text: michelle williams ( actress ) michelle ingrid williams ( born september 9 , 1980 ) is an american actress . she began her career with television guest appearances , and made her feature film debut in lassie ( 1994 ) , which earned her a youth in film nomination . she gained wider recognition for her role as jen lindley on the the wb series dawson 's creek from 1998 to 2003 . williams received critical acclaim for her role as the wife of ennis del mar in brokeback mountain ( 2005 ) , for which she won a broadcast film critics association award and was nominated for the sag award , bafta award , golden globe , and academy award for best supporting actress . she followed this with films such as martin scorsese 's shutter island ( 2010 ) . williams ' performance as a drifter in 2008 's wendy and lucy earned her a independent spirit award nomination , and her work in blue valentine ( 2010 ) garnered her nominations for the golden globe award and the academy award for best actress . she won a golden globe and an independent spirit award for her portrayal of marilyn monroe in my week with marilyn ( 2011 ) , which also garnered her bafta , sag , and academy award nominations . on broadway , williams appeared in a revival of the musical cabaret in 2014 and a revival of the play blackbird in 2016 . she received a tony award for best actress in a play nomination for the latter . early life williams was born in kalispell , montana , the daughter of carla ingrid ( née swenson ) , and larry richard williams . her parents are separated , and she has one sister , paige , and three half - siblings . her mother is a homemaker , and her father is an author , stock and commodities trader , and two - time republican party nominee for the united states senate from montana . williams has some norwegian ancestry , along with more distant english , german , danish , swiss , swedish , scottish , and welsh roots . as a child , she kept to herself and was self - sufficient ; as she has said , " i was really secretive with my parents and i think i sort of continued that ... i found that by keeping to myself i got on ok . i don 't know why . " when williams was nine , her family moved to san diego , california . she became interested in acting at an early age when she saw a local production of the adventures of tom sawyer . career 1990s williams began her career in the early 1990s by making guest appearances in television programs such as step by step and home improvement . in 1993 , she portrayed the role of bridget bowers in baywatch . the actress debuted in the adventure film lassie ( 1994 ) . in species , she played a role as the younger version of sil , an alien - human who quickly grows up to become the monster character played by natasha henstridge . following this , williams made appearances in the made - for - television movies my son is innocent ( 1996 ) , which saw her transition into more dramatic work , and killing mr. griffin ( 1997 ) , where she plays a member of susan 's ( played by amy jo johnson ) geek clique . at age 15 , with her parents ' approval , she filed for emancipation from them , so she could better pursue her acting career and not have to worry about child labor work laws . after completing the ninth grade at the upper school of santa fe christian schools , in solana beach , california , she left school because of severe bullying . subsequently , williams was home - tutored by her father and later graduated with a ged from a correspondence school . she moved to los angeles and quickly secured a prominent role in dawson 's creek . williams said later that she thought she knew all she needed to know since age 15 . she said in 2011 that she chose emancipation as she was influenced by other young actors doing it . in 1997 , unhappy with the roles they were being offered , williams and several actor friends wrote a script entitled blink . it was sold , but nothing happened with it . a starring role alongside james van der beek , katie holmes and joshua jackson in hit teen tv drama , dawson 's creek ( 1998 – 2003 ) , helped raise them to prominence . at age 17 , williams portrayed jen lindley , to whom she related because they both grew up " too fast . " for filming of the semi - autobiographical series based on its creator , kevin williamson 's childhood , she moved to north carolina . in an interview with usa today , she described her character as " this stable , happy - go - lucky girl still wrestling with demons . " she said that being on creek enabled her to choose her projects , and has stated that being on a show like dawson 's creek for so long ... you spend so much of the year doing something you are not entirely invested in . so when you devote yourself to nine months of the year to that kind of work , you have to make awfully certain that you spend the three precious months off in a way that 's true and not time - wasting . williams continued to perform in films as well . her first mainstream production was in the slasher film halloween h20 : 20 years later ( 1998 ) . it was a financial success , making $ 55 million against its $ 17 million budget . with kirsten dunst , williams co - starred in the comedy dick ( 1999 ) . the movie is a parody , recounting the watergate scandal , which led to the resignation of u.s. president richard nixon . she began to do more challenging work , starting with a small part in but i 'm a cheerleader , directed by jamie babbit . commodity trading following in her father 's footsteps , in 1997 williams entered the robbins world cup championship of futures trading which she won by turning $ 10 , 000 into more than $ 100 , 000 . with a return of 900 % , williams is currently ranked as the third highest winner of the competition since it began in 1984 . 2000 – 05 she appeared in the hbo television movie sequel if these walls could talk 2 ( 2000 ) . divided into three separate sections , it follows lesbian couples in different time periods . williams and chloë sevigny appeared in the second segment , which revealed bitter divisions in the feminist movement during 1972 . while entertainment weekly critic , ken tucker , praised sevigny , he said williams had overdone her character 's " grinning eagerness to be naughty " . from then on , williams began to work in independent features , which attracted smaller audiences . " i feel like i haven 't been working in a particularly flashy or visible way , " she reflected to vogue magazine . " if you weren 't looking for them , you would miss the movies that i 've made that i 'm proud of . " for me without you ( 2001 ) , williams co - starred with anna friel . the movie 's reception was split , with review aggregator website , rotten tomatoes , reporting it to have a 66 percent rating based on 65 reviews . next was prozac nation ( 2002 ) , starring christina ricci and based on the autobiography of the same name by elizabeth wurtzel . it dealt with her struggle with major depression . asked if her roommate role was interesting to play , williams said : " i think what it needed to be was helpful . somebody to stand like this [ punches her hand ] so that she [ ricci ] could keep smacking up against it . " the next year she had a role in the united states of leland ( 2003 ) , as the grieving sister of a murdered boy . reviews were mostly negative , with the globe and mail 's liam lacey calling it " neither an insightful nor well - made film . " williams rounded out the year in the station agent . a dramedy , it follows a dwarf fin ( peter dinklage ) , who lives in an abandoned train depot , and starts a friendship with a librarian played by williams . all the cast members , including bobby cannavale and patricia clarkson , were nominated for an screen actors guild award for best cast in a motion picture . after creek ended in 2003 , williams admitted having difficulty finding the right roles , and said she was seen as a " pop tart " . that year , she played in anton chekhov 's the cherry orchard with jessica chastain and linda emond at the williamstown theatre festival . wim wenders wrote the film land of plenty ( 2004 ) , which investigates anxiety and disillusionment in a post - 9 / 11 america , with williams in mind . she played lana , a worker in a homeless shelter trying to contact her troubled vietnam veteran uncle ( john diehl ) . the 2006 independent spirit awards nominated her for best actress . she next appeared in imaginary heroes ( 2005 ) , about the effect a son 's suicide has on his suburban family . it made less than $ 300 , 000 worldwide in ticket sales . with meat loaf , she starred as an impressionable young woman fixated on mental health in a hole in one , a period piece that was the 2005 feature film debut of richard and generally ignored . in a rare comedy turn , she starred in the baxter alongside writer / director michael showalter . the film received mostly negative reviews , but critics praised williams . " only when williams is around does the movie seem human , true , and funny : even in her slapstick there 's pain , " wrote the boston globe reporter wesley morris . " she 's almost too good : it 's not until she 's left a scene that you realize the movie isn 't working . " released on august 26 , showalter 's movie made $ 37 , 000 opening weekend before going on to gross over $ 180 , 000 domestically . williams gained public recognition for brokeback mountain , a film directed by ang lee that depicts the homosexual relationship between ennis del mar and jack twist ( heath ledger and jake gyllenhaal ) . williams plays ennis ' wife alma , who becomes aware of the true nature of his and jack 's relationship when she sees them in an embrace . after viewing the station agent , casting director avy kaufman suggested to lee that he cast williams as alma . the film was a box office hit , grossing around $ 178 million worldwide in ticket sale revenue against its $ 14 million production costs . the film received eight oscar nominations , the most for any film that year , including a best supporting actress nomination for williams , and it won three accolades at the 78th academy awards . the saffron vera wang dress , which she wore to the academy awards in march 2006 , has been cited by cosmopolitan magazine as one of the best oscar dresses of all time . 2006 – present williams returned with the hawk is dying ( 2007 ) , also starring michael pitt . its story tells of george ( played by paul giamatti ) trying to find meaning in his life by training a wild red tailed hawk . williams was cast as pitt 's girlfriend , the only person who understands george 's growing obsession . the film made $ 7 , 000 domestically playing at one theater . five months after giving birth , williams was back in front of the camera for the hottest state , a film by ethan hawke adapted from his 1996 book . critics gave it negative reviews for being too pretentious and self - aware . variety writer leslie felperin believed the film underused williams as one of the main character 's former lovers . it did a limited theatrical run on august 24 , ultimately grossing $ 137 , 340 . williams played edie sedgwick , muse of andy warhol , as a part of the biographical ensemble piece i 'm not there , inspired by the musician bob dylan . in october 2006 , she signed on to play a blonde known as s , who seduces ewan mcgregor 's character in deception ( 2008 ) , originally called the tourist . williams and mcgregor worked together again in incendiary , about the aftermath of a terrorist attack at a football game , based on chris cleaves 's 2005 book of the same name . she portrayed the protagonist , an unnamed adulterous british mother who loses her husband and son in the attack . in his the independent review , robert hanks assessed it to be " sloppy " and said williams deserved better . impressed by her work in dick , the screenwriter charlie kaufman cast williams in his directorial debut synecdoche , new york , with a cast featuring philip seymour hoffman and emily watson . a box office bomb , it was praised in the media , appearing on many top ten critics ' lists for 2008 . wendy and lucy , an acclaimed small - budget , low - key drama directed and co - written by kelly reichardt , follows wendy ( williams ) , a drifter looking to start a new life , searching for her dog lucy after a series of setbacks . unlike others , including the director , williams did not find the film depressing . " personally i like seeing those kinds of movies . i find them comforting because they make me feel less alone . " as the lead actress of wendy and lucy , she enjoyed the documentary style of the film . houston chronicle writer amy biancolli said her performance , " a bare - bones accomplishment of no small heft , " was the movie 's key . the toronto film critics association awards named williams and the film 2008 's best actress and best movie . filming for mammoth ( 2009 ) took williams to locations in sweden , thailand and the philippines . she and gael garcía bernal played the co - leads : a successful couple dealing with issues related to modern day globalization . it was director lukas 's first english - language movie and found distribution through ifc films . martin scorsese cast the actress in the supporting role of the dead wife haunting the dreams of marshal teddy daniels ( played by leonardo dicaprio ) in shutter island , a psychological thriller based on dennis lehane 's 2003 best - selling novel by the same name . originally due out in october 2009 , its release date was bumped to february 19 , 2010 . with $ 41 . 1 million in ticket sales at over 2 , 900 locations , shutter island gave williams her widest release and best opening weekend stats . in december , she starred opposite ryan gosling as a struggling married couple in the romantic drama blue valentine . the filmmaker derek cianfrance made williams and gosling live together during the day for a month to get into character . she later said that the experience was great and wished she had appreciated it more . shown at 2010 's sundance film festival , cannes film festival and bfi london film festival , the movie was a hit among critics . both actors were lauded with praise and awards attention . " ms. williams and mr. gosling are exemplars of new method sincerity , able to be fully and achingly present every moment on screen together , " wrote the new york times columnist a.o. scott . her performance as cindy , who has grown tired of her husband 's lack of direction and addictions , was nominated for best actress by the golden globe awards and academy awards . meek 's cutoff was shot in burns , oregon and reunited williams with reichardt . it is based on a historical incident on the oregon trail in 1845 , in which the frontier guide stephen meek led a wagon train on an ill - fated journey through a desert . after premiering during the 67th venice international film festival , the well - reviewed bleak period piece saw a limited release in cinemas starting april 8 , 2011 . williams was cast over kate hudson , scarlett johansson , and amy adams as marilyn monroe in my week with marilyn , a british drama film based on two novels by colin clark , depicting the making of the film the prince and the showgirl ( 1957 ) . initially terrified of taking on the role , she turned down the offer . " physically and vocally , everything about her is different from me , " she explained . eventually , she found the offer too good to pass up . williams took vocal lessons so she could sing in the movie , as lip - syncing was uncomfortable . williams won the golden globe award for best actress – motion picture comedy or musical for her performance . her next performance was in take this waltz ( 2011 ) , directed by sarah polley in canada , that focuses on a young married couple ( williams and seth rogen ) dealing with monogamy and fidelity . williams co - starred with james franco in walt disney pictures 's oz the great and powerful , a 3 - d prequel released march 8 , 2013 . she has signed to do a sequel to the film . in july 2013 , she became the new face of louis vuitton handbags . williams was featured in the music video for wild nothing 's " paradise " featured on the 2012 album nocturne . williams made her broadway debut in the revival of cabaret , in the role of sally bowles . the production opened on april 24 , 2014 and she ended her run on november 9 , 2014 . also in 2014 , she will star in the feature film adaptation of the world war ii biopic novel suite française , in which she plays lucile , a french villager who falls in love with bruno von falk , a german soldier played by matthias schoenaerts . personal life williams began dating australian actor heath ledger , her brokeback mountain co - star , in 2004 after meeting on the set of their film . in late april 2005 people first reported that williams and ledger were expecting a child together . on october 28 , 2005 , williams gave birth to their daughter matilda rose ledger . during williams and ledger 's time together , they lived together in brooklyn , new york . by september 2007 , the couple amicably ended their three - year relationship . of the break - up , people quoted her telling elle magazine , " i didn 't know where to go . i couldn 't imagine any place in the world that was gonna feel good to me . " after ledger 's death from a combined drug intoxication ( cdi ) in january 2008 , the usually under - the - radar actress and her daughter became an interest of the media and were often followed by paparazzi . as a result , williams rarely gave interviews until the end of 2009 . on february 1 , 2008 , in her first public statement after ledger 's death , williams expressed her heartbreak and described ledger 's spirit as surviving in their daughter , who looks like him . later that month she attended his memorial and funeral services . in july 2008 , seven months after the death of ledger , williams began dating director spike jonze . they met on the set of synecdoche , new york , which williams starred in and jonze produced . williams called the timing of their relationship " impossible " , and ended it in september 2009 . in july 2015 , it was reported that williams had begun dating author jonathan safran foer . awards and nominations