Rachel Hilson Bio
Rachel Naomi Hilson (born 1995) is an American actress and writer whose work spans television and film. She began performing as a child in Baltimore and launched a screen career in 2010 with a recurring role on the CBS legal drama The Good Wife; she has since built a steady career with recurring and series regular roles on broadcast and streaming series.
Early Life and Background
Rachel Naomi Hilson was born in 1995 in Baltimore, Maryland, to Anita and Robert Hilson and grew up with a sister, Kimberly. She began dancing at age three and remained active in performance through childhood, balancing dance training with school theater and local athletic activities.
Hilson was discovered by an agent at age twelve and traveled to New York for summer training at the Broadway Artist Alliance before signing with an agency and taking professional auditions. She attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where high school theater deepened her interest in acting and helped her overcome shyness while she continued to dance and perform.
Hilson continued her studies at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, creating a custom curriculum that combined writing and performance. She graduated in 2018 with a concentration in Writing and Performing Race and performed in several university theater productions during her time at NYU.
Path to Celebrity
Hilson’s early exposure to dance and theatre established a disciplined performance foundation that translated into on-camera work. Her family supported regular travel for auditions, and those early trips to New York led directly to casting opportunities in television.
In Baltimore and New York she trained in dance and acting while balancing school; she also gained early professional experience in children’s musical programming before moving into guest and recurring television roles. Her training and early agent representation positioned her for a screen career that began in her mid-teens.
Rachel Hilson Career
Early Career (2010–2016)
Rachel Hilson’s screen career began in 2010 when she booked a recurring role as Nisa Dalmar on the CBS series The Good Wife at about age fifteen. Over the following years she established herself as a reliable guest and recurring performer, appearing in episodic roles on series across genres including Royal Pains, Elementary, Nurse Jackie, The Affair, Madam Secretary, The Americans and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Those early credits allowed Hilson to build a résumé of varied television work while continuing her training and education. The combination of drama and procedural appearances demonstrated her range and prepared her for larger supporting parts in both film and network series.
Breakthrough (2017–2025)
Hilson’s first feature film role came in 2017 when she starred opposite Halle Berry in the drama Kings, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film represented an important step into feature work and offered Hilson the experience of working alongside established film actors on an international festival platform.
In 2018 Hilson had a recurring role as Harmony on NBC’s musical drama Rise, a series that brought heightened visibility and showcased her ability to work within ensemble television storytelling. Her profile continued to rise through episodic appearances and recurring parts that demonstrated dramatic and musical range.
In 2019 Hilson joined the cast of This Is Us in a recurring capacity, portraying the teenage version of Beth Pearson in flashback sequences. The role placed her on one of the highest-profile network dramas of the late 2010s and exposed her work to a broad, national audience.
Also in 2019 Hilson moved into a series regular position when she replaced the original actor in the lead teen role for the Hulu series Love, Victor; the series premiered in 2020 and marked her first regular starring role on a streaming teen drama. That commitment further established her as a young lead performer able to carry a multi-episode narrative arc.
In 2021 Hilson joined the cast of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty in a supporting capacity, extending her repertoire into prestige cable drama. Most recently, Hilson co-starred as a co-lead in the Max crime thriller series Duster in 2025, acting opposite Josh Holloway in a role that broadened her presence in genre television and marked a high-profile co-lead placement on a major streaming platform.
Notable Works and Milestones
Signature projects across Hilson’s career include her recurring debut on The Good Wife, the feature film Kings, recurring spots on Rise and This Is Us, a series regular role on Love, Victor, and a co-lead role on the Max series Duster. These projects show a steady progression from guest work to leading and co-leading roles across network, cable and streaming platforms.
Family
Hilson is the daughter of Robert and Anita Hilson and has a sister named Kimberly. Her family supported early travel for auditions and opportunities that helped launch her performing career.
Personal Life
Public records and available biographies list Hilson’s education and professional work but do not provide extended personal details about partnerships or children. She has spoken publicly about her training background, education at NYU and early performance experiences, and she has worked part time during her studies to support her career and education.