Who is Maya Hawke? She is an American actress and singer-songwriter, best known as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things, and the eldest child of the actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Born Maya Ray Thurman-Hawke on July 8, 1998, in New York City, she has built a career of her own in film, television and music, and in 2026 she married the musician Christian Lee Hutson.
In this profile we explain who Maya Hawke is: her famous parents, her path into acting, the roles that made her name, her music and her busy 2026, which includes a new album and a part in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Maya Hawke at a glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Maya Ray Thurman-Hawke |
| Born | July 8, 1998, New York City |
| Parents | Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke |
| Known for | Robin Buckley in Stranger Things |
| Music | Four studio albums, the latest in 2026 |
| Spouse | Christian Lee Hutson (married February 2026) |
| Brother | Levon Hawke, actor |
| Zodiac sign | Cancer |
Growing up as Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke’s daughter
Maya’s parents met on the set of the science fiction film Gattaca and married in 1998, the year she was born. Uma Thurman is famous for Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, and Ethan Hawke for films such as Dead Poets Society, the Before Sunrise trilogy and Boyhood. They divorced in 2005, when Maya was a young child, and she grew up between their homes in New York.
She has a younger brother, Levon Hawke, born in 2002, who is also an actor. She also has younger half-siblings from each of her parents’ later relationships. Maya has said that she always felt close to both parents and that they encouraged her creativity without pushing her into acting.
Maya Hawke’s famous family
| Name | Relation to Maya | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Uma Thurman | Mother | Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill |
| Ethan Hawke | Father | Before Sunrise, Boyhood |
| Levon Hawke | Brother | Actor |
| Christian Lee Hutson | Husband | Singer-songwriter and producer |
School and first steps
Maya went to schools in New York that focused on the arts, and she spent summers studying acting, including a programme at a drama school in London. She later won a place at the Juilliard School, one of the most famous performing arts schools in the world, but left after her first year when she was offered a major role.
Before acting took off, she also worked as a model, appearing in campaigns for fashion brands while still a teenager. She has said that she enjoyed modelling but always knew she wanted to tell stories.
Little Women and Stranger Things
Her screen debut came in 2017, when she played Jo March in a BBC adaptation of Little Women. The role showed she had real talent of her own, and soon afterwards she was cast in the third season of Netflix’s Stranger Things.
She played Robin Buckley, a sharp, funny ice-cream shop worker who becomes one of the gang. Robin quickly became a fan favourite, especially after an episode in which she comes out as gay to her friend Steve, a scene praised for its honesty and warmth. Maya stayed with the series until its final season, which ended at the turn of 2026.
Maya Hawke’s best-known roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Little Women | Jo March |
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Flower Child |
| 2019 to 2025 | Stranger Things | Robin Buckley |
| 2021 | Fear Street trilogy | Heather |
| 2023 | Asteroid City | June |
| 2024 | Inside Out 2 | Anxiety (voice) |
| 2026 | The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping | Wiress |
Her voice role as Anxiety in Pixar’s Inside Out 2 introduced her to an even bigger audience. The film became one of the most successful animated movies ever made, and many viewers did not realise until the credits that the anxious orange character was voiced by the girl from Stranger Things.
Maya Hawke the musician
Alongside acting, Maya has a serious music career. She writes gentle, folk-influenced songs with very personal lyrics, and she has released four studio albums.
- Blush (2020)
- Moss (2022)
- Chaos Angel (2024)
- Maitreya Corso (2026)
Her fourth album, Maitreya Corso, came out in spring 2026 and was followed by a sold-out tour of the United States. In interviews she has admitted that she finds releasing music stressful, but she says songwriting is the part of her creative life that feels most like her own.
Marriage to Christian Lee Hutson
Maya married Christian Lee Hutson, a singer-songwriter and producer from Los Angeles, on February 14, 2026, in an intimate ceremony in New York with friends and family, including many of her Stranger Things co-stars. Hutson is known for his own albums and for working with artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, and he has written music with Maya.
The couple had kept their relationship relatively private before the wedding, so the Valentine’s Day ceremony came as a surprise to many fans. Several of the guests shared happy messages afterwards, and the news was widely celebrated by Stranger Things fans.
Working with her father
One of the most personal projects of Maya’s career is Wildcat, a 2023 film directed by her father, Ethan Hawke. Maya played the American writer Flannery O’Connor, and she also helped bring the project to life, having been fascinated by O’Connor’s stories since her teens. The film showed father and daughter as creative partners rather than just a famous parent and child.
In the same year she appeared in Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s film about the composer Leonard Bernstein, playing his daughter Jamie. Choosing roles like these, in serious films by respected directors, has helped her build a reputation as an actor who picks interesting work rather than only big franchises. It has also brought her into contact with some of the most admired filmmakers working today, including Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and Bradley Cooper, all before she turned 30.
What makes Maya Hawke different
Many children of famous actors become actors too, but few combine acting and music as seriously as Maya. She writes her own songs, tours small venues and talks about poetry and literature in interviews. Her performances often have a quick, slightly awkward charm that audiences find easy to relate to.
- A serious second career as a songwriter
- A mix of blockbusters and independent films
- An openness about her family and her privileges
- A sharp, funny screen presence
She has also been praised for the way she talks about fame. Rather than hiding her background, she acknowledges it, and she often credits both her parents with teaching her that the work matters more than the attention.
Maya Hawke in 2026
2026 has been one of Maya’s busiest years. After saying goodbye to Stranger Things, she married in February, released Maitreya Corso in the spring and went on tour. She also appears in the romantic comedy One Night Only.
Her biggest film of the year is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, due in cinemas on November 20, 2026. She plays Wiress, a clever and fragile former champion from District 3, in a story set decades before the original Hunger Games books.
Is Maya Hawke a nepo baby?
As the daughter of two famous actors, Maya has often been asked about the term nepo baby, used for children who benefit from famous parents. She has said openly that her family name opened doors for her and that she was lucky to have access to the industry so young. At the same time, critics and audiences have praised her work on its own terms, and her music career in particular shows a talent clearly separate from her parents’.
Frequently asked questions
Who are Maya Hawke’s parents?
Her parents are the actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.
How old is Maya Hawke?
She was born on July 8, 1998, which makes her 28 years old in 2026.
Who did Maya Hawke play in Stranger Things?
She played Robin Buckley from the third season until the end of the series.
Is Maya Hawke married?
Yes. She married the musician Christian Lee Hutson on February 14, 2026, in New York.
Does Maya Hawke have siblings?
Yes. Her younger brother Levon Hawke is an actor, and she also has younger half-siblings.
Who does Maya Hawke play in The Hunger Games?
She plays Wiress in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, released on November 20, 2026.
Is Maya Hawke a singer?
Yes. She has released four albums, most recently Maitreya Corso in 2026.
Conclusion
Maya Hawke is Maya Ray Thurman-Hawke, the daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, who has stepped out of her parents’ shadow with a career of her own. From Jo March and Robin Buckley to the voice of Anxiety and a role in The Hunger Games, she has become one of the most interesting actors of her generation, and as a songwriter she has four albums to her name. Married to Christian Lee Hutson in 2026, she is starting a new chapter in her life and work.
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