Rachel Naomi Hilson (born October 30, 1995)[citation needed] is an American actress. She started her career in 2010 with a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife as Nisa Dalmar. She has also had recurring roles on NBC's Rise and This Is Us and a lead role on the Hulu teen drama Love, Victor.
Early life and education
Rachel Naomi Hilson was born on October 30, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland to Anita and Robert Hilson.[1] [2] She has a sister named Kimberly.[3][4]
Hilson began dancing at age 3.[3] While she had many aspirations, her passion for dance stuck. Hilson told Backstage "I dedicated my life to Nutcrackers, spring recitals, dance camps" and recreating scenes from the 2000 movie Center Stage, starring Zoe Saldaña as Eva.[5] Hilson was discovered by an agent at age 12 and took up acting.[6] That summer, her mother convinced Hilson to attend the Broadway Artist Alliance in New York. She was then recruited by Nancy Carson of the Carson-Adler Agency, who would later become her agent, to dance in the children's musical series LazyTown. After traveling to Iceland with her mom for the tapings, Hilson signed with Carson a few months later. From there, she auditioned for the Baltimore School for the Arts (BSA).[5] At BSA, Hilson continued dancing and acting, but also participated in sports.[3] Hilson credited her high school theater program with helping her overcome her shyness.[7]
Hilson attended the New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she created her own curriculum.[8] Throughout her college career, Hilson performed in several theatre productions including Hamlet. She graduated in 2018 with a concentration in Writing and Performing Race.[9] She worked part-time as a bread salesman, even serving actress Lupita Nyong'o at one point.[10]
Career
Living in Baltimore, Hilson and her mother would take bus rides to New York for auditions. One of the first auditions she he booked was the recurring role of Nisa on The Good Wife when she was 15.[5] Over the next decade, Hilson appeared in episodes of Royal Pains, Elementary, Nurse Jackie, The Affair, Madam Secretary, The Americans, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and First Wives Club.[11] [8]
Hilson starred opposite Halle Berry in her first feature film, Kings, which premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.[9] She described the project was a "dream come true". That same year, she had a recurring role as Harmony on NBC's short lived musical drama, Rise.[7]
In 2019, Hilson recurred on This Is Us as the teenage version Beth Pearson, played by Susan Kelechi Watson.[1] In August 2019, Hilson replaced Johnny Sequoyah as Mia in Love, Victor, the sequel to the 2018 film, Love, Simon .[12][13] [14] This was her first role as a series regular.
On August 21, 2021, Hilson joined the cast of HBO's Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.[15]
In 2025 she is a co-lead on the Max series Duster opposite Josh Holloway.[16]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Cass | Cass Morris | Lead role |
| 2017 | Night | Jess | Short film |
| Kings | Nicole Patterson | Independent film | |
| 2019 | As they Slept | Eleanor | Short film |
| 2023 | Red, White & Royal Blue | Nora Holleran |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Good Wife | Nisa Dalmar | Recurring role: 7 Episodes |
| 2012 | Royal Pains | Niece 1 | Episode: "Sand Legs" |
| 2015 | Elementary | Lexi | Episode: "Seed Money" |
| The Slap | Liz | Episode: "Connie" | |
| Nurse Jackie | Patient | Episode: "Jackie and the Wolf" | |
| The Affair | Student Tour Guide | Episode: "208" | |
| 2016 | Madam Secretary | Becca | Episode: "Higher Learning" |
| 2017 | The Americans | Linda | Episode: "The Soviet Division" |
| 2018 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Tiana Williams | Episode: "Guardian" |
| Rise | Harmony Curtis | Recurring role: 10 Episodes | |
| 2019 | Fosse/Verdon | Jane | Episode: "Life Is a Cabaret" |
| First Wives Club | Megan | Episode: "Storytelling" | |
| This Is Us | Beth Clarke | Recurring role: 11 Episodes | |
| 2020 | High Maintenance | Hailey | Episode: "Backflash" |
| 2020–2022 | Love, Victor | Mia Brooks | Series regular |
| 2021 | American Horror Story: Double Feature | Jamie Howard | Main role: 4 Episodes |
| 2022 | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | Cindy Day | Main role |
| 2025 | Duster | Nina | Main role |
References
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (February 7, 2019). "'This Is Us' Casts Young & Teen Beth; Carl Lumbly To Play Her Father". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Rachel Hilson - Actress". TV Insider. TVGM Holdings, LLC. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c Jackson, Kai (November 23, 2010). "Baltimore Teen To Debut On 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ "Virginia Lawrence". Obituaries. Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. July 28, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c Hilson, Rachel (July 8, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson's Secret to Success? Eternal Curiosity". Backstage. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Fujii, Andrea (January 16, 2012). "Baltimore Teenager Lands Recurring Role On CBS Hit Series 'The Good Wife'". WJZ-TV. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Britto, Brittany (March 13, 2018). "Baltimore School for the Arts alum to appear in NBC drama 'Rise,' Halle Berry movie 'Kings'". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Walsh, Erin (July 6, 2020). "RACHEL HILSON". sbjct. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b "Alumna Rachel Hilson Stars in "Love, Victor"". News. NYU Gallatin. June 17, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Frederick, Candice (June 26, 2020). "'Love, Victor' Star Rachel Hilson Knows That Self-Care Is an Act of Resistance". Shondaland. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
- ^ Rueben (June 16, 2020). "Salute to Rising Stars". NiceGirlsTV.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (August 30, 2019). "'Love, Simon': Rachel Naomi Hilson Joins Disney+ Series In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Trapunski, Charles (June 18, 2020). "INTERVIEW: LOVE, VICTOR'S RACHEL HILSON". Brief Take. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Dominick, Nora (June 14, 2021). "Rachel Hilson On Being "Proud" Of Mia In "Love, Victor" Season 2 And How It Was Important Mia "Advocated" For Herself". BuzzFeed. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (August 21, 2021). "Bo Burnham Exits HBO's LA Lakers Series, Five More Added to Cast". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Hodges, Jake (2023-05-02). "'Duster' Cast, Crew, Release Window, and Everything We Know So Far About J.J. Abrams' Crime Series". Collider. Retrieved 2025-03-20.