Hannah Waddingham

Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is an English actress. She is known for playing Rebecca Welton in the comedy series Ted Lasso (2020–2023), for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021 and 2022. She has also appeared in a number of West End shows, including Spamalot, the 2010 Regent's Park revival of Into the Woods, and The Wizard of Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West, and has received three Olivier Award nominations for her work. Waddingham's other work includes appearing as an ensemble member in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, and joining the cast of the fifth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones as Septa Unella in 2015. She co-starred in the 2018 British psychological thriller Winter Ridge directed by Dom Lenoir, and has had a supporting role on the series Sex Education (2019-2023). In 2023, she co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. Early life and education Waddingham was born in Wandsworth in London. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was an opera singer, as were both of her maternal grandparents. Her mother joined the English National Opera when Waddingham was eight years old, and she grew up around the theatre. Waddingham is a graduate of the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts. She has a four-octave vocal range. She started out in dinner theatre, performing in the interactive comedy Joni and Gina's Wedding.