Hannah Waddingham (born 28 July 1974) is an English actress, singer, and television presenter. She is known for roles on both stage and screen, and has received several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards and a Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFTA TV Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Laurence Olivier Awards.
She gained stardom playing Rebecca Welton in the Apple TV+ comedy series Ted Lasso (since 2020), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Other television roles include playing Tonya Dyke in Benidorm (2014), Septa Unella in Game of Thrones (2015–2016), Jax-Ur in Krypton (2018–2019), Sofia Marchetti in Sex Education (2019–2023), and Judith in Ride or Die (2026). Furthermore, she voices Deliria in the animated series Krapopolis (since 2023), for which she earned an Emmy Award nomination. On film, she has acted in the musical Les Misérables (2012), the thriller Winter Ridge (2018), the animated film The Garfield Movie (2024), the action comedy The Fall Guy (2024), and the action film Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025).
On stage, she has appeared in a number of West End musicals, earning three nominations for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performances as Lady of the Lake in the Monty Python musical comedy Spamalot (2007), Desirée Armfeldt in the Stephen Sondheim musical revival A Little Night Music (2010), and Katharine in the Cole Porter musical romance comedy Kiss Me, Kate (2013). She made her Broadway debut reprising her role in the New York City transfer of Spamalot (2008). Waddingham also co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 and hosted the Laurence Olivier Awards twice in 2023 and 2024.
Early life and education Hannah Waddingham was born on 28 July 1974 in Wandsworth, London. Waddingham is half-Manx; her mother Melodie Kelly is from Port Erin. Her mother was an opera singer, as were both of her maternal grandparents, joining the English National Opera when Waddingham was eight years old. Her grandfather Harry Waddingham was the oldest known British Second World War veteran at the time of his death in 2026 aged 109. 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 Joey and Gina's Wedding, produced by Anthony and Joseph Tomaska.
Career Stage career Waddingham has been a stage actress on both London's West End and New York's Broadway. She made her West End debut in Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens at The Queens Theatre in 1998 and went on to star in Lautrec by Charles Aznavour in March 2000, then created the role of Christine Warner in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s The Beautiful Game, staying with the show for the year-long run at the Cambridge Theatre from September 2000. Further stage roles included Starbird in Space Family Robinson (Julian & Stephen Butler, 2002) and Satan in Tonight's the Night: The Rod Stewart Musical at the Victoria Palace Theatre in 2003.
Waddingham portrayed the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, both in the London production and then on Broadway. She received an Olivier Award nomination for the role. She received outstanding reviews for her portrayal of Desirée Armfeldt in Trevor Nunn's revival of A Little Night Music. Waddingham subsequently received a further Olivier Award nomination in 2010 for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Night Music.
In mid-2010, Waddingham played the Witch in the production of Into the Woods at London's Open Air Theatre."Into the Woods wins Best Musical Revival". Olivier Awards. Raven, Paul (11 February 2011). "Second Chance To See Into The Woods". Westendtheatre.com. She originated the role of The Wicked Witch of the West in the West End production of The Wizard of Oz, which opened on 1 March 2011 at the London Palladium and was the first to perform the new Lloyd Webber and Rice song "Red Shoes Blues". She left the production in September 2011.Ffrench, Andrew. "Marianne's magic at Palladium" . Oxfordmail.co.uk, 22 October 2011 Waddingham won the whatsonstage.com Theatergoers Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her performance.
In 2012, Waddingham starred in Chichester Festival Theatre's revival of Kiss Me, Kate. The show transferred to the Old Vic Theatre on London's South Bank in November 2012.
On 25 August 2023, Waddingham was announced as the host of the Fantasy, Myths and Legends Prom as part of that year's BBC Proms; on 28 August, she pulled out just hours before the performance, in solidarity with the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
Screen career Waddingham made her screen debut in an episode of the sitcom Coupling in 2002, and followed this with a recurring role in the soap opera Brookside. Waddingham made one-off appearances in television series such as William and Mary, Footballers' Wives and Hollyoaks: Let Loose, and then took on the role of Lola Brewster in Agatha Christie's Marple: "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" in 2009. In 2011, Waddingham appeared in series 4, episode 3 of the BBC sitcom, Not Going Out. She played the role of Jane, an actress in an adult film being recorded in the show. She had a small role in the 2012 film Les Misérables. In 2014, Waddingham appeared as Tonya in series 6 of the ITV comedy series Benidorm.
Waddingham portrayed the "Shame Nun", Septa Unella, in season 5 and 6 of Game of Thrones. She began filming her scenes nine weeks after the birth of her daughter and claims that she underwent actual waterboarding during filming so that the scene would look authentic. She was given the role's iconic "shame bell" as a parting gift. She also had a recurring role on the Netflix series Sex Education as Jackson's mother, Sophia Marchetti.
Since 2020, Waddingham has portrayed Rebecca Welton, the owner of AFC Richmond, on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. She did her own singing in the season one episode "Make Rebecca Great Again" and the season two episodes "Carol of the Bells" and "No Weddings and a Funeral". In 2021, she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for the role.
Waddingham also appears as the character Mother Witch in Hocus Pocus 2, Disney's sequel to Hocus Pocus released on Disney+ on 30 September 2022. She portrayed Lady Bellaston in the ITV drama series Tom Jones, based on Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, inspired by the real life of Etheldreda Townshend. In May 2023, Waddingham co-hosted the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool, alongside Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them for the final.
Waddingham appeared in the 2024 action-comedy film The Fall Guy alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, playing villainous producer Gail. She also voiced Jinx in the 2024 animated feature film The Garfield Movie. In 2025, Waddingham portrayed Admiral Neely alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, and held the role of Australian socialite Heidi Heatherley in the thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 opposite Keira Knightley. Waddingham also voiced the Grand Councilwoman in the live action Lilo and Stitch, and voiced Jezebeth in the animated feature film Smurfs.
In 2026, Waddingham co-starred with Octavia Spencer in Prime Video's action-comedy series Ride or Die.
Waddingham's upcoming 2027 film projects include the animated musical adventure film High in the Clouds, and action-comedy Jason Statham Stole My Bike.
Recordings
In 2000, Waddingham played the role of Christine in the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton musical The Beautiful Game in London's West End. In October 2000, Waddingham (billed simply as "Hannah"), released a single of the song "Our Kind of Love" from the production. The single peaked at No. 41 in the UK charts.
She later sang the role of Starbird on the soundtrack recording of Space Family Robinson (composers: Julian Butler and Stephen Butler), released by Pop! Records in May 2002, coinciding with the stage production (also featuring Waddingham as Starbird) which ran for three weeks at London's Pleasance Theatre.
On 22 November 2023, Waddingham's debut album, a live album, was released. Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas was recorded at the show of the same name for Apple TV. The album debuted and peaked at numbers 51 and 43 on the UK Albums Downloads and Soundtrack Albums charts, respectively.
Personal life Waddingham emigrated to Australia in 2012 but returned soon after. She was in a relationship with Italian businessman Gianluca Cugnetto for a decade. In 2014, they had a daughter whom Waddingham has raised as a single parent since her daughter was two years old.
Waddingham also speaks French and Italian.
Acting credits +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 How to Lose Friends & Alienate People Elizabeth Maddox 2012 Les Misérables Factory Worker 2015 Meet Pursuit Delange: The Movie Maddie Forrester 2016 The Gatehouse The Agent 2018 Winter Ridge Joanne Hill 2019 The Hustle Shiraz 2022 Hocus Pocus 2 Mother Witch 2024 The Fall Guy Gail Meyer The Garfield Movie Jinx Voice2025 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning Admiral Neely Lilo & Stitch Grand Councilwoman Voice Smurfs Jezebeth Voice The Woman in Cabin 10 Heidi Heatherley 2027 Gretsch Voice Post-production In production
Television Year Title Role Notes 2002 Coupling Jenny Turbot Episode: "Split" Brookside Georgina Savage 3 episodes 2003 My Hero Miranda Episode: "Time and Time Again" 2005 William and Mary Penelope Episode: #3.3 Footballers' Wives Jools Episode: #4.9 Hollyoaks: Let Loose Mrs. Robertson 3 episodes2006 My Hero Lula Episode: "Sidekick"The Only Boy for Me Melissa Television filmEasy Peasy Kate Barber Television film 2008 Doctors Dixie Deadman Episode: "Miss Letherbridge" 2009 M.I. High Alannah Sucrose Episode: "The Glove"2010 Agatha Christie's Marple Lola Brewster Episode: "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" Doctors Jacky Parnell Episode: "Occupational Hazard" 2010–2011 My Family Katie 3 episodes 2011 Not Going Out Jane Episode: "Movie"2012 Doctors Rhonda Stowell Episode: "The Promise" Bad Education Loretta Episode: "Self-Defence" 2014 Benidorm Tonya Dyke 7 episodes (Series 6)2015 Doctors Becky Harmison Episode: "Subsidence" Partners in Crime Blonde Assassin 3 episodes 2015–2016 Game of Thrones Septa Unella 8 episodes 2016 In the Club Dr. Stone 4 episodes Josh Phillipa Episode: "Close-up and Long Shot"The Entire Universe Time & Space Television film 2017 12 Monkeys Magdalena 4 episodes 2018 Bad Move Imelda Episode: "Big Deal" 2018–2019 Krypton Jax-Ur 13 episodes 2019–2023 Sex Education Sofía Marchetti 11 episodes 2020–present Ted Lasso Rebecca Welton Main role 2021 Midsomer Murders Mimi Dagmar Episode: "The Stitcher Society"Murder, They Hope Chief Inspector Henrietta Shepherd Episode: "Dales of the Unexpected" 2022 Willow Hubert Episode: "The Battle of the Slaughtered Lamb" 2023 Tom Jones Lady Bellaston 3 episodes 2023–present Krapopolis Deliria Main voice role 2024 Tiddler Narrator Voice, television film 2026 Ride or Die JudithSeries lead
Non-acting television Year Title Role Notes 2014 Our Gay Wedding: The Musical Herself Channel 4 TV special 2022 RuPaul's Drag Race UK Guest judge Series 4; "Lairy Poppins: The Rusical"2023 Eurovision Song Contest Co-presenter Presenter for semi-finals and grand final Earthshot Prize Co-presenter Alongside Sterling K. Brown Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas Herself Holiday special for Apple TV+ The Olivier Awards 2023 Host Awards ceremony 2024 The Olivier Awards 2024 Awards ceremony 2025 British Legion Festival of Remembrance Ceremony2026 Saturday Night Live UK Episode: "Hannah Waddingham/Myles Smith"