Hayley Atwell

 Born in London, England, Hayley Elizabeth Atwell is a dual citizen of both the United Kingdom and the United States. A single child, Hayley was named after actress Hayley Mills. Alison (Cain), her mother, as well as Grant Atwell were motivational speakers. They came together in London in Dale Carnegie's workshop "How to Win Friends & Influence People". Her mother is English (with Irish ancestry) and her father is American and was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and is partly from Native-American origin (his Native American name is Star Touches Earth). Her parents separated when she was aged two. The father returned to America and Hayley was raised by her mother in London however she spent her summers in Missouri with her father. The theater was viewed by Hayley's mother as an important communal experience and she was exposed to theater from an early age. She was 11 years old when she watched Ralph Fiennes ' play Hamlet. She would later collaborate with Ralph Fiennes in the film The Duchess (2008).She went to the Roman Catholic girl's school Sion-Manning in West London where she excelled academically. She took her A-levels at the London Oratory School. She was an assistant casting director and traveled with her father for two years. She took two years off her studies.