Michelle Williams is an award-winning American actress who was born in Kalispell, Montana, on September 9, 1980.

Michelle Ingrid Williams grew up in Kalispell until age nine, when her family moved to San Diego, California, and as a teen she decided to focus on acting, leaving school early to work on the TV show Dawson's Creek, where she played Jen Lindley. After early roles on TV and in films like Species and Halloween H20, she became widely respected for powerful performances in movies such as Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn, Manchester by the Sea, and The Fabelmans, earning five Academy Award nominations (four for acting leads and one for supporting). She has also won major television awards, including a Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild Award for playing dancer Gwen Verdon in the series Fosse/Verdon, and she often says that acting on stage in live theatre helps her reconnect with why she loves performing.