# Haley Bennett
**Haley Bennett** (born Haley Loraine Keeling, 1988, in [Fort Myers, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/fort-myers-florida)) is an American actress and singer who made her film debut as teen pop star Cora Corman in *Music and Lyrics* (2007) and later drew wide critical attention for *The Magnificent Seven* and *The Girl on the Train* (both 2016), *Swallow* (2019), *Cyrano* (2021), and *Hillbilly Elegy* (2020).[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html) • [2](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/haley-bennett-an3591) The Library of Congress authority record lists her fields of activity as acting, motion picture acting, singing, and popular music.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and date | Haley Loraine Keeling, 1988, Fort Myers, Florida[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html) |
| Screen debut | Cora Corman, the third lead in *Music and Lyrics* (2007), performing all her own songs in her first professional acting job[3](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/stow-sentry/2007/02/18/actress-from-stow-makes-movie/19724059007/) |
| Breakout year | Near-simultaneous roles in *The Magnificent Seven* and *The Girl on the Train* (2016) led many critics to call her one of the breakout stars of 2016[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/haley_bennett) |
| Signature award | Best Actress at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival for *Swallow*, which was also her producing debut[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) |
| Music | Songs on the *Music and Lyrics* soundtrack including "Buddha's Delight" and "Way Back into Love"; a 2007 recording deal with 550 Music/Nu Sound Records for an album that was never released[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/bio/3000549495/) |
| Recent work | Produced and starred in *Widow Clicquot* (TIFF premiere September 11, 2023); *Borderlands* (August 2024); Apple TV+ series *The Last Frontier*, then scheduled for March 2025[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) |
## Early life and background
Bennett was born Haley Loraine Keeling in Fort Myers, Florida.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html) Her parents divorced when she was six, and she lived with her father, Ron, a mechanic; the family moved often, and she described a nomadic childhood in which she never attended the same school for longer than two years.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me) A 2007 local report in her Ohio hometown records that she moved to Stow, Ohio, with her father Ronald Keeling, and that her mother is Leilani Dorsey Bennett.[3](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/stow-sentry/2007/02/18/actress-from-stow-makes-movie/19724059007/) From age 10 she was interested in acting and singing and performed in school plays.[3](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/stow-sentry/2007/02/18/actress-from-stow-makes-movie/19724059007/)
**Move to Los Angeles.** After high school she moved to Los Angeles with her mother.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/haley_bennett) The age at which she made the move differs between interviews: the *Guardian* says she left Ohio for Los Angeles at 19, enrolled in acting classes, and gave herself three months to succeed,[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me) while the *Telegraph* says she drove to Hollywood with her mother at 18 with the same three-month deadline.[8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/) Both accounts agree that before the deadline passed she had an agent and the role of a teen pop diva in *Music and Lyrics*, opposite [Hugh Grant](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugh-grant) and [Drew Barrymore](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-barrymore); Bennett has said she broke down crying mid-dance at her screen test.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me) • [8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/)
## Career
**Debut and early roles, 2007–2014.** *Music and Lyrics* (2007) was her first professional acting job, and she performed all her own songs in the film.[3](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/stow-sentry/2007/02/18/actress-from-stow-makes-movie/19724059007/) She followed it with the lead title role in *The Haunting of Molly Hartley* (2008), a supporting role in *Marley & Me*, and roles in *The Hole* (2009), [Gregg Araki](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-araki)'s *Kaboom* (2010), and *College* (2008).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/haley_bennett) • [2](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/haley-bennett-an3591) In interviews she described the years after the debut as a struggle: "I struggled for many, many years following Music and Lyrics, I mean really struggle," she told *Entertainment Weekly* in 2016, when she was 28.[9](https://ew.com/article/2016/10/09/girl-on-the-train-haley-bennett-interview/) In 2011 [Terrence Malick](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrence-malick) cast her in his then-untitled project formerly known as *Weightless* (later *Song to Song*); her shooting on it came in fits and starts over a year, largely alongside [Christian Bale](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-bale), and once Bale left the production her role was removed.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me) Malick nonetheless wrote her a recommendation to Antoine Fuqua, who cast her in a small role in *The Equalizer* (2014).[9](https://ew.com/article/2016/10/09/girl-on-the-train-haley-bennett-interview/) • [10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-magnificent-7-haley-bennett-20160907-snap-story.html)
**2016 breakout.** Her near-simultaneous roles in Fuqua's remake of *The Magnificent Seven*, as the vengeful widow who hires the band of renegades, and Tate Taylor's adaptation of *The Girl on the Train*, as the woman stalked by [Emily Blunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-blunt)'s character, led many critics to call her one of the breakout stars of 2016.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/haley_bennett) • [5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) She was also set to appear in *Rules Don't Apply* (November 2016) and the PTSD drama *Thank You for Your Service* (2017) with [Miles Teller](https://www.edgepedia.org/miles-teller) and [Amy Schumer](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-schumer).[9](https://ew.com/article/2016/10/09/girl-on-the-train-haley-bennett-interview/)
**Later studio and indie work.** Her credits include [Ron Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-howard)'s *Hillbilly Elegy* (2020), in which she played [J. D. Vance](https://www.edgepedia.org/j-d-vance)'s sister Lindsay opposite [Amy Adams](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-adams) and Glenn Close; Antonio Campos's *The Devil All the Time* opposite Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson; and Chinonye Chukwu's *Till* for MGM/Orion Pictures opposite Danielle Deadwyler.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) Bennett has said she believes Howard cast her because she understands the American working-class experience, both she and Vance having grown up in Ohio.[8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/) In *Cyrano* (2021) she played Roxanne opposite Peter Dinklage, directed by her partner Joe Wright, reprising a stage role.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me) • [5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/)
## Notable performances and reception
Critics noted her chameleon-like transformations in *The Girl on the Train* (2016) and the feminist thriller *Swallow* (2019), about a woman with a disorder involving the eating of non-food objects.[8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/) *Swallow* brought her the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Best Actress award and marked her producing debut; she was also nominated for Best Actress in a Horror Movie at the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards, and [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) lists a 2019 Narcisse Award for Best Performance as a win.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) • [6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/bio/3000549495/) In a 2022 interview she reflected on spending her 20s in supporting parts and said, "I may not ever be an A-list movie star, but I've kind of come to terms with that."[7](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me)
## Music career
Several of her songs appeared on the *Music and Lyrics* soundtrack, including "Buddha's Delight" and "Way Back into Love."[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/bio/3000549495/) In 2007 she signed a recording deal with 550 Music/Nu Sound Records to work on her first album, which was never released.[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/bio/3000549495/) The Library of Congress record lists singing and popular music among her fields of activity.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html)
## What has changed since 2023
**Producing and recent films.** Bennett produced and starred in *Widow Clicquot*, which premiered on September 11, 2023, at the [Toronto International Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-international-film-festival); she plays the champagne pioneer Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who took over her late husband's vineyard at 27 and created the first vintage in 1810.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) • [8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/) She appeared in the Lionsgate action-comedy *Borderlands*, released in August 2024, and starred in Samir Oliveros's *The Luckiest Man in America* opposite [Paul Walter Hauser](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-walter-hauser), which premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival and was acquired by IFC Films and Sapan Studios.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) She also starred in *Magazine Dreams*, which won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival; the long-delayed Jonathan Majors film later received a trailer revealing its release.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) • [11](https://ew.com/person/haley-bennett/) She received the Progressive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Rome Film Festival.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/)
**Representation and projects announced in 2024.** In November 2024 she signed with UTA for representation, described as an actress, writer, and producer.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) In November 2024, she was reported to be starring in the Apple TV+ series *The Last Frontier* alongside Jason Clarke, directed by Sam Hargrave and John Curran, then scheduled to premiere in March 2025.[5](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/) TV Guide's credit list also includes *She is Love* and *2 Win* among recent titles.[12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/credits/3000549495/)
## Personal life
The Library of Congress record, based on 2019 sourcing, lists her as living in Brooklyn Heights, New York.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html) As of August 2024 she lives in Bruton, Somerset, England, with her partner, the British film director Joe Wright, and their five-year-old daughter Virginia.[8](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/)
## References
1. [Bennett, Haley, 1988- (LC Linked Data Service, Library of Congress)](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2007024235.html)
2. [Haley Bennett | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos, AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/artist/haley-bennett-an3591)
3. [Actress from Stow makes movie debut, Akron Beacon Journal / Stow Sentry (February 2007)](https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/local/stow-sentry/2007/02/18/actress-from-stow-makes-movie/19724059007/)
4. [Haley Bennett Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/haley_bennett)
5. [UTA Signs 'Borderlands' Actress Haley Bennett, Deadline (November 2024)](https://deadline.com/2024/11/uta-haley-bennett-agency-1236183919/)
6. [Haley Bennett Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/bio/3000549495/)
7. [Haley Bennett: 'I always felt like, what's wrong with me?', The Guardian (February 10, 2022)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/feb/10/haley-bennett-i-always-felt-like-whats-wrong-with-me)
8. [How Haley Bennett ripped up the Hollywood rule book, The Telegraph (August 22, 2024)](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2024/08/22/haley-bennett-interview-widow-clicquot/)
9. [Haley Bennett: The Girl on the Train breakout star on her long road to fame, Entertainment Weekly (2016)](https://ew.com/article/2016/10/09/girl-on-the-train-haley-bennett-interview/)
10. [Meet 'The Magnificent Seven's' Haley Bennett, Los Angeles Times (2016)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-magnificent-7-haley-bennett-20160907-snap-story.html)
11. [Haley Bennett, Entertainment Weekly person page](https://ew.com/person/haley-bennett/)
12. [Haley Bennett List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/haley-bennett/credits/3000549495/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license