Rachel Mc Adams

Rachel Anne McAdams was born in London, Ontario, to nurse Sandra (née Gale) and truck driver Lance McAdams. She grew up in St. Thomas in a Protestant household. She is the eldest of three children; she has a younger sister, Kayleen McAdams (born 1982), a celebrity make-up artist, and a younger brother, Daniel “Dan” McAdams, a personal trainer. McAdams is of Scottish, English, Irish, and Welsh descent. Her maternal fifth great-grandfather, James Gray, was a Loyalist Ranger during the American Revolution and fled to Canada after the Battles of Saratoga.

McAdams began figure skating when she was four years old, but turned down an opportunity to move to Toronto when she was nine years old for pair skating training. She competed in skating until the age of 18, winning regional awards. Skating would later become only a hobby. She has said that skating prepared her for physical acting, because it trained her to be “in tune” with her body.

McAdams was educated at Myrtle Street Public School, and later Central Elgin Collegiate Institute. She has stated that she did not enjoy academic work and often would pretend to be sick to avoid going to school. Nonetheless, she was active in student life. In addition to playing sports (including volleyball, badminton, and soccer), McAdams served on the student council, participated in the Crime Stoppers program, and was a member of the Peer Helping Team. She worked at a McDonald’s restaurant during the summer holidays for three years.

McAdams first developed an interest in performing when she was seven years old and, while her parents did not discourage her, they did not “go out and find [her] an agent.” She attended both Disney and Shakespeare summer camps as a child. From the age of 12, McAdams participated in Original Kids Theatre Company, London productions. In her late teens, she directed children’s theatre productions. She was also involved in school stage productions, most notably winning a performance award at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival. She was inspired by two of her teachers, who taught her English and drama, respectively, in the 11th and 12th grades. McAdams intended to take cultural studies at the University of Western Ontario, before being persuaded by her drama teacher that a professional acting career was a viable option. She enrolled in York University’s four-year theatre program and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree in 2001. While at university, McAdams worked with the Toronto-based Necessary Angel Theatre Company.