raised to believe the end times were close – sets off to kill the man who murdered her father in front of her when she was a child. ''The Guardian'' considers that Williams "excels in her fish-out-of-water role, flitting between hapless and determined, worldly and childlike". ''Two Weeks To Live'' lets Williams flex comedy muscles while also showing off her stunt fighting and stunt skills. The ''NME'' described the action drama as also genuinely funny. The UK series, written by Gaby Hull and produced by

Kudos Kudos may refer to: Arts and media * ''Kudos'' (computer game), a life simulation game produced by Positech Games * Kudos (production company), a UK-based film and television production company * Kudos, a fictional currency used by the Dwellers ...

for Sky UK, debuted on 2 September 2020, and premiered in the U.S. on

on 5 November. The six part first series also starred Sean Knopp,

Mawaan Rizwan Mawaan Rizwan (born 18 August 1992) is a Pakistani-born British actor and comedian who began his career as a YouTuber. Early life Rizwan was born in Lahore, Pakistan; his mother, Shahnaz, was one of nine siblings and had starred in a number ...

and Taheen Modak. Also in September, Williams starred in the 1990s-set

'' The Owners'', in which she played Mary, a young woman who reluctantly agrees to participate in a botched robbery with her boyfriend and two other young low level criminals (Ian Kenny, Jake Curran and Andrew Ellis) of an old couple's home (

Sylvester McCoy Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the lon ...

and

Rita Tushingham Rita Tushingham (born 14 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for her starring roles in films including ''A Taste of Honey'' (1961), ''The Leather Boys'' (1964), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''Doctor Zhivago'' (1965), ...

). The ''Hollywood Reporter'', while praising McCoy and Tushingham more, felt that Williams 'used her innate appeal to make her character sympathetic'. ''Dread Central'' felt that she gave better performance than she did in ''New Mutants'' and commented "it's undeniably cool to see the young, now forever iconic actress kick ass in a real world setting". The film was released by

RLJE Films RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...

at select theatres, and digital on demand on 4 September. The film was directed by French director Julius Berg and adapted from the graphic novel ''Une Nuit De Pleine Lune'' by Belgian artist Hermann and writer Yves H. Her veteran co-actor Sylvester McCoy predicted success for Williams beyond acting "she's full of energy – a little bubbly ball of fire and creativity... she's grown up in the business and she knows it inside out... She's a rising star as an actress, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if she became a director and a producer... She's got all those abilities and that intelligence and the knowledge of the business from years of doing it ... from a young age."

2022: ''Pistol''

In the six-episode biopic limited series '' Pistol'' for FX, about the Sex Pistols, Williams plays the part of the real life punk rock icon Jordan ( Pamela Rooke). The series is based on guitarist Steve Jones, 2018 memoir ''Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol''; and was executively produced and directed by

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on films including '' Shallow Grave'', '' Trainspotting'' and its sequel '' T2 Trainspotting'', '' The Beach'', ''28 Days Later'', '' S ...

. Jordan was the archetypal subversive model whose 'distinctive Vivienne Westwood-designed outfits' and 'outrageous make-up' made her the original face of punk, and was co-credited with creating the

punk fashion Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed ...

style. Williams' is underutilized but brings her "formidable screen presence" as the "untouchably cool" Jordan complete "with a vertical sheet of peroxide blonde hair." Rooke acted as an advisor on the show informing Williams that in portraying her, she would be playing a very strong female, "a woman set apart, really. I decided that I wanted to be me ... a walking work of art ... I was totally and utterly unshakable." Williams "sparkles" in the second episode's cold opening, when she recreates Jordan's cycling through her seaside home town and then

commuting Commuting is periodically recurring travel between one's place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regul ...

by train wearing a fully revealing transparent PVC top, to the consternation and heckling of the people around her, that straightforwardly presents punk movement's effect on society: a scene both ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' and ''Vogue'' judged to be one of the strongest in the series. Williams continued to embraced the punk-rock style for her ''Pistol'' press tour, thinking of her own public image the actress said that she was inspired by how Jordan used both her clothing and her physicality as a defiant presence, as a political statement that turned the male gaze in on itself and took control of the situation.

Forthcoming roles

In May 2022, it was reported that Williams has been cast in ''Sinners vs Saints'', an adaptation of Anthony Delano's " Joyce McKinney and the Case of the Manacled Mormon" an 'over the top' true story about an eccentric American who was accused of abducting and raping the subject of her sexual obsession, a Mormon missionary called Kirk Anderson, in England in the 1970s. The same month it was announced that Williams had been cast in the upcoming Apple drama series '' The New Look''. Set under the backdrop of World War II occupied

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, she portrays

Catherine Dior Ginette Dior (2 August 1917 – 17 June 2008), better known as Catherine Dior, was a French resistance fighter during World War II. Involved with the Franco-Polish intelligence unit F2 from November 1941, she was arrested in Paris in July 1944 by ...

(

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

recipient for her actions in the

French resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

) the younger sister of the fashion designer Christian Dior whose style was at the time eclipsing that of

Coco Chanel Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel ( , ; 19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a French fashion designer and businesswoman. The founder and namesake of the Chanel brand, she was credited in the post-World War I era with popularizing a sporty, c ...

Commercial promotional work

In 2015, Williams delivered what ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' described as a feminist speech in New York at the launch of Always' "Like a girl" campaign. The speech was aimed at the Generation Z demographic of which Williams is a member. On 2 February 2020, Williams sang "

Let It Go "Let It Go" is a song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 2013 computer-animated feature film ''Frozen (2013 film), Frozen'', whose music and lyrics were composed by husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert L ...

", from the film '' Frozen'', in an

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. As a subsidiary of its parent company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. Th ...

commercial that aired during the broadcast of

Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...

. In July 2020, she featured in the

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

MacBook's "Made in the UK" campaign ad celebrating UK-based creators alongside others including screenwriter and actor Michaela Coel, artist Grayson Perry, film maker Jenn Nkiru, animation studio Aardman, printmaker Gabriella Marcella, rapper Dave and singer

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...

. In Summer 2020, she was also appointed as an ambassador for Cartier's new Pasha de Cartier watch. In April 2021, H&M announced Williams as its global sustainability ambassador. This followed H&M's announcement in December that its foundation will be spending $100 million (£72 million) on green initiatives. The aim was to promote the brands move to a circular fashion model where customers recycle unwanted garments, resulting in less waste and lower environmental impact H&M. However, Williams and H&M received a backlash from some sustainability activists and fair fashion campaigners, accusing both of

greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on " whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aim ...

. The fast-fashion brand recycling initiative was criticised for not going far enough, for not using sustainable materials from the outset, for perceived poor treatment of its workers and failure to meet the

Living Wage A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet their basic needs. This is not the same as a subsistence wage, which refers to a biological minimum, or a solidarity wage, which refers to a minimum wage tracking lab ...

targets they set themselves. The company strongly defended itself. Williams was criticised for lending her celebrity name and financially benefiting from the corporate partnership.

Other career activities

Production companies

Williams set up Daisy Chain Productions in early 2016 with Dom Santry and

(both of whom she met while working on ''iBoy'') to develop and produce UK-originated short films, theatrical features and high-end television drama, with a focus on opportunities for youth and development of talent in the UK. In 2017 the

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

''Stealing Silver'', which Williams executive produced and starred in alongside

Ronald Pickup Ronald Alfred Pickup (7 June 1940 – 24 February 2021) was an English actor. He was active in television, film, and theatre, beginning with a 1964 appearance in ''Doctor Who''. Theatre critic Michael Billington described him as "a terrific sta ...

, was the company's first production. Williams and Lowri Roberts, via their production company Rapt, teamed up with independent studio

Delaval Film Delaval is the surname of a family of gentry/aristocracy in Northumberland, England, from the 11th century to the 19th century. Their main estate was the manor of Seaton Delaval. The 18th century Delavals are noteworthy for their colourful life ...

as executive producers on a 15-minute British/Czech co-produced

stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...

animation short, '' Salvation Has No Name''. Written and directed by Joseph Wallace, filming began in 2020 at Aardman Studios, and is set to be screened at festivals in 2022. ''Salvation Has No Name'', to be screened at festivals in 2022, is a cinematic folktale that explores the issue of

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

and faith around the

refugee crisis A refugee crisis can refer to difficulties and dangerous situations in the reception of large groups of forcibly displaced persons. These could be either internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers or any other huge groups of migrants. A ...

through a surreal performance of a troupe of circus clowns.

Internet career

With Santry, Williams co-developed and launched the

beta version A software release life cycle is the sum of the stages of development and maturity for a piece of computer software ranging from its initial development to its eventual release, and including updated versions of the released version to help impro ...

of a new

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

-compatible

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

app called Daisie, on 1 August 2018. Daisie is a

multi-media Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to traditio ...

social networking- style

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

, designed to help artists and creators of all types and backgrounds from across the various creative industries to showcase their work, discover projects and collaborate and provide an alternative route to develop their careers. The company is based in Shoreditch, in the East End of London. In May 2019, Daisie raised £2 million ($2.5 million) in

seed funding Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. The term ''seed'' su ...

. Eleven days after the public launch, in May 2019, the number of users reached one hundred thousand (with 70 per cent of the user base being female), most of whom were in London where the bulk of its marketing efforts had taken place. On ''AppAdvice'', Daisie achieved a score of 4 out of 5. Users can search for creative projects, and network with other users in the fields they are interested in. Users' profiles grow by connecting with other creative people (via "chains") and working collaboratively on projects (not by obtaining high follower popularity counts, friends, or likes typical of most other social media apps). Williams explains: "The way your profile grows is by the chains that you make. To make a chain with someone, you have to work together." Creative users can use Daisie to showcase their own work or their collaborations in the same or multiple arts industries. They can also gain guidance from leading experts in their field via a question and answer style format with others who have more experience in their fields. Williams and Santry said that they designed Daisie as a tool for young people to bypass the obstacles, both internal and external, that prevent budding artists from gaining recognition and exposure. Williams stated that the "goal is to have a community of artists who are collaborating with each other, uploading their work, sharing their projects and ultimately ... help people with their own careers, rather than our own." Daisie does not allow company profiles, the focus being on individual creators. Williams explained in 2019 that instead of creators "having to market themselves to fit someone else's idea of what their job would be, they can let their art speak for themselves." In 2019, Williams presented a

TEDx TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

talk in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

on the topic "Don't strive to be famous, strive to be talented". She ended the talk by introducing Daisie as a social network tool for artists to collaborate with each other, and as a way for artists to take back control. Williams is also the Creative Strategist and advisor to a platform called Contact (launched in October 2020) which was co-founded by Williams' partner Reuben Selby, who was formerly part of her Daisie team. Initially targeted at connecting agencies and fashion models (including support features including licensing and insurance). Following successful fundraising ($1.9 million (£1.4 million) seed funding), the intention is to expand into other creative fields such as photographers, stylists, videographers, and more. Contact offers an alternative approach to working in the creative industries which is currently dominated by agencies. Via Contact, individuals and businesses can discover and book creators and creative services directly, circumventing the need for an agency.

Personal pursuits

Personal life and fashion

Though Williams has been quoted saying "No dress in the world is worth giving up sword fighting", according to ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

''s Janelle Okwodu, Williams has "cultivated a quirky, youthful style", while ''

''s senior fashion editor Emily Cronin pointed out Williams' " Street style", and that as a celebrity she has been courted by the fashion industry. In 2019, Williams and her boyfriend Reuben Selby started to appear on the fashion scene as a couple, regularly in coordinated ensembles. From 2020, she collaborated with Selby with the establishment of his own sustainable genderless fashion line — which he debuted during the

Paris Fashion Week Paris Fashion Week (french: Semaine de la mode de Paris) is a series of designer presentations held semiannually in Paris, France with spring/summer and autumn/winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation. ...

in the courtyard of the

Ritz Paris Ritz or The Ritz may refer to: Facilities and structures Hotels * The Ritz Hotel, London, a hotel in London, England * Hôtel Ritz Paris, a hotel in Paris, France * Hotel Ritz (Madrid), a hotel in Madrid, Spain * Hotel Ritz (Lisbon), a hotel i ...

. Williams and Selby live in rural south east England.

Advocacy and charitable activities

Williams is a vocal environmental activist. In a 2019 interview with Dazed Digital, she said "activist groups like

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

" were a major inspiration. Williams is a global ambassador and campaigner for dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry's ''Dolphin Project'', taking part in protests against dolphin hunts. She has also actively supported various campaigns in support of anti-bullying, gay marriage, trans rights,

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police br ...

, the environmental organisation Greenpeace and the clean water charity WaterAid, and used her status to encourage young people to vote (for the Labour Party). During the coronavirus pandemic, she donated £50,000 ($62,500) to support the work of the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, from which she had adopted a dog. Williams (in collaboration with a designer from Daisie), along with

Zoe Sugg Zoë Elizabeth Sugg (born 28 March 1990), also known by her online name Zoella, is an English media personality, entrepreneur, and author. She began her career as a YouTuber in 2009, and has since amassed over 10 million subscribers. In 2014, ...

and activist

Adwoa Aboah Adwoa Caitlin Maria Aboah (born 18 May 1992) is a British fashion model. In December 2017 she appeared on the cover of British ''Vogue''. She has also been on the cover of ''American Vogue'', ''Vogue Italia'', '' Vogue Poland'', and ''i-D''. I ...

, designed a limited-edition

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

bag for WaterAid's non profit monthly subscription service Fempowered. Sales of the bags are intended to tackle taboos regarding periods while also raising money to tackle international inequalities of

period poverty Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) or menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) refers to access to menstrual hygiene products to absorb or collect the flow of blood during menstruation, privacy to change the materials, and access to facilities to disp ...

. In April 2021, Williams was appointed the

World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...

's (WWF) first global ambassador for climate and nature. At the eve of

COP26 The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...

November 2021, Williams (as the WWF Global Ambassador) delivered the opening address at the premiere of Sir David Attenborough's upcoming television series '' The Green Planet'' at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

's Imax cinema.

Acting credits

Films

Television

Video games

Web series

Music videos

Theatre

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Maisie 1997 births Living people Actresses from Bristol Actresses from Somerset English child actresses English film actresses English television actresses English voice actresses English women in business Internet company founders Technology company founders 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English businesspeople