| Michelle Ingrid Williams is an Academy Award-nominated American actress. Williams broke into stardom on the teen series Dawson's Creek and later graduated to full length features, such as Brokeback Mountain, for which she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Born in Kalispell, Montana, she is the eldest of the five children of Larry Williams, a renowned commodities trader, and Carla Williams, a homemaker. She also has a half sister named Sara Williams, who is the vice principal of Loma Vista Elementary School, in Brentwood, CA. When she was nine, her family moved to San Diego, California. At an early age, Williams took interest in acting. With her parents' disapproval, at age fifteen Williams emancipated herself from her parents and graduated from high school, in order to pursue her acting career. Williams' career began in television, appearing in programs such as the 90's version of Lassie, Baywatch and Home Improvement. Williams' first film role was in the motion picture Species. Soon after, she won additional roles, including the Jessica Lange-Michelle Pfeiffer film A Thousand Acres and the 1998 movie Halloween: H20. However, it was in 1998 when Williams was cast as Jen Lindley on the hit WB show Dawson's Creek, that helped to put her on the map. Williams is engaged to Australian actor Heath Ledger and gave birth to their daughter, Matilda Rose Ledger, on October 28, 2005. The couple met on the set of Brokeback Mountain, where they played husband and wife, and currently live in Brooklyn, New York.
|