Meet Michelle Williams’ incredibly successful husband Thomas Kail

Michelle Williams may be one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses, but the Dawson’s Creek star isn’t the only talented one in her family. 

Michelle’s husband, Thomas Kail, is an acclaimed theatre director who has worked on major projects like In The Heights and Hamilton with Broadway darling Lin-Manuel Miranda. 

The couple share three children, and Thomas is a loving stepfather to Michelle’s eldest daughter Matilda, whom she welcomed with Heath Ledger in 2005. 

Despite being a notoriously private pair, Michelle and Thomas always support each other at award shows and show up for their partner when needed. 

Join HELLO! as we discover all there is to know about Thomas Kail and his sweet connection with the 44-year-old. 

Meet cute

© Getty

Thomas won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2016 for his work on Hamilton, and even directed the film version of the smash-hit musical in 2020.

He has also nabbed a handful of Emmy Awards: two for Grease: Live and one for the film version of Hamilton. He is helming the upcoming live-action adaptation of the Disney film Moana, set for release in 2026. 

Thomas and Michelle first met on the set of Fosse/Verdon in 2018, with the actress starring as Gwen Verdon and her future husband working as the director and executive producer. 

© Theo Wargo

At the time, the pair were both married to other people: Michelle had tied the knot with her musician husband Phil Elverum in 2018, and Thomas was married to Broadway star Angela Christian. 

Michelle and her husband split a year later, while Thomas and Angela divorced. They were then engaged by December of the same year, and married in March of 2020. 

Expanding their family

© Getty Images

Michelle and Thomas have welcomed three children since their wedding. Their son Hart was born in June 2020, and the blonde beauty shared with Variety what it was like to have a baby amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It was a reminder that life goes on,” she said. “The world we brought a baby into is not the world we thought we were bringing a baby into, but the baby is ignorant of that. He experiences the unmitigated joy of discovery and the happiness of a loving home.”

She continued: “The most ecstatic moments of life and art are the transcendent ones. Having children is like that. You combine your DNA with someone else to create a new life.”

© Getty Images

They welcomed their second child together in November 2022, and are yet to reveal the baby’s name. 

“It’s totally joyous,” Michelle told Variety of her expanding family. “As the years go on, you sort of wonder what they might hold for you or not hold for you. It’s exciting to discover that something you want again and again, is available one more time. That good fortune is not lost on me or my family.”

Michelle and Thomas welcomed another baby in April 2025 via surrogate, as per People.

Remembering the past

© Getty Images

Thomas is a proud stepfather to 19-year-old Matilda, whom Michelle welcomed with Heath Ledger in 2005. The former couple met on the set of Brokeback Mountain in 2004, and quickly fell in love before splitting in 2007. Sadly, the iconic actor passed away five months later, when their daughter was just two. 

She recently made a rare comment about her former partner on an episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, who recalled meeting Heath and falling “in love” with him. 

“I feel obligated to say that I knew him a little bit when he was getting sober, and I don’t know that I’ve ever fallen in love with somebody so quickly,” he shared.

© Getty Images

“This is one of the most special boys I’ve ever met, and I can feel the weight of the world on him in a very special way that kind of broke my heart. I was very, very sad, and I thought he was just so special.” 

Michelle agreed that he was “so special” before adding, “Thank God there’s Matilda.”

She shared that he had an “incredible sensitivity“, and that the period of their lives with Matilda was eye-opening. 

© Getty

“We had a baby. But I suppose maybe it’s a good thing about being young is that you don’t have so much life experience that you can contextualize things,” Michelle explained. “So you’re really just going with the flow.”

“Kids are such great life checkers,” she continued. “They force you to put your best self in front of them. You can’t abdicate your life and your work and your own desires, but you do have to put them in check and figure out which master you’re going to serve.”

 To see Michelle’s incredible acting skills in action, watch below…