In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance attends Yale Law School and reflects on his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, and the Appalachian values he learned from his mother, Bev, and grandmother, Mamaw. Through flashback sequences, Hillbilly Elegy reveals that J.D.'s upbringing was especially challenging, most notably because of his mother's drug problems. Years later, the familial conflict escalates after Bev overdoses on heroin, leaving her son to make some difficult decisions that could affect his long-term goals. Ron Howard's movie's themes led to critics commending the cast for their performances, but the celebration for Hillbilly Elegy ended there.

Gabriel Basso As J.D. Vance

Date Of Birth: December 11, 1994

• Active Since: 2007

Actor: Gabriel Basso was born in St. Louis Missouri, where he grew up and began his acting career. However, Basso later moved to Los Angeles, where he further pursued acting and booked several guest roles in TV shows such as iCarly, Eastwick, and The Middle. Basso achieved his breakthrough when he starred in J.J. Abrams' sci-fi movie Super 8 in 2011. He received widespread recognition, though, when he began playing Peter Sutherland in the Netflix series The Night Agent.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Basso stars as J.D. Vance, the narrator and protagonist, in Hillbilly Elegy. Vance, the author of the memoir on which the 2020 biopic is based, is in law school at the movie's beginning, but the story often flashes back to his unstable and traumatic childhood in Ohio. Over the course of Hillbilly Elegy, Vance tries to move on from his old life in the Midwest while trying to help his mother, who is a drug addict.

Glenn Close As Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance

Date Of Birth: March 19, 1947

• Active Since: 1974

Actress: Glenn Close was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she grew up and developed a love for acting. She later attended The College of William & Mary in Virginia, where she studied theater and anthropology. After college, Close began her acting career on the stage, including playing Irene St. Claire in The Crucifer of Blood on Broadway. However, Close's breakout role came when she starred as Jenny Fields in The World According to Garp, which was her feature film debut and the role that earned Close her first Oscar nomination.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Close stars as Bonnie "Mamaw" Vance in Netflix's poorly-reviewed 2020 book adaptation. Mamaw is J.D. Vance's grandmother and Beverly Vance's mother, who serves as the family's matriarch in Hillbilly Elegy. She takes in her grandson after it becomes clear that Beverly is unfit to care for him, and Mamaw is essentially the one who raised J.D. Sadly, the real Bonnie Vance died in 2005.

Amy Adams As Beverly "Bev" Vance

Date Of Birth: August 20, 1974

• Active Since: 1994

Actress: Amy Adams was born in Aviano, Italy, to American parents as her father, who was in the United States Army, was stationed there. Adams and her family eventually settled down in Castle Rock, Colorado, when she was eight years old. Growing up, Adams developed an affinity for theater, and instead of going to college, she pursued an acting career. The actress started in dinner theater before moving on to booking film roles, with Adams' breakthrough coming when she appeared as Ashley Johnsten in Junebug in 2005, a role that gave her her first Oscar nomination.

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: Adams stars as Beverly "Bev" Vance, J.D.'s mother who struggles with a drug addiction problem. After a violent interaction with J.D., Beverly's son goes to live with her mother. Unfortunately, Beverly's drug addiction is a rampant problem that follows J.D. into adulthood. However, Hillbilly Elegy's real-life Beverly Vance has been sober for several years now.

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Hillbilly Elegy ing Cast & Characters