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Last updated on the 16 March 2025 by Maeve
Mini Biography
Born: 7 March 1971, Westminster, London.
Rachel Weisz is a British actress who has won several awards, including an Oscar, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Laurence Olivier Award. She is known for her roles in both independent films and blockbusters, such as The Mummy, The Constant Gardener, The Favourite and Black Widow.
Rachel Weisz was born to Jewish parents who had fled the Nazis in the 1930s. Her father, George, was a mechanical engineer from Hungary and her mother, Edith, was a psychotherapist from Austria. She has a sister, Minnie, who is a photographer. Weisz grew up in Hampstead Garden Suburb and attended several private schools, including Benenden School, North London Collegiate School, and St Paul’s Girls’ School. She developed an interest in acting at an early age and performed in school plays and amateur theatre groups.
Rachel Weisz studied English literature at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where she graduated with a 2:1 degree in 1992. She also co-founded a student drama group called Cambridge Talking Tongues, which won a Guardian Student Drama Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for their play Slight Possession. She began her professional acting career in television, appearing in series such as Inspector Morse, Scarlet and Black, and The Advocates. She made her film debut in the sci-fi thriller Death Machine in 1994, and won a Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for her role in the revival of Noël Coward’s play Design for Living at the Gielgud Theatre.
Rachel Weisz’s breakthrough came in 1999, when she starred as Evelyn Carnahan, an adventurous Egyptologist, in the blockbuster adventure film The Mummy, opposite Brendan Fraser. She reprised her role in the sequel, The Mummy Returns, in 2001, and also appeared in other films such as Enemy at the Gates, About a Boy, Runaway Jury, and Constantine.
In 2005, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Tessa Quayle, a humanitarian activist, in the political thriller The Constant Gardener, based on the novel by John le Carré. She also won a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a British Independent Film Award for the same role.
Rachel Weisz continued to work in a variety of genres and mediums in the 2010s, including drama, comedy, fantasy, and action. She starred in films such as The Fountain, The Lovely Bones, The Bourne Legacy, Oz the Great and Powerful, The Deep Blue Sea, Denial, and The Favourite. She also returned to the stage, playing Blanche DuBois in a 2009 revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, for which she won a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, and appearing in Broadway productions of Betrayal and Plenty.
In 2018, she received her second Oscar nomination, as well as a BAFTA Award, for her role as Sarah Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough, in the historical comedy-drama The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. In 2021, she joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Melina Vostokoff, a former spy, in the superhero film Black Widow, starring alongside Scarlett Johansson.
Rachel Weisz has been married to actor Daniel Craig since 2011 and they have a daughter, born in 2018. She also has a son, born in 2006, from her previous relationship with filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, whom she dated from 2001 to 2010. She holds both British and American citizenship, and lives in New York and London. She is involved in several charitable causes, such as Amnesty International, The Opportunity Network, and The Constant Gardener Trust. She is also a patron of the charity Into Film, which promotes film education for young people.
WINNER|Film: Supporting Actress for The Favourite (2019)
 WINNER| Best Supporting Actress for The Constant Gardner (2005)
Suggested viewing
The Favourite (2018)
Bftv 9.0 / IMDb 8.5
“The Favourite” is a film set in 18th-century England. It portrays the complex power dynamics between Queen Anne, her close friend Lady Sarah and newcomer Abigail. As Abigail manipulates her way into the Queen’s favour, a rivalry ensues, leading to a darkly comedic tale of ambition, betrayal and political intrigue.
Top cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss, James Smith, Jenny Rainford, Emma Delves.
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.4
“The Constant Gardener” is a film based on John le Carré’s novel. It revolves around Justin Quayle, a British diplomat in Kenya, who investigates the murder of his activist wife. In his quest for truth, he uncovers a conspiracy involving pharmaceutical companies, corruption and the exploitation of impoverished communities.
Top cast: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard McCabe, Donald Sumpter, Juliet Aubrey, Hubert Koundé.
Agora (2009)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.1
“Agora” is a historical drama set in ancient Alexandria. It centers around Hypatia, a philosopher and mathematician, as she navigates religious and political conflicts during the decline of the Roman Empire. Her pursuit of knowledge and her relationship with her students are tested amidst rising tensions and violence in the city.
Top cast: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom, Michael Lonsdale, Rupert Evans, Homayoun Ershadi, Sami Samir, Richard Durden.
My Cousin Rachel (2017)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 6.0
“My Cousin Rachel” is a film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel. It follows the story of Philip, a young Englishman who falls in love with his cousin Rachel. As he becomes increasingly obsessed with her, he is left questioning her true intentions and whether she is responsible for his guardian’s death.
Top cast: Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger, Iain Glen, Pierfrancesco Favino, Simon Russell Beale, Vicki Pepperdine, Tim Barlow, Bobby Scott Freeman.
The Land Girls (1998)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 6.2
“The Land Girls” is a film set during World War II, depicting the lives of three young women who join the Women’s Land Army to work on farms in England. Through their struggles, friendships and personal growth, they contribute to the war effort and challenge traditional gender roles.
Top cast: Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, Steven Mackintosh, Paul Bettany, Nicholas Le Prevost, Lucy Akhurst, Celia Bannerman, Tom Georgeson.
Related to
Enemy at the Gates (2000)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 7.2
“Enemy at the Gates” is a war film set during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. It follows the story of Vasily Zaytsev, a Soviet sniper, as he becomes a symbol of hope for the Russians. He faces off against a skilled German sniper, creating a tense cat-and-mouse game amidst the brutalities of war.
Top cast: Jude Law, Ed Harris, Rachel Weisz, Joseph Fiennes, Bob Hoskins, Ron Perlman, Eva Mattes, Gabriel Thomson, Matthias Habich.
The Mercy (2017)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 6.0
“The Mercy” is a biographical drama based on the true story of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst. It chronicles his ill-fated attempt to complete the Golden Globe Race in 1968. As he faces isolation, self-doubt and a failing boat, Crowhurst struggles with the consequences of his decisions and the pursuit of his dreams.
Top cast: Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Mark Gatiss, Genevieve Gaunt, Jonathan Bailey, Andrew Buchan, Simon McBurney, Eleanor Stagg.
Denial (2016)
Bftv 8.5 / IMDb 6.7
“Denial” is a film based on a true story, where Deborah Lipstadt, a historian, is sued for libel by Holocaust denier David Irving. With the burden of proof on her, Lipstadt and her legal team must fight to prove the existence of the Holocaust and defend historical truth against denial and distortion.
Top cast: Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott, Jack Lowden, Caren Pistorius, Alex Jennings, Harriet Walter, Mark Gatiss.
Related to
   
Page Eight (2011)
Bftv 8.0 / IMDb 6.8
“Page Eight” is a British spy thriller that follows Johnny Worricker, a long-serving MI5 officer who uncovers a secret intelligence report that could have political repercussions. As he navigates the murky world of espionage and betrayal, Worricker must decide who to trust and expose the truth before it’s too late.
Top cast: Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Felicity Jones, Tom Hughes, Judy Davis, Rakhee Thakrar, Saskia Reeves.
