Background
Rebecca Hall was born in London, the daughter of English director Peter Hall and American opera singer Maria Ewing. Her father is English. Her mother, who is American, is of Dutch, Scottish, Sioux, and African American origin. Her parents separated when she was still young, and they divorced in 1990. She has a half-brother, Edward Hall, who is a theatre director, and four other half-siblings, including theatre designer Lucy Hall, veteran TV drama producer Christopher Hall, and Jennifer Caron Hall, a writer, and painter.
Education
Hall attended Roedean School, where she became head girl.
She studied English Literature at Cambridge University for two years, before dropping out in 2002. During her time at Cambridge, she appeared in a number of plays and set up a theatre company. She also appeared in student stage productions alongside Dan Stevens, later her As You Like It co-star.
Career
In 2003 Hall won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren's Profession. She has appeared in the films The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe), The Town, Frost/Nixon, and Iron Man 3.
In June 2010, Hall won the Supporting Actress BAFTA for her portrayal of Paula Garland in the 2009 Channel 4 production Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974. She was also nominated for the Leading Actress BAFTA in 2013 for her role as Sylvia Tietjens in BBC Two's Parade's End.