Hannah Waddingham is well known to audiences, especially for roles in Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones, and soon as Lady Bellaston in Tom Jones. Now, find out more about the colorful and fascinating life of the actress, including details on her first passion in life, her thoughts on fame at her age, and more.
- 1.
Waddingham is Happy She Became Famous Later in Life
From her recent iconic roles as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso and Septa Unella in Game of Thrones, audiences now can’t get enough of Hannah Waddingham. The actor, who has had an active career since the early 2000s, is enjoying her greatest professional success now. Waddingham, for one, finds it assuring that she didn’t achieve this level of celebrity earlier in her career.
“I think in terms of suddenly your career going into warp speed, I can see why younger people lose their [minds],” Waddingham told The Times of London. “Whereas me, yes, it’s amazing, but I’ve still got to spin the plates of life with my daughter. By 47, you kind of are who you are. I don’t need any new friends. I’ve got my clan.”
- 2.
Waddingham Comes from a Family of Singers
While Waddingham is now most recognized as an actress, she hails from a family of accomplished singers. Her mother, Melodie Kelly, was a member of the English National Opera for 27 years, and Waddingham’s maternal grandparents were both talented opera singers.
Growing up and learning some people’s parents worked in offices, Waddingham had a priceless reaction. ‘What do you mean? Doesn’t everyone sing and dance for a living?’” she told The Zoe Report in 2022.
While never having formal music lessons, Waddingham, who has a four-octave vocal range, studied at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in London. Despite being steeped in the world of opera from a young age, Waddingham didn’t imagine herself in that milieu. “I bucked against opera in particular even though I knew it was my actual sound,” she told Rose & Ivy Journal in 2021.
Fun Fact: Waddingham performed with singer Michael Bublé in a 2021 holiday special. Watch Waddingham sing “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).
- 3.
Waddingham Shines on Stage, Too
Despite any early hesitation about following in her family’s footsteps, Waddingham knew she was born for musical theater, and it had nothing to do with wanting to be a big star. “Musical theater people don’t get into it for money or fame. It’s in your blood; it’s in your bones; it’s a vocation,” she told The Zoe Report.
The multi-talented actress has been nominated for the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical three times (for Monty Python’s Spamalot, A Little Night Music, and Kiss Me Kate). The Olivier Awards, presented by the Society of London Theaters, recognize excellence in professional theater in London.
Fun Fact: In 2000, Waddingham released a single titled “Our Kind of Love,” her rendition of a song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s soccer-themed stage musical The Beautiful.
- 4.
Waddingham is a Working Mom
While she still loves working in theater productions, Waddingham plans to focus on her TV career for the foreseeable future because of her number one role: “My primary function is being a single mama,” she told People.
She welcomed a daughter in 2016, and has been open about the way in which her perspective on her life and career shifted, especially in light of the illness that affected her young daughter (who was 3 at the time). Waddingham’s daughter suffers from Henoch-Schönlein purpura or HSP, an autoimmune disorder most common in children under the age of 10. Luckily, Waddingham’s daughter is “much better now,” she said, “so that’s the greatest.”
“I’m hugely blessed not only to have a child, but to have been able to choose to move to television and to be accepted into that world where I can be Mummy as much as I can and be away from her as little as possible,” Waddingham told Town & Country.
- 5.
Waddingham Has Wowed Audiences and Critics Alike
Waddingham has received recognition for her role in Ted Lasso, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2021,Critics’ Choice Awards in both 2021 and 2022, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Hollywood Critics Association Award.
During her Emmy acceptance speech, she was overwhelmed with emotion, and started by saying, “Jason [Sudeikis], you’ve changed my life with this, and more importantly, my baby girl’s. And I will work for you as long as you’ll let me.” Waddingham quickly added, “Oh my God, I’m giving a speech at the Emmys!” marking a joyful, monumental moment in her career.
More in Tom Jones
- Feature: Get Ready for Tom Jones
- Video: An Inside Look at Tom Jones
- Video: Tom Jones Official Preview
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