Who Is Matthew Macfadyen's Wife? All About British Actress Keeley Hawes

Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes met on the set of 2002’s Spooks

Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Matthew Macfadyen and Keeley Hawes have been married for nearly a decade.

The English actors first met in 2002 on the set of the BBC spy drama Spooks (known as MI-5 in the U.S.). At the time, Hawes was newly married to DJ and cartoonist Spencer McCallum, whom she shares one son with. Eventually, Macfadyen and Hawes' work relationship evolved into a romance, and Hawes divorced McCallum in 2004, marrying the Succession actor later that year.

Since then, the couple have welcomed two children: daughter Maggie and son Ralph.

The pair have also shared the screen again, starring in the series Stonehouse, which aired in January 2023. Hawes told The Guardianthat they had "far too nice a time" working with each other on the show.

"Ultimately, he's an actor that I would have loved to work with anyway. So, yes, it was a joy," she shared.

So, who is Matthew Macfadyen's wife? Here's everything to know about actress and producer Keeley Hawes.

She's an actress and producer

David Livingston/Getty
David Livingston/Getty

Hawes has conquered both the acting and producing worlds. Her breakout role was intelligence officer Zoe Reynolds on Spooks, where she met Macfadyen. The actress is also known for playing Lindsay Denton in the police drama Line of Duty and Julia Montague in the political thriller Bodyguard. She has also appeared in several films, including High-Rise, Misbehaviour and To Olivia.

With decades of industry experience under her belt, Hawes founded her own production company, Buddy Club Productions, in 2019. "Producing and making things happen myself just feels like a natural progression for me," she told Variety. "The older you get, the younger everyone else is, and then you realize you are the one with the most experience. That can be really useful on both sides of the camera."

According to Buddy Club's Instagram page, the company aims to "produce innovative & ambitious television drama." The production company has since produced series like Crossfire and Finding Alice, both of which star Hawes.

She's from London

Tim P. Whitby/Getty
Tim P. Whitby/Getty

Born Clare Julia Hawes, the actress grew up in Marylebone, London, where she was the youngest of four children and enjoyed borrowing books from the local library. In a December 2018 interview with the Financial Times, Hawes recalled that she lived in Marylebone "before it was as gentrified as it is now" and had "a very happy childhood really."

"It wasn't especially luxurious, but quite often when I started out [the media would say] it was like this 'rags to riches' story and that's not the case," she said.

She and Macfadyen met on the set of a BBC spy drama

Fred Duval/FilmMagic
Fred Duval/FilmMagic

Hawes was a mother of one and newly married to her first husband when she and Macfadyen became close on the set of Spooks. The complicated situation didn't stop their burgeoning romance. "Matthew just came straight out with it and said 'I love you' in the rain one day," Hawes later said, per Vanity Fair. "I thought, 'Oh dear, here we go.' " She and McCallum divorced in 2004, and she married Macfadyen later that year.

The actress later told The Guardian, "Spooks will always stand out. We all had such fun on that, all of us. And I met my husband."

She and Macfadyen share two children

Dave M. Benett/Getty
Dave M. Benett/Getty

Macfadyen and Hawes share two children, Maggie and Ralph. Hawes also has a son, Myles McCallum, from her first marriage.

The couple share a dog named Buster as well, who is often featured on Hawes' Instagram. In April 2022, she posted photos of the pup posing, napping and running. "This good boi living his best life🦴," she wrote.

She didn't come from an "acting family"

Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage

Hawes didn't always plan on being an actress; her father was a cab driver, and her mother stayed at home. It just so happened that the Sylvia Young Theatre School moved into the church across the street from where she lived. Hawes told the Financial Times that her parents encouraged her to audition for a spot at the school after she performed in a school production of The Pied Piper. Her audition was a success, and Hawes began to book small professional projects.

She and Macfadyen star in Stonehouse together

Jeff Spicer/Getty
Jeff Spicer/Getty

Macfadyen and Hawes' ITV drama, Stonehouse, premiered in January 2023. The series is based on a scandalous true story about British MP John Stonehouse, who unsuccessfully attempted to fake his own death in 1974. Macfadyen portrays Stonehouse and Hawes plays the MP's wife, Barbara Stonehouse.

The couple enjoyed working together for the first time since leaving Spooks in 2004. "These characters and these real people are so different from us in every way and from our marriage and our relationship," Hawes told Town & Country in February 2023. "But the writing was brilliant and we got to hang out and stay together."

Macfadyen said that getting to see each other every day was "really nice." He added, "So often we're sort of scattered in different countries. But the idea of going to work together was just great. We even took the dog." He also called his wife "a brilliant actress" and the experience "really lovely," the Radio Times reported.

She is open about her mental health

David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty

The actress has been open about living with depression. "It's something that never goes away," she told You magazine in 2019. "I have become better equipped at looking after myself. … Keeping busy helps, being forced to carry on, because inevitably it will pass."

In August 2022, Hawes spoke to You magazine again and explained why she believed telling her story could help others. "Everyone is human," she said. "I find it hugely helpful when I read other people's experiences. It's not that somebody else's pain and upset makes you feel better, but it does make you feel less alone."

She added: "I'm not the poster girl for it, but it is something that I experienced."

She and Macfadyen have a healthy work-life balance

Jon Furniss/WireImage
Jon Furniss/WireImage

Macfadyen and Hawes may be busy actors, but they still make time for each other and their children. "People often say to me, 'When do you see each other? You're both always working,' " Hawes said during her 2022 interview with You magazine. "It's infuriating because we see so much of each other. We're not particularly social. I prefer going to bed than going out."

In April 2015, Macfadyen discussed their work-life balance with The Big Issue. "Keeley is flying at the moment. She's up for a BAFTA," he said. "It is so exciting — about f—--- time! Trying to keep our careers going and focus on our family is tricky, but that is part of the fun. How do we make this work? Will we traumatize the children if we are not there for a few weeks? But when one of us is working away, the other is usually at home."

Ultimately, their marriage takes priority. "I love being married to Matthew, and I know Matthew loves being married too," she told the Telegraph in 2010. "It ties everything up and it's a statement to each other and to the world. Marriage and being a mother are absolutely crucial to my happiness and my life."

She and Macfadyen have walked many red carpets

<p>Neilson Barnard/Getty</p> Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen attend the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Neilson Barnard/Getty

Keeley Hawes and Matthew Macfadyen attend the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

Hawes and Macfadyen rarely attend a Hollywood event without one another.

In January 2024, the couple were photographed on the red carpet at the 75th annual Primetime Emmy Awards where Macfadyen won outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role in Succession.

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