Michelle Williams: A Life in Pictures
A life in front of the lens
Michelle Williams is one of the year's strongest Oscar contenders - for her star turn in My Week with Marilyn - but the young actress' life has long been played out in front of the camera. From her teenage years in Dawson's Creek to her relationship with Heath Ledger, Stylist looks back at the life of one of Hollywood's brightest stars
Click on any of the images below to launch the gallery
Image credits: REX features
Words: Dipal Acharya
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Michelle Williams 1990s
Born in 1980 in Montana, Michelle Ingrid Williams… More details
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Michelle Williams 1990s
Born in 1980 in Montana, Michelle Ingrid Williams was the daughter of Larry Williams - a two-time Republican senate candidate - and Carla Ingrid
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Michelle Williams 1994
Although Williams appeared in a number of small… More details
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Michelle Williams 1994
Although Williams appeared in a number of small TV roles as a child (including Baywatch and Home Improvement) her first breakthrough on to the big screen was in Lassie, playing April Porter in the classic adventure film.
Around the same time, Williams filed for emancipation from her parents at the age of 14, as she wanted to pursue her acting career without parental interference. She told The Times, "What teenager doesn't want total autonomy if they have the chance? I got the idea from reading about it in the papers."
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Michelle Williams 1998
But it was for a role on the small screen that… More details
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Michelle Williams 1998
But it was for a role on the small screen that Michelle Williams would become a household name (and the object of envy to many girls). In 1998, she mad her debut appearance on Dawson's Creek playing Jen Lindley, the on-and-off girlfriend of Dawson Leery
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Michelle Williams 2000
The show ran for an astonishing 128 episodes and… More details
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Michelle Williams 2000
The show ran for an astonishing 128 episodes and Williams said during the filming of the show, she was “plotting my tastes, my interests, my beliefs and hopes for what I could be."
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Michelle Williams 2001
It was during this time that Williams also began… More details
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Michelle Williams 2001
It was during this time that Williams also began hunting for feature roles in indie-movies. These included But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Prozac Nation (2001) and If These Walls Could Talk(pictured opposite at the premiere in New York, with co-star Ellen DeGeneres)
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Michelle Williams 2002
The young actress also starred opposite Anna… More details
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Michelle Williams 2002
The young actress also starred opposite Anna Friel in the 2001 film Me without You, a film which told the story of two friends growing up in Brighton in the 1980s. Though not a huge commercial success, the New York Times described it as "psychologically savvy"
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Michelle Williams 2004
After a brief sabbatical, Williams followed this… More details
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Michelle Williams 2004
After a brief sabbatical, Williams followed this up with a leading role in Hole in One, co-starring Meat Loaf. The film told the story of a woman, whose fiance dies unexpectedly after World War II and goes in search of a cure. Critics universally panned the film
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Michelle Williams 2004
At this time, Williams was also filming Land of… More details
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Michelle Williams 2004
At this time, Williams was also filming Land of Plenty, a film about post 9/11 disillusionment. She received a Spirit Award for her performance
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Michelle Williams 2004
Away from the cameras, Williams had started… More details
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Michelle Williams 2004
Away from the cameras, Williams had started dating 10 Things I Hate About You star Heath Ledger. Rumour had it that the pair had met on the set of a new Ang Lee film, although the pair were extremely private about their relationship
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Michelle Williams 2005
The Ang Lee film was, of course, Brokeback… More details
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Michelle Williams 2005
The Ang Lee film was, of course, Brokeback Mountain - a film which told the tender story of the relationship between two cowboys. Williams played Heath Ledger's wife in the film, giving a performance that wowed critics
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Michelle Williams 2005
Soon after the couple's relationship went public,… More details
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Michelle Williams 2005
Soon after the couple's relationship went public, they announced that Williams was expecting her first child in April 2005 (pictured here seven months pregnant at the Brother's Grimm Premiere) She gave birth to Matilda Rose Ledger, on October 28th
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Michelle Williams 2006
Less then three months after giving birth,… More details
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Michelle Williams 2006
Less then three months after giving birth, Williams was back on the press circuit. Her impressive performance in Brokeback had garnered the actress a whole host of award nominations, including a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
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Michelle Williams 2006
... two BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting… More details
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Michelle Williams 2006
... two BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress and the Rising Star award ...
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Michelle Williams 2006
... as well as a hallowed Oscar nomination in the… More details
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Michelle Williams 2006
... as well as a hallowed Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. Although she went home empty handed, Williams was now firmly on the industry's radar and made red carpet fashion history in her canary yellow Vera Wang gown
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Michelle Williams 2007
Never keen to rest on her laurels, Williams… More details
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Michelle Williams 2007
Never keen to rest on her laurels, Williams quickly followed this up with an appearance in I'm Not There, the story of six characters that embodied aspect of Bob Dylan's life.
Although Williams was not a major character, the role saw her breaking further away from the girl next door image she was usually known for - channeling the more glamorous character Coco Rivington
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Michelle Williams 2007
Meanwhile, her relationship with Ledger continued… More details
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Michelle Williams 2007
Meanwhile, her relationship with Ledger continued to blossom, with the couple taking a firmly hands-on approach to bringing up their young daughter in New York
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Michelle Williams 2008
Tragedy soon struck, however. In February 2008,… More details
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Michelle Williams 2008
Tragedy soon struck, however. In February 2008, it was reported that Ledger had died after an accidental drug overdose. Tributes poured in from around the globe and Williams took a break from the public eye (pictured here at Ledger's memorial service with his mother Kim)
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Michelle Williams 2008
But with the release of sexual thriller Deception… More details
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Michelle Williams 2008
But with the release of sexual thriller Deception in 2008, the actress soon began working again
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Michelle Williams 2008
In her most high-profile appearance after… More details
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Michelle Williams 2008
In her most high-profile appearance after Ledger's death, Williams attended the 61st Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, alongside her co-star Samantha Morton and director Catherine Keener for the premiere of indie hit Synecdoche New York
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Michelle Williams 2009
Despite an increasingly hectic filming schedule… More details
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Michelle Williams 2009
Despite an increasingly hectic filming schedule over the next year (appearing in Mammoth, Shutter Island and Meek's Cutoff) Williams continued to be a hands-on mother with raising her four year-old daughter Matilda
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Michelle Williams 2009
At the end of 2008 the actress soon began working… More details
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Michelle Williams 2009
At the end of 2008 the actress soon began working on what would be her second major breakthrough roles. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, Blue Valentine was the time-shifting story of a young couple, Cindy and Dean (played by Ryan Gosling), as they embark upon and later dissolve their marriage
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Michelle Williams 2009
The film was an unexpected hit with critics and… More details
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Michelle Williams 2009
The film was an unexpected hit with critics and the public alike. Costing little more than $1 million to produce, the film eventually grossed a whopping $12.5 million at the box office and was nominated for twelve industry awards ...
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Michelle Williams 2010
... including another Oscar nod - this time for… More details
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Michelle Williams 2010
... including another Oscar nod - this time for Best Actress - and a Golden Globe nomination. Williams' style on the red carpet was also evolving, debuting a new platinum blonde crop and a range of 50s/60s styled outfits (pictured here in Erdem at the BFI film festival)
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Michelle Williams 2011
Unbeknown to the public, the style transformation… More details
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Michelle Williams 2011
Unbeknown to the public, the style transformation was due to Williams landing the lead in the semi-auto biographical film My Week with Marilyn, directed by Simon Curtis and starring opposite Kenneth Branagh and Eddie Redmayne.
The film tells the story of film student Colin Clark who encounters Marilyn during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl in 1957
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Michelle Williams 2012
Going from strength to strength, Williams… More details
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Michelle Williams 2012
Going from strength to strength, Williams deservedly scooped the Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical award at this year's Golden Globes. With her trademark cool, Williams dazzled on the red carpet again - this time in a midnight blue Jason Wu gown
Tags: celebrity pictures, iconic women, actresses
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