In the spotlight
Born in the same hospital as The Notebook co-star Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams was raised in St Thomas, Ontario, Canada.
At the age of four, she started figure skating and competed in school events. By the age of 13, she was performing in Shakespearean productions at a summer theatre camp.
She intended to take cultural studies at university, but a drama teacher encouraged her to audition for a part in a major drama. She studied theatre at York University in Toronto, where she appeared in numerous stage and student film productions and graduated with a bachelor's degree (honours) in theatre.
Her professional acting career started with a role in the Disney series The Famous Jett Jackson as a girl suffering from bulimia.
She achieved stardom with The Hot Chick and Mean Girls.
Real name: Rachel MacAdams
Trivia: worked at a McDonald's for three summers
Filmography: The Wedding Crashers (to be released next year), The Notebook (2004), Mean Girls (2004), The Hot Chick (2002), Perfect Pie (2002), My Name Is Tanino (2002)
