Allison Williams Bio
Allison Howell Williams (born April 13, 1988) is an American actress. She began her career in comedy and rose to prominence as a horror queen beginning in the late 2010s. Her accolades include a National Board of Review Award and nominations at the Critics’ Choice, GMSA, and SAG Awards. After performing on YouTube and with the improv troupe Just Add Water, Williams gained her first starring role in the comedy drama series Girls (2012–2017). She rose to wider prominence for co-starring in the psychological horror film Get Out (2017), and the science fiction horror films M3GAN (2022) and M3GAN 2.0 (2025)—both of which she produced. She also starred in the psychological horror film The Perfection (2018), the historical series Fellow Travelers (2023), and the romantic comedy film Regretting You (2025).
Early Life and Background
Allison Howell Williams was born on April 13, 1988, in Hartford, Connecticut, and raised in New Canaan, Connecticut. She is the daughter of former NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor Brian Williams and TV producer Jane Gillan Stoddard. She has a younger brother, Doug, who is a reporter and anchor at WCBS-TV. Williams attended New Canaan Country School and Greenwich Academy. She later attended Yale University, majoring in English, where she was a member of Morse College and the St. Elmo secret society. In 2010, Yale made a promotional video featuring Williams, which went viral. She graduated from Yale with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2010.
Path to Hollywood
Williams began her career as a member of the improv comedy troupe Just Add Water, working with them for four years and acting in the YouTube series College Musical. The project featured Sam Tsui and was directed by Kurt Hugo Schneider, both of whom also attended Yale. In 2010, Williams performed a mashup of “Nature Boy” set to RJD2’s “A Beautiful Mine,” the theme song for the television series Mad Men. The YouTube video of the performance received widespread praise on the Internet. After seeing Williams’ mashup, Judd Apatow was convinced to cast her in the HBO series Girls. The series premiered on April 15, 2012, and generated high praise from television critics but sparked many controversies. Williams was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series at the 22nd Critics’ Choice Awards.
Allison Williams Career
Early Career (2004–2016)
Williams began her career with notable work in the improv comedy troupe and gained recognition through her role in Girls. From 2011 to 2012, she appeared as Cheryl in the CollegeHumor series Jake and Amir. On December 4, 2014, she starred in the title role on NBC’s live television presentation of the musical Peter Pan Live!, opposite Christopher Walken as Captain Hook. In November 2016, Williams appeared in Past Forward, a short film collaboration between David O. Russell and Prada. Williams also wrote a series of Funny or Die sketches starring as newlywed Kate Middleton, alongside Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Prince William.
Breakthrough (2017–present)
In 2017, Williams starred in the horror film Get Out, which marked her feature film debut. Director Jordan Peele was convinced she was right for the role of Rose after seeing her performance in Peter Pan Live! Williams prepared for the role by isolating herself from the cast and crew during production to understand the psychopathic nature of her character. The film received critical acclaim, and Williams’ performance was praised, earning her several accolades, including nominations for the MTV Award for Best Villain and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. That same year, Williams starred in the horror film The Perfection, which was released on May 24, 2019. In 2018, she was cast as Kit Snicket in the Netflix comedy-drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events, appearing throughout the show’s second and third seasons. Two years later, Williams appeared in the Swedish thriller film Horizon Line.
Notable Works and Milestones
Three years after Get Out, Williams reteamed with Blumhouse to executive produce and star in M3GAN. She plays Gemma, a roboticist and creator of the titular robot. The film was released on January 6, 2023, to commercial success, becoming the second highest-grossing film of her career. Williams was critically lauded for her performance, with various critics praising her ability to balance horror and comedy. In 2023, she starred in the miniseries Fellow Travelers. Williams was announced in early 2022 to reprise the role of Gemma in M3GAN 2.0, which she would also produce, set for release in June 2025. Her next film, Regretting You, is also scheduled for release in 2025.
Allison Williams Award Nominations
Throughout her career, Allison Williams has received several nominations for her performances, particularly for her work in television and film.
Allison Williams Awards Won
Allison Williams has won a National Board of Review Award and has received nominations from various organizations, showcasing her talent and contributions to the entertainment industry.
Allison Williams Family
Allison Williams is the daughter of Brian Williams and Jane Gillan Stoddard. She has a younger brother, Doug Williams, who is a reporter.
Personal Life
Allison Williams began dating Ricky Van Veen, the co-founder of CollegeHumor, in 2011. They were engaged in 2014 and married on September 19, 2015, in a private ceremony. The couple announced their separation in June 2019. In late 2019, Williams began dating German actor Alexander Dreymon, whom she met while filming Horizon Line. They welcomed a son in late 2021 and married quietly in 2023.
