# Rachel Weisz
**Rachel Weisz** is a British actress known for stage, film, and television work that ranges from blockbuster adventure to intimate drama, and for winning the [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-supporting-actress) for *The Constant Gardener* (2005). Born in 1970 in Westminster, London, she trained at Cambridge University, built her early reputation in British theater, and broke through internationally as Evelyn Carnahan in *The Mummy* (1999).[1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/) • [2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970, Westminster, London, England, to George Weisz, an inventor, and Edith Teich, a psychoanalyst[1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/) |
| Education | English at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge; began acting as a student[2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/) |
| Breakout | Evelyn Carnahan in *The Mummy* (1999), a blockbuster that grossed $416 million globally[3](https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-roles-that-made-us-really-love-rachel-weisz-from-the-constant-gardener-to-the-favourite--1015893) |
| Major awards | Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, *The Constant Gardener* (2005); BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, *The Favourite* (2018)[2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/) |
| Stage honors | London Critics' Circle Most Promising Newcomer for the 1994 revival of *Design for Living*[4](https://wp.gesamtschule-kerpen.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/booklet-infuencia-refugees-long-version-finished.pdf) |
| Recent work | *Dead Ringers* (2023), *Black Widow* (2021), and the Netflix limited series *Vladimir* (2026)[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/features/rachel-weisz-vladimir-interview?inapp=true) |
## Early life and training
Weisz attended St Paul's school in London after earlier stints at North London Collegiate and Benenden, then went up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to read English.[1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/feb/03/film.edvulliamy) As a teenager she had worked as a model and, at 16, turned down a film role opposite [Richard Gere](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-gere) in *King David*; she later considered careers in academia and law before acting took hold.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/feb/03/film.edvulliamy) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rachel-weisz/)
**Talking Tongues.** While still a student she founded the experimental theater company Talking Tongues with her friend Sacha Hails; the pair promoted, produced, directed, and acted in often improvised work. In 1991 they took the play *Slight Possession* to the Edinburgh Fringe, where it won a Guardian theater award.[6](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/feb/03/film.edvulliamy) • [2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/)
Her stage breakthrough came in the lauded [Sean Mathias](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-mathias) revival of [Noël Coward](https://www.edgepedia.org/noel-coward)'s *Design for Living*, which earned her the London Critics' Circle vote for Most Promising Newcomer.[2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/) • [4](https://wp.gesamtschule-kerpen.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/booklet-infuencia-refugees-long-version-finished.pdf) She finished her degree with a guaranteed place at drama school in hand, but chose to continue with the acting work she had already begun.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rachel-weisz/)
## Screen career
Weisz worked in British television in the early 1990s, with credits including *The Advocates*, *Inspector Morse*, and *Scarlet and Black*, before moving into film.[1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/) Her first major film roles arrived in 1996: a part in [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernardo-bertolucci)'s *Stealing Beauty* and a co-starring role opposite [Keanu Reeves](https://www.edgepedia.org/keanu-reeves) in the thriller *Chain Reaction*.[1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rachel-weisz/)
**The Mummy.** Her international breakout came in 1999 as Evelyn Carnahan, an accident-prone Egyptologist opposite [Brendan Fraser](https://www.edgepedia.org/brendan-fraser) in *The Mummy*, which grossed $416 million worldwide.[3](https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-roles-that-made-us-really-love-rachel-weisz-from-the-constant-gardener-to-the-favourite--1015893) She reprised the role in *The Mummy Returns* (2001) but did not appear in the 2008 third installment, in which [Maria Bello](https://www.edgepedia.org/maria-bello) played Evelyn.[8](https://rachel-weisz.com/)
**Critical recognition.** In 2005 she played Tessa Quayle, an activist murdered under mysterious circumstances, opposite [Ralph Fiennes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-fiennes) in [Fernando Meirelles](https://www.edgepedia.org/fernando-meirelles)'s adaptation of [John le Carré](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-le-carre)'s *The Constant Gardener*. The performance won her the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was named best British independent film of 2005.[2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-constant-star-weisz-beats-rivals-to-prove-she-is-best-of-british-517661.html)
Her subsequent films show a deliberate spread across genres: [Paolo Sorrentino](https://www.edgepedia.org/paolo-sorrentino)'s *Youth* (2015), in which she played Fred Ballinger's daughter Lena; [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://www.edgepedia.org/yorgos-lanthimos)'s dystopian *The Lobster* (2015); [Derek Cianfrance](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-cianfrance)'s *The Light Between Oceans* (2016); the Daphne du Maurier adaptation *My Cousin Rachel* (2017); the courtroom drama *Denial* (2016), in which she played historian Deborah Lipstadt; and Sebastián Lelio's *Disobedience* (2017), which she also produced.[3](https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-roles-that-made-us-really-love-rachel-weisz-from-the-constant-gardener-to-the-favourite--1015893) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rachel-weisz/) • [1](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/)
**The Favourite.** In Yorgos Lanthimos's 2018 period comedy-drama, Weisz played Lady Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, the scheming confidante of Queen Anne ([Olivia Colman](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-colman)) rivaling her cousin Abigail (Emma Stone). The role brought a second Academy Award nomination, a BAFTA win for Best Supporting Actress, and a British Independent Film Award.[11](https://time.com/5382740/the-favourite-review/) • [2](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001838/awards/)
## Television and recent projects
Weisz moved into leading television roles in the 2020s. She played Melina Vostokoff in Marvel's *Black Widow* (2021) and both Mantle twins in the Prime Video remake *Dead Ringers* (2023), which earned her a Gotham Independent Film Award nomination for Outstanding Performance in a New Series.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rachel-weisz/) • [12](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001838/awards/)
In *Vladimir*, the eight-episode Netflix limited series adapted from Julia May Jonas's 2022 novel, Weisz plays an unnamed English professor whose obsession with a younger colleague (Leo Woodall) unravels her marriage and career; she also executive produced. The series premiered on March 5, 2026, and drew strong reviews, with *The Guardian* awarding five stars and the *Daily Mail* calling it possibly the best work of her career.[5](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/features/rachel-weisz-vladimir-interview?inapp=true) • [13](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/vladimir-netflix-reviews-rachel-weisz-b2932571.html)
She is also set to return to her most famous franchise: *The Mummy 4*, which reunites her with Brendan Fraser as Evelyn and Rick O'Connell, has a theatrical release date of May 19, 2028.[8](https://rachel-weisz.com/)
## Theatre
Stage work has remained a thread through her career. Beyond *Design for Living*, she played Blanche DuBois in a Donmar Warehouse production of *A Streetcar Named Desire* in 2009, a casting that drew scrutiny over her youthfulness for the part but earned broadly positive notices.[14](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/rachel-weisz-a-great-blanche-dubois-1675644.html) • [15](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-donmar-warehouse-london-1764540.html) She later appeared with Daniel Craig in a New York production of Harold Pinter's *Betrayal*, which critics praised for the performances of both leads.[16](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-theatre-review-rachel-weisz-and-daniel-craig-in-betrayal-ethel-barrymore-theatre-new-york-8907656.html)
## References
1. [About Rachel Weisz, Ms. Rachel Weisz fansite](https://rachel-weisz.com/information/)
2. [Miss Rachel Weisz, Trinity Hall, Cambridge](https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/miss-rachel-weisz/)
3. [10 Roles That Made Us Really Love Rachel Weisz, BBC America Anglophenia](https://www.bbcamerica.com/blogs/10-roles-that-made-us-really-love-rachel-weisz-from-the-constant-gardener-to-the-favourite--1015893)
4. [Rachel Weisz career booklet](https://wp.gesamtschule-kerpen.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/booklet-infuencia-refugees-long-version-finished.pdf)
5. [Rachel Weisz Vladimir Interview, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/features/rachel-weisz-vladimir-interview?inapp=true)
6. [The Guardian profile: Rachel Weisz](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/feb/03/film.edvulliamy)
7. [Rachel Weisz, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/rachel-weisz/)
8. [Ms. Rachel Weisz homepage, The Mummy sequel release date](https://rachel-weisz.com/)
9. [The constant star: Weisz beats rivals to prove she is best of British, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/the-constant-star-weisz-beats-rivals-to-prove-she-is-best-of-british-517661.html)
10. [Rachel Weisz, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/rachel-weisz/)
11. [The Favourite Is a Wicked Delight Filled With Marvelous Performances, TIME](https://time.com/5382740/the-favourite-review/)
12. [Rachel Weisz Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001838/awards/)
13. [Vladimir: New Netflix series receives rave reviews from critics, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/culture/vladimir-netflix-reviews-rachel-weisz-b2932571.html)
14. [Rachel Weisz: A great Blanche DuBois?, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/rachel-weisz-a-great-blanche-dubois-1675644.html)
15. [A Streetcar Named Desire, Donmar Warehouse, London, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/a-streetcar-named-desire-donmar-warehouse-london-1764540.html)
16. [First night theatre review: Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig in Betrayal, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/first-night-theatre-review-rachel-weisz-and-daniel-craig-in-betrayal-ethel-barrymore-theatre-new-york-8907656.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames T to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license