Madeleine McGraw

McGraw made her film debut as a child actress in the film American Sniper (2014) and other various short films, alongside her twin brother Aidan McGraw.^[3][4] After appearing in various television shows, she starred in the horror drama show Outcast (2016–2018).^[5] From a recurring role in the first season, McGraw was promoted to series regular for the second season.^[3]

McGraw went on to appear as child versions of characters in several films including: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) as a young Hope van Dyne played by Evangeline Lilly, Pacific Rim Uprising (2018) as a young Amara Namani played by Cailee Spaeny,^[6] and The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) as a young Katie Mitchell played by Abbi Jacobson.^[7] During this time, she also voiced various characters in Pixar films, including Maddy McGear in Cars 3 (2017) and Bonnie in Toy Story 4 (2019).^[8] She also appeared in The Mandela Effect (2019).^[9] McGraw appeared as a series regular in the Disney Channel show Secrets of Sulphur Springs (2021–2023).^[10] The show was later canceled in January 2024 after three seasons.^[11]

In September 2021, McGraw starred as Gwen Blake in the supernatural horror film The Black Phone (2021), directed by Scott Derrickson.^[12][13] The film received critical acclaim and earned McGraw various awards and nomination including that for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.^[2] In 2022, McGraw went on to as the titular character in the horror film The Curse of Rosalie (2022) (originally titled The Harbinger), filmed a few years prior.^[14] While the film was panned by critics, her acting and role received praise.^[15] A year later she appeared in the horror film Robbie Ain't Right No More (2023) which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.^[16]

McGraw reprised her role as a young Van Dyne in the second season of the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2023).^[17] She also starred in The Curse of the Necklace (2024), alongside her sister Violet.^[18] In April 2025, it was announced that both sisters would star in a Holiday-themed film titled High Stakes Holiday with both sisters and their mom set to produce.^[19] That same month, McGraw was honoured as the "Rising Star" of 2025 at CinemaCon.^[20] At the end of June, she starred in Captain Tsunami which made its premiere at the Dances With Films film festival.^[21] In October she reprised her role of Gwen Blake in Black Phone 2.^[22][23] For her role she was nominated for Best Young Performer at the 9th Astra Film Awards where she was also honored as the "Star on the Rise".^[24]

After her performances in various films within the horror genre including The Black Phone, McGraw has often been referred to as a scream queen in the media.^[a] In response to the title, McGraw stated that she is "very flattered", adding that she "never thought that this would be the direction that my career would be going, because my parents would literally never let us watch horror movies when we were younger".^[26]

Madeleine McGraw is one of four children. Her siblings are all also actors including her twin brother, Aidan McGraw who starred alongside her in American Sniper, Jack McGraw from The Good Dinosaur, and Violet McGraw who portrayed young Yelena Belova in Black Widow.^[28]