Michelle Ingrid Williams born September 9, is an American actress. Known primarily for starring in small-scale independent films with dark or tragic themes, she has received various accolades , including two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award , in addition to nominations for five Academy Awards and a Tony Award. Williams, daughter of politician and trader Larry R. Williams , began her career with television guest appearances and made her film debut in the family film Lassie in She gained emancipation from her parents at age fifteen, and soon achieved recognition for her leading role as Jen Lindley in the teen drama television series Dawson's Creek β This was followed by low-profile films, before having her breakthrough with the drama film Brokeback Mountain , which earned Williams her first Academy Award nomination.
Williams received critical acclaim for playing emotionally troubled women coping with loss or loneliness in the independent dramas Wendy and Lucy , Blue Valentine , and Manchester by the Sea Williams has also led major studio films , such as Ridley Scott 's crime thriller All the Money in the World and Steven Spielberg 's semi-autobiographical drama The Fabelmans On Broadway , Williams starred in revivals of the musical Cabaret in and the drama Blackbird in , for which she received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
She is an advocate for equal pay in the workplace. Consistently private about her personal life, Williams has a daughter from her relationship with actor Heath Ledger and was briefly married to musician Phil Elverum.
She has two children with her second husband, theater director Thomas Kail. Williams , an author and commodities trader. Williams became interested in acting at an early age when she saw a local production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Her first screen appearance was as Bridget Bowers, a young woman who seduces Mitch Buchannon 's son, Hobie, in a episode of the television series Baywatch. Williams played the love interest of Guiry's character, which led the critic Steven Gaydos to take notice of her "winning perf".
To focus on her acting pursuits, she left the school and enrolled for in-home tutoring. Following her emancipation, Williams moved to Los Angeles and lived by herself in Burbank. The series aired for six seasons from January to May and featured her as Jen Lindley , a precocious New York-based teenager who relocates to the fictional town of Capeside.
