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Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams

Actor, also producer · Born September 9, 1980 (46) · Kalispell, Montana, USA

Primetime Emmy winner · 3 Golden Globes · 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards · 6 other major award bodies

Michelle Ingrid Williams (born September 9, 1980) is an American actress. Known primarily for starring in small-scale independent films with dark or tragic themes, she has received various accolades, including three Golden Globe Awards, two Actor Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for five Academy Awards, four BAFTA 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 1994. 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 (1998–2003). This was followed by low-profile films, before having her breakthrough with the drama film Brokeback Mountain (2005), 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 (2008), Blue Valentine (2010), and Manchester by the Sea (2016). She has won three Golden Globes: for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the drama My Week with Marilyn (2011), Gwen Verdon in the miniseries Fosse/Verdon (2019), and a woman with terminal cancer in the miniseries Dying for Sex (2025), as well as a Primetime Emmy Award for Fosse/Verdon. Her highest-grossing releases came with the thriller Shutter Island (2010), the fantasy film Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), the musical The Greatest Showman (2017), and the superhero films Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). Williams has also led major studio films, such as Ridley Scott's thriller All the Money in the World (2017) and Steven Spielberg's drama The Fabelmans (2022). On Broadway, Williams starred in revivals of the musical Cabaret in 2014 and the drama Blackbird in 2016, 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 three children with her second husband, theater director Thomas Kail. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michelle Williams (actress), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 9, 1980 (46)
From
Kalispell, Montana, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
54 on MovieCove · 64 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 27% in 30 days

What are Michelle Williams' films like?

Across their 48 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 38th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Self
24%
Survival
19%
Morality
11%
Society
10%
Power
4%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds17 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity12 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age7 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 45 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 17 · Serious 5 · Dark 23

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 28 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 18 · Intense 18

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 21 · Whiplash 4

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 28 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 4

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 26 · Even-paced 18 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 18 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 3

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 14 · Heavy 20

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 24 · Open-ended 14 · Ambiguous 7

Roles they play

29 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 11 of 29 analyzed roles.

Hero
11 of 29
Ally
7 of 29
Shapeshifter
5 of 29
Mentor
3 of 29
Shadow
2 of 29
Threshold guardian
1 of 29
Show the 29 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
31
Tense
24
Contemplative
17
Bittersweet
12
Warm
11
Other
39

How their films linger

Bittersweet17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet30
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous8

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michelle Williams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 40 of their 54 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (18).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michelle Williams' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

64 credits, 54 with a MovieCove page; 21 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • A Place in Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Actor

  • Dying for Sex(2025)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer · as Molly Kochan

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Deep Sky (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Narrator (voice)

  • Showing Up(2022)

    as Lizzy

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Fabelmans(2022)

    as Mitzi Fabelman

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Venom: Let There Be Carnage(2021)

    as Anne Weying

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • After the Wedding(2019)

    as Isabel

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Fosse/Verdon(2019)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer · as Gwen Verdon

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows

  • Venom(2018)

    as Anne Weying

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • I Feel Pretty(2018)

    as Avery LeClair

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • All the Money in the World(2017)

    as Gail Harris

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Greatest Showman(2017)

    as Charity Barnum

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Wonderstruck(2017)

    as Elaine

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Project X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Narrator 2 (voice)

  • Manchester by the Sea(2016)

    as Randi Chandler

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Certain Women(2016)

    as Gina

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert(2015)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Suite Française(2014)

    as Lucille Angellier

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • My Journey in Oz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    Thanks · as Self

  • Oz the Great and Powerful(2013)

    as Annie / Glinda

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Take This Waltz(2011)

    as Margot

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • My Week with Marilyn(2011)

    Songs · as Marilyn Monroe

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Meek's Cutoff(2010)

    as Emily Tetherow

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Blue Valentine(2010)

    Executive Producer · as Cindy

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Shutter Island(2010)

    as Dolores

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Where the Wild Things Are(2009)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Cougar Town(2009)

    Show 1 episode · as Laurie's Foster Sister

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Mammoth(2009)

    as Ellen Vidales

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Wendy and Lucy(2008)

    as Wendy Carroll

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Synecdoche, New York(2008)

    as Claire Keen

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Deception(2008)

    as S

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Incendiary(2008)

    as Young Mother

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • I'm Not There(2007)

    as Coco Rivington

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Hottest State(2006)

    as Samantha

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • The Hawk Is Dying(2006)

    as Betty

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Brokeback Mountain(2005)

    as Alma Beers

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Baxter(2005)

    as Cecil Mills

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Imaginary Heroes(2004)

    as Penny Travis

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Land of Plenty(2004)

    as Lana

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • A Hole in One(2004)

    as Anna Watson

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Station Agent(2003)

    as Emily

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Prozac Nation(2001)

    as Ruby

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • The United States of Leland(2003)

    as Julie Pollard

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Heart of America(2002)

    Third Assistant Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Me Without You(2001)

    as Holly

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Perfume(2001)

    as Halley

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • But I'm a Cheerleader(1999)

    as Kimberly

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • If These Walls Could Talk 2(2000)

    as Linda

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Dick(1999)

    as Arlene Lorenzo

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Halloween H20: 20 Years Later(1998)

    as Molly

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Dawson's Creek(1998)

    Show 128 episodes · as Jen Lindley

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • A Thousand Acres(1997)

    as Pammy

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Killing Mr. Griffin(1997)

    as Maya

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • My Son Is Innocent(1996)

    as Donna

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Species(1995)

    as Young Sil

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Timemaster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    as Annie

  • Lassie(1994)

    as April Porter

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Step by Step(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as J.J.

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Home Improvement(1991)

    Show 1 episode · as Jessica Lutz

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Baywatch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Evel Knievel on Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Nice Fish (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Sacrifice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 64 titles, 60 of them dated from 1989 to 2025; peak year 2017.

Biggest box office

Venom (2018)

$856M worldwide

Highest rated

Shutter Island (2010)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Dawson's Creek (1998)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19892025

Peak 2017 · their film career is on the way up. Top draw in 32 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 4 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting61 of 64: 57 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdProducing3 of 64: 0 only producing, 3 with another roleOther crew4 of 64: 3 only other crew, 1 with another role

64 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · acting1990s12 · acting2000s23 · 21 acting · 2 crew2010s19 · 18 acting · 4 crew2020s5 · 5 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 24% of 42 roles
94040914

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy, 3 Golden Globes, 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards and 5 other major awards from 48 major nominations, 2004–2026.

WinNomination
  1. 2026
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
    • +4 other major bodies · 4 nominations
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Musical Theater Album
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series
  2. 2025
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
  3. 2024
    • Independent Spirit Award, won
  4. 2023
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
  5. 2020
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
  6. 2019
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Limited Series
  7. 2018
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
  8. 2017
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Show 7 earlier years
  1. 2016
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
  2. 2012
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Leading Actress
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Female Lead
  3. 2011
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead
  4. 2009
    • Independent Spirit Award, won
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead
  5. 2007
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead
  6. 2006
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
    • BAFTA Award, nominated
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
    • +2 other major bodies · 1 win and 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actress
      • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Supporting Female
  7. 2004
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michelle Williams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 47; across their 45 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Reach · how many have seen their films

89thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 45

Midcredits score across 54 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up15
  • 50th to 74th19
  • 25th to 49th17
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

26 of their 54 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser26
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed15

Most divisive · actor

Perfume (2001)

76th percentile spread · 64% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Shutter Island (2010)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the acting 76/100 in their films, across 42 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Michelle Williams' work okay for kids?

Across up to 30 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore25 titles10–79 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity30 titles18–71 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity26 titles19–70 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs24 titles31–63 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense24 titles17–70 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Michelle Williams work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michelle Williams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kelly Reichardt shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles