Maya Hawke
7ms
Maya Ray Thurman Hawke, born July 8, 1998, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She's the daughter of Hollywood royalty, Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Her journey began in the world of modeling, but soon she stepped into the spotlight, making her screen debut as Jo March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of *Little Women*. But it was her captivating performance as Robin Buckley in the Netflix science fiction series *Stranger Things* (2019–present) that truly brought her widespread recognition.
Her filmography boasts an impressive range, with appearances in *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* (2019), *Fear Street Part One: 1994* (2021), *Do Revenge* (2022), *Asteroid City* (2023), *Maestro* (2023), and *Wildcat* (2023). And in 2024, she lent her voice to the character Anxiety in Pixar's animated hit *Inside Out 2*. Beyond the screen, Maya has also carved out a path in music, releasing the albums *Blush* (2020), *Moss* (2022), and *Chaos Angel* (2024).
Born in New York City on July 8, 1998, Maya is the elder of two children born to actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Her parents, who met on the set of *Gattaca* in 1997, married in May of that year and later divorced in 2005. Maya has a brother, Levon, and also two half-sisters from her father's second marriage, and another from her mother's previous relationship.
On her father's side, Maya is a distant cousin of the renowned playwright Tennessee Williams. Her maternal grandparents include Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman and model Nena von Schlebrügge. Nena's mother, Birgit Holmquist, was also a model, famously posing for Axel Ebbe's statue *Famntaget* in Sweden.
Maya has dyslexia, a challenge that led her to change schools frequently during her early education. She eventually found a home at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn, a private institution that champions artistic creativity and forgoes traditional grading. This nurturing artistic environment naturally steered her towards acting. Maya also honed her craft through summer studies at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. She even began pursuing a BFA in acting at the Juilliard School for a year before leaving to take on her role in *Little Women*.
Like her mother and grandmother before her, Maya began her career in modeling, gracing the pages of Vogue. She was also chosen as the face of the British fashion retailer AllSaints' 2016/2017 collection. In 2017, she was featured in a Calvin Klein underwear campaign video directed by Sofia Coppola. In September 2022, she once again modeled for Calvin Klein's Fall/Winter 2022 Underwear campaign.
Sofia Coppola initially envisioned Maya for the title role in Universal Pictures' live-action adaptation of *The Little Mermaid*. However, producers favored another actress, leading to Coppola's departure from the project. While Maya ultimately didn't take on that part, her acting debut in 2017 as Jo March in the BBC miniseries *Little Women* marked her arrival. In September 2018, she starred in the thriller *Ladyworld*. Her breakthrough performance came in July 2019 with her role as Robin Buckley in the third season of Netflix's *Stranger Things*. That same year, she portrayed Linda Kasabian in Quentin Tarantino's *Once Upon a Time in Hollywood* and co-starred in the thriller *Human Capital*.
In 2020, Maya starred in Gia Coppola's film *Mainstream*. She also made a guest appearance in *The Good Lord Bird*, playing the daughter of her father's character. That June, she appeared in *Italian Studies*, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Later that year, she took on the role of Heather in the Netflix horror film *Fear Street Part One: 1994*. In 2021, she lent her voice to a spin-off podcast series based on her *Stranger Things* character, *Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins*, and starred in another scripted podcast, *The Playboy Interview*.
2022 saw Maya star in Netflix's dark comedy *Do Revenge*. She was later cast in Bradley Cooper's biographical film *Maestro*, and it was announced she would star in *The Kill Room* alongside her mother, Uma Thurman. She also guest-starred in Disney's *Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur*. In 2023, she appeared in Wes Anderson's romantic dramedy *Asteroid City*. And in 2024, she voiced Anxiety in the highly anticipated Pixar sequel *Inside Out 2*. Further projects announced include a Billy Wilder biopic, *Wilder & Me*, a biopic about Irish dancer Lucia Joyce, and a role as a younger Wiress in *The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping*.
Maya has cited folk music and artists like Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, and Joni Mitchell as influences, drawing inspiration from "great lyricists" as she believes "music is the best way to communicate poetry." In August 2019, she released her first singles, "To Love a Boy" and "Stay Open," co-written with Jesse Harris. Her first solo live performances as a musician took place in early 2020. On March 18, 2020, she released the single "By Myself" and announced her debut album, *Blush*, amidst the Black Lives Matter protests, stating, "I feel like this is not a time for self-promotion. It is a time for activation, education and self-examination." The album's second single, "Coverage," was released in April, with a music video directed by her father, Ethan Hawke. *Blush* was eventually released on August 21, 2020, and Maya made her first appearance as a musical guest on *The Today Show* to promote it.
On June 29, 2022, Maya released the single "Thérèse" and announced her second album, *Moss*, which came out on September 23, 2022. In April 2023, she recorded her third studio album. The first single, "Missing Out," was released on February 14, 2024, followed by "Dark" on March 20. The full album, *Chaos Angel*, was released on May 31, 2024. She promoted the album with performances on *The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon*, *Jimmy Kimmel Live!*, and *The Daily Show*. In October 2024, four additional songs from the album were released on the *Clipped Wings EP*.
Copied!
Maya Ray Thurman Hawke (born July 8, 1998) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She began her career in modeling, and subsequently made her screen debut as Jo March in the 2017 BBC adaptation of Little Women. Hawke gained recognition for starring as Robin Buckley in the Netflix science fiction series Stranger Things (2019–present).
She appeared in the films Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021), Do Revenge (2022), Asteroid City (2023), Maestro (2023), and Wildcat (2023), and had a voice role in Inside Out 2 (2024). As a musician, she has released the albums Blush (2020), Moss (2022), and Chaos Angel (2024).
== Early life ==
Hawke was born on July 8, 1998, in New York City, the older of two children born to actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Her parents met on the set of Gattaca (1997), married in May 1998, and divorced in 2005. Hawke has a brother, Levon. She also has two half-sisters by her father's second wife, Ryan Shawhughes, and another half-sister from her mother's ex-fiancé, financier Arpad Busson.
On her father's side, Hawke is a distant cousin of playwright Tennessee Williams. On her mother's side, she is a granddaughter of Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman and model Nena von Schlebrügge. Schlebrügge's mother, Birgit Holmquist, was also a model, having posed for Axel Ebbe's statue Famntaget, currently in Smygehuk in Sweden.
Hawke has dyslexia, which resulted in her changing schools frequently during her primary education before she was finally enrolled at Saint Ann's School, a private school in Brooklyn, New York, that emphasizes artistic creativity and does not grade work. The artistic environment eventually led her to acting. Hawke also took part in summer studies at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York. She studied toward a BFA in acting at the Juilliard School for one year before dropping out after accepting her role in Little Women.
== Career ==
=== Modeling ===
Like both her mother and grandmother, Hawke modelled for Vogue at the beginning of her career. She was also chosen as the face of the British fashion retailer AllSaints' 2016/2017 collection. In 2017, she starred as one of several faces in a video campaign for Calvin Klein's underwear range, directed by Sofia Coppola. In September 2022, Hawke modelled for Calvin Klein's FW22 Underwear campaign.
=== Acting ===
Hawke was Sofia Coppola's choice to play the title role of The Little Mermaid in Universal Pictures's live-action adaptation. However, the producers preferred actress Chloë Grace Moretz. This and other conflicts ultimately led to Coppola leaving the project in 2015. Moretz eventually dropped out as well. The film ultimately went unproduced.
Hawke made her acting debut in 2017 as Jo March in the BBC miniseries adaptation of Little Women. In September 2018, she starred in the thriller Ladyworld, directed by Amanda Kramer. Hawke later broke out with her performance as Robin Buckley in the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things, which released in July 2019. Also that year, Hawke played Linda Kasabian/'Flowerchild' in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and co-starred in Marc Meyers' thriller film Human Capital, which is based on Stephen Amidon's 2004 novel of the same name.
In 2020, Hawke starred in Gia Coppola's sophomore film, Mainstream, alongside Andrew Garfield. In the same year, she guest starred in the fifth episode of the miniseries The Good Lord Bird, which stars her father, Ethan Hawke. She stars as Annie Brown, the daughter of her father's character. In June, she appeared in Italian Studies, written and directed by Adam Leon and co-starring Vanessa Kirby. It premiered in the Tribeca Film Festival and later released on January 14, 2022. Later that month, she appeared as Heather in the Netflix horror film Fear Street Part One: 1994. In 2021, she also starred in a spin-off podcast series based on her Stranger Things character, Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins. She starred in another scripted podcast series, The Playboy Interview, in which she plays Helen Gurley Brown.
In 2022, Hawke starred in Netflix's dark comedy film Do Revenge alongside Camila Mendes. In April 2022, she was cast in Bradley Cooper's biographical film about Leonard Bernstein, Maestro, co-starring Cooper and Carey Mulligan. In May, it was reported that she had been cast in the upcoming film The Kill Room alongside her mother Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson. In July, it was announced that she would guest star in Disney's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which premiered in 2023. She appeared in the Wes Anderson romantic dramedy Asteroid City (2023) which premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews. She voiced the character Anxiety in the 2024 Pixar animated film Inside Out 2, the sequel to the 2015 film Inside Out. In February 2024, it was reported that Hawke would be set to star in a Billy Wilder biopic titled Wilder & Me. In May 2025, Hawke was announced to lead a biopic about Irish dancer Lucia Joyce, and was also announced as a part of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast, playing a younger version of Wiress.
=== Music ===
Hawke has said that folk music has influenced her music career including artists like Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, and Joni Mitchell. She takes inspiration from "great lyricists" like Cohen and Bob Dylan as, according to her, "music is the best way to communicate poetry".
In August 2019, Hawke released her first two singles, "To Love a Boy" and "Stay Open". The songs were written and recorded by Hawke and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jesse Harris. Hawke performed a series of headlining gigs around New York City in early 2020, her first ever solo live performances as a musician. In each of these shows, Hawke was supported by Benjamin Lazar Davis, Tōth, Will Graefe and Nick Cianci respectively. On March 18, 2020, Hawke released the first single "By Myself" and announced her debut album titled Blush amid the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. Hawke wrote, "I feel like this is not a time for self-promotion. It is a time for activation, education and self-examination." The album's second single, "Coverage", was released on April 22, 2020, before its music video directed by Maya's father Ethan Hawke was released on the 28th. Initially set for release on June 19, 2020, Blush was delayed to August 21, 2020. To support the release of Blush, Hawke appeared as a musical guest for the first time in her career on The Today Show in late August 2020.
On June 29, 2022, alongside the release of the single "Thérèse", Hawke announced her second album Moss, which was released on September 23, 2022.
In April 2023, Hawke recorded her third studio album. The first single "Missing Out" was released on February 14, 2024, the second single "Dark" releasing on March 20. The full album, Chaos Angel, was released on May 31, 2024. She performed songs from the album on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Daily Show to promote the album. In October 2024, four additional songs from the album were released on the Clipped Wings EP.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Music videos ===
=== Podcast ===
== Discography ==
=== Studio albums ===
Blush (2020)
Moss (2022)
Chaos Angel (2024)
=== Extended plays ===
Clipped Wings EP (2024)
=== Singles ===
== Awards and nominations ==
== Notes ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Official website
Maya Hawke at IMDb
Home
Languages