Rachel Anne McAdams (born November 17, 1978) is a Canadian actress. After graduating from a four-year theatre program at York University in 2001, she worked in Canadian television and film productions such as the drama film Perfect Pie (2002), for which she received a Genie Award nomination, the comedy film My Name Is Tanino (2002), and the comedy series Slings and Arrows, for which she won a Gemini Award.
In 2002, she made her Hollywood film debut in the comedy The Hot Chick. McAdams rose to fame in 2004 with the comedy Mean Girls and the romantic drama The Notebook. In 2005, she starred in the romantic comedy Wedding Crashers, the psychological thriller Red Eye, and the comedy-drama The Family Stone. She was hailed by the media as Hollywood's new "it girl", and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Rising Star.
After a two-year break, McAdams starred in two limited-release films in 2008, the film noir Married Life and the road trip drama The Lucky Ones. She returned to prominence in 2009 by appearing in the political thriller State of Play, the science-fiction romantic drama The Time Traveler's Wife, and the mystery action-adventure film Sherlock Holmes. In 2010, McAdams appeared in her first star vehicle, the comedy Morning Glory. She then had starring roles in the films Midnight in Paris (2011), The Vow (2012), and About Time (2013). In 2015, her highest profile roles were in the second season of the HBO crime drama True Detective, and as journalist Sacha Pfeiffer in the drama Spotlight. For the latter, she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2016, she played Christine Palmer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Doctor Strange. In 2018, she starred in the comedy Game Night and the romantic drama Disobedience.