Rachel McAdams | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

Canadian actress Rachel McAdams first came to the attention of U.S. audiences playing a pair of über-bitchy teen queens in both "The Hot Chick" (2004) and "Mean Girls" (2004). Thanks to those rather harsh characters, audiences were understandably surprised by her effectively heartwarming performances in the sentimental Nicholas Sparks romance "The Notebook" (2004) and as a likeable girl-next-door in the comedy smash "Wedding Crashers" (2005). The sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette, sometimes pink-haired actress enjoyed roles just as unpredictable as her appearance, delivering all of them with the same sparkling panache as her flair for personal style. Her romances with actors Ryan Gosling, Josh Lucas and Michael Sheen fascinated the press and fans alike, proving the actress' appeal extended beyond the screen. After turning to horror for the compelling "Red Eye" (2005), McAdams threw moviegoers for a loop yet again with starring roles in the retro thriller "Married Life" (2008) and in an adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Traveler's Wife" (2008), before playing a junior reporter in the political thriller "State of Play" (2009). That same year, she co-starred in the studio blockbuster "Sherlock Holmes" (2009) and later reprised her role in the sequel, "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (2011), while starring opposite Owen Wilson in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" (2011), starring in the second season of cable drama "True Detective" (HBO 2014- ), and receiving an Academy Award nomination for her work in the ensemble drama "Spotlight" (2015). Thanks to wide-ranging performances and an utterly likable onscreen persona, McAdams kept audiences on their toes in a variety of films.