Rachel Anne McAdams

Rachel Anne McAdams was born in London, Ontario, and grew up in nearby St. Thomas. Her mother, Sandra (née Gale), is a nurse and her father, Lance, is a retired truck driver and furniture mover. She has two younger siblings: Kayleen, a celebrity make-up artist, and Daniel. She attended Myrtle Street Public School and, later, Central Elgin Collegiate Institute. She worked at a McDonalds restaurant during the summer holidays for three years.
She began figure skating at the age of four and competed in the sport until the age of eighteen, winning regional awards. Feeling she lacked the complete discipline that was required, McAdams gave up the sport when entering university.
She appeared in Original Kids Theatre Company, London productions from the age of 12, most notably winning a performance award at the Sears Ontario Drama Festival. She intended to take cultural studies at university before being persuaded by her drama teacher that a professional acting career was a viable option. She enrolled at Toronto's York University as a drama student and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts honours degree in 2001. While at university, she worked with the Toronto-based Necessary Angels Theatre Company.