Gillian Anderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gillian Anderson OBE
Anderson in February 2017
Born	Gillian Leigh Anderson (1968-08-09) August 9, 1968 (age 56) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education	DePaul University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress writer activist
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Clyde Klotz ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 1997)​ Julian Ozanne ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2007)​
Partner(s)	Mark Griffiths (2006–2012) Peter Morgan (2016–2020)
Children	3
Signature

Gillian Leigh Anderson (born August 9, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and activist. She is famous for playing Dana Scully in the science fiction TV show The X-Files (1993–2002; 2016–2018). She also played Lily Bart in the film The House of Mirth (2000). Another well-known role is DSI Stella Gibson in the crime drama The Fall (2013–2016). More recently, she played Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (2020).

Gillian has won many awards for her acting. These include two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She also has four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Born in Chicago, Gillian grew up in London and then Grand Rapids, Michigan. She started her acting career on stage in New York City. She became famous worldwide for her role in The X-Files. Her movies include The Mighty Celt (2005) and The Last King of Scotland (2006). She also appeared in the X-Files movies Fight the Future (1998) and I Want to Believe (2008).

On television, she played Lady Dedlock in Bleak House (2005). She was also Wallis Simpson in Any Human Heart (2010). She played Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (2011). From 2013 to 2015, she was Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on Hannibal. In 2017, she played Media in American Gods. In 2022, she was Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady.

Gillian has also won awards for her stage acting. She received a Theatre World Award for Absent Friends (1991). She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for A Doll's House (2009). For playing Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014 and 2016), she won an Evening Standard Theatre Award. She also received another Laurence Olivier Award nomination for this role.

Gillian supports many charities and groups that help people. She is a spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network. She also helped start South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes). She has lived in London since 2002. In 2016, she was given an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her work in drama.

Early Life and Education

Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, on August 9, 1968. Her mother, Rosemary, was a computer analyst. Her father, Homer, owned a film company. Soon after she was born, her family moved to Puerto Rico for a short time. Then they moved to London so her father could go to film school.

Gillian lived in north London until she was 11 years old. She went to Coleridge Primary School. When her family moved back to the United States, they settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They still kept a flat in London and spent summers there. Gillian later said she always wanted to return to England. In Grand Rapids, she went to Fountain Elementary and City High-Middle School. This school was for gifted students and focused on humanities.

When she was 14, Gillian started therapy. She listened to bands like Dead Kennedys. Her classmates voted her "class clown" and "most bizarre girl." On her graduation night, she was arrested for sneaking into her high school. She tried to glue the locks of the doors. The charges were later reduced to trespassing.

Gillian was interested in marine biology when she was young. But she soon became interested in theatre. She started acting in high school plays and later in community theatre. She also worked as an intern at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. After high school, she went to The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. She earned a degree in fine arts in 1990. She also took part in a summer program at Cornell University. To earn money, she worked at a brewery in Chicago. Later, the brewery named a beer after her called "Gillian."

Gillian is the oldest of three children. Her brother, Aaron, had a condition called neurofibromatosis. He sadly died in 2011 from a brain tumor at age 30. Her sister, Zoe, is an artist who works with ceramics.

Gillian can speak with both an American and a British accent. When she moved to Michigan as a child, she was teased for her British accent. So, she learned an American accent. She can still switch between them easily. She has said she feels London is her home.

Acting Career

Starting Out in the 1990s

Gillian moved to New York City when she was 22. She worked as a waitress to support herself. She started her acting career in a play called Absent Friends. For this role, she won the 1990–91 Theatre World Award for "Best Newcomer." Her next play was The Philanthropist.

In 1992, Gillian moved to Los Angeles. She spent a year auditioning for roles. That same year, she appeared in her first movie, The Turning.

Gillian had once said she would never work in television. But after being out of work for a year, she changed her mind. She appeared in a TV show called Class of '96 in 1993.

Gillian Anderson at the Royal Court Theatre in 2004.

Because of this role, she received the script for The X-Files. She was 24 when she decided to audition. She liked that the script featured "a strong, independent, intelligent woman." She was chosen to play FBI Special Agent Dana Scully. The show was filmed in Vancouver, Canada, for five seasons before moving to Los Angeles. It ran for nine seasons. Two X-Files movies were also made in 1998 and 2008.

During her time on The X-Files, Gillian won many awards for playing Agent Scully. She won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. She also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was the first actress to win an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award in the same year.

Gillian was the first woman to write and direct an episode of The X-Files. It was called "all things." She also voiced a cartoon version of Scully in The Simpsons episode "The Springfield Files". Her character, Dana Scully, inspired many young women to go into science, medicine, and law enforcement. This is known as "The Scully Effect."

In 1997, Gillian provided vocals for the song "Extremis" by the electronic duo Hal. She also helped create an album of electronic music called Future: A Journey Through The Electronic Underground.

In 1997, she appeared in the independent film Chicago Cab. In 1998, she starred in Playing by Heart and had a role in The Mighty. In 1999, she voiced the character Moro in the English version of Hayao Miyazaki's animated film Princess Mononoke.

2000s: New Roles and Stage Work

In 2000, Gillian starred in The House of Mirth. She received great reviews and won awards for her role as Lily Bart.

Gillian Anderson at WonderCon in 2008.

When The X-Files ended in 2002, she moved back to London. She wanted to act on stage again. In 2002, she made her West End debut in the play What The Night Is For. In 2004, she starred in The Sweetest Swing in Baseball. She played an artist named Dana Fielding.

In 2005, she played Lady Dedlock in the BBC show Bleak House. She also starred in the Irish film The Mighty Celt. For this, she won an IFTA award for Best International Actress. In 2006, she won the Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Actress for Bleak House.

From 2006 to 2007, Gillian appeared in two British films: The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Straightheads (2007). In 2008, she hosted Masterpiece Theatre. She was the first woman to host the series since it began in 1971. That same year, she starred in the second X-Files movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. She also appeared in the British comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. In 2009, she starred in the British comedy film Boogie Woogie.

In 2009, she played Nora in the play A Doll's House in London. She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance.

2010s: Television and Stage Success

In November 2010, Gillian played Wallis Simpson in the TV show Any Human Heart. She was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. In April 2011, she starred in The Crimson Petal and the White. In August 2011, she appeared in the TV miniseries Moby Dick. That same year, she played Pamela Thornton in the British comedy Johnny English Reborn. She also starred as Miss Havisham in a BBC adaptation of Great Expectations.

Gillian Anderson at San Diego Comic Con in 2013.

In 2012, Gillian appeared in a Swiss film called Sister. She was also in Shadow Dancer, a British-Irish drama. She voiced Dr. Miki Hokuto in the English version of Studio Ghibli's From Up on Poppy Hill (2013). That same year, she starred in I'll Follow You Down and appeared in Mr. Morgan's Last Love with Michael Caine.

In May 2013, Gillian began playing DSI Stella Gibson in The Fall. This crime drama was very popular. Gillian was praised for her role and was nominated for several awards. She also became an executive producer for the show. From 2013 to 2015, Gillian played Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on the show Hannibal. In 2014, she starred in the British science fiction film Robot Overlords. She also appeared in the drama Sold, playing Sophia.

Gillian Anderson at Fan Expo Dallas in 2015.

In July 2014, Gillian received great reviews for her stage performance as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire. She won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress. The show sold out very quickly. It was broadcast live to many theaters in September 2014. In February 2015, Gillian directed and starred in a short film prequel to A Streetcar Named Desire called The Departure.

In October 2014, Gillian published her first book, A Vision of Fire, with Jeff Rovin. It is the first book in The Earthend Saga trilogy. The second book, A Dream of Ice, came out in December 2015. In January 2016, Gillian played Anna Pavlovna Scherer in the BBC show War & Peace. That same month, she returned as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the tenth season of The X-Files. Gillian has always spoken out about getting equal pay for her role on The X-Files.

From April to June 2016, Gillian played Blanche DuBois again in A Streetcar Named Desire in New York City. In September 2016, she and Jeff Rovin published The Sound of Seas, the final book in their trilogy. She also returned as DSU Stella Gibson in the third series of The Fall. Gillian is the narrator for the English version of Ronja the Robber's Daughter, an anime from Studio Ghibli. In February 2017, Gillian played Edwina Mountbatten in the film Viceroy's House.

Gillian Anderson at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017.

In March 2017, Gillian and journalist Jennifer Nadel published their self-help book for women, WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere. In April 2017, she played the goddess Media in the first season of American Gods. In October 2017, Gillian appeared in Crooked House, a film based on an Agatha Christie novel. In January 2018, she returned as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the eleventh season of The X-Files. She confirmed she would leave the show after this season.

From February to May 2019, Gillian played Margo Channing in the play All About Eve. She received her third Laurence Olivier Award nomination for this role. In September 2019, it was announced that she would play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of The Crown. Gillian received much praise for her role. She won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for playing Thatcher.

2020s: Recent Projects

In February 2021, Gillian started filming White Bird, which is set to be released in 2024. In November 2021, she voiced the cat in Robin Robin, a stop-motion Christmas film. Robin Robin was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. In December 2021, she played Joanna in season two of Hulu's The Great.

In February 2022, Gillian launched her audio show called What Do I Know?! In March 2022, she signed a deal with Netflix for her company, Fiddlehead Productions. In April 2022, she played Eleanor Roosevelt in the TV series The First Lady. In December 2022, Gillian starred in the film The Pale Blue Eye with Christian Bale.

In February 2023, Gillian announced her "Dear Gillian" project. She asked women to write letters to her about their stories, which she plans to turn into a book called "Want." In February 2023, Netflix announced Gillian was cast as Emily Maitlis in Scoop, a film about Prince Andrew's 2019 interview. The film was released in April 2024. In April 2023, Gillian launched G Spot Beverages, soft drinks with special ingredients. In May 2023, it was announced that Gillian would star in the film The Salt Path. In June 2023, Gillian joined the cast of Netflix's The Abandons, set for release in 2025.

In January 2024, Gillian joined the cast of Disney's Tron: Ares. In August 2024, she signed on to the adaptation of Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses. She also announced she would co-produce The Coast Road by Alan Murrin.

Personal Life

Family and Relationships

Gillian Anderson pregnant in 2008.

Gillian met Canadian art director Clyde Klotz while working on The X-Files. They married in Hawaii on January 1, 1994. Their daughter was born on September 25, 1994. The X-Files creator, Chris Carter, named an episode "Piper Maru" after their daughter. Gillian and Clyde divorced in 1997.

On December 29, 2004, Gillian married documentary filmmaker Julian Ozanne in Kenya. They separated in 2006 and divorced in 2007. Gillian then started dating British businessman Mark Griffiths in 2006. They had two sons, born in 2006 and 2008, before they separated in 2012.

Gillian lives with her three children in London, where she has been since 2002. She has been in a relationship with English screenwriter Peter Morgan since 2016, with a short break in 2020.

Hobbies and Interests

Because she grew up in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Gillian can easily switch between American and British accents. She adopted a Midwestern American accent after being teased for her British accent as a teenager. She has said that her "cells are American, but my soul is British."

Gillian loves collecting art. She bought her first piece of art with her first paycheck from The X-Files. She also enjoys architecture and interior design. She has expressed interest in trying different types of art projects in the future.

Gillian is a feminist. She believes in equal rights and opportunities for women. She has several tattoos that she says are about "peace of mind." She practices meditation every day.

Activism and Charity Work

Gillian has been very active in supporting many charities and social causes. In 2013, she became a patron of the Charles Dickens Statue Fund. She helped raise money for the first statue of Charles Dickens in the UK. In June 2016, she became a patron of the Temple Legal Centre in London. This group helps people with legal advice for free.

In June 2016, Gillian spoke out against Brexit. In January 2018, she received an award from City Lit, an adult education college. In 2020, she narrated a Christmas commercial in the UK that also raised money for charities. She chose The Felix Project, Southall Black Sisters, and Blueprint for All as her charities.

Helping Those with Neurofibromatosis

Gillian is a spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network. This group helps people with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves. Her brother Aaron had this condition and died from a brain tumor in 2011. Gillian often holds auctions to raise money for the Neurofibromatosis Network. In May 1996, she spoke to the United States Congress. She asked for more education and funding for research into neurofibromatosis. She also supports the Children with Tumours organization.

Supporting Youth in Africa

Gillian Anderson at a Buskaid charity event in London, 2004.

In 2008, Gillian co-founded South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes). This group helps young people in South Africa who are leaving children's homes. It gives them guidance to develop skills, continue their education, and find housing. This helps them become independent adults.

While filming The Last King of Scotland in 2005, Gillian started a project to raise money for the Alinyiikira Junior School in Uganda. She ran this project until 2011. Gillian is also on the board of directors for Artists for a New South Africa. She supports groups that work to help people with HIV in South Africa.

Advocating for Women's Rights

Gillian strongly supports various women's organizations. She has long supported the Feminist Majority Foundation. In 1996, she became their spokesperson. She helped with their "Million4Roe" campaign. She has also spoken out against gender inequality in Afghanistan.

Gillian supports reproductive rights. In 2001, she hosted a "Rock for Choice" concert to raise money. For International Women's Day 2014, she signed a letter to the UK Prime Minister. The letter asked for more support for women's rights in Afghanistan. She also supports Refuge, a UK charity that helps women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Championing Children's Rights

Gillian is a patron of Childreach International. This charity works to secure children's basic rights around the world. She has spoken about the problem of child trafficking. She supports their "Taught Not Trafficked" campaign. In 2015, Gillian became a patron of the International Literacy Centre (ILC). In 2016, she helped launch their Reading Recovery Read Aloud campaign. She also held an online charity auction for Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children's hospital in London. In July 2017, she received an award from UCL for her support of the Reading Recovery program.

Protecting Indigenous Rights

In 2010, Gillian joined a campaign to boycott diamonds from Botswana. This was to protest how the government treated the Kalahari San. Gillian supports Survival International, a charity that champions tribal peoples. In 2011, she narrated a short film about an uncontacted tribe in the Amazon. She hopes they can be left alone from loggers. In June 2011, Gillian became an ambassador for Survival International.

Caring for Animals and the Environment

In 2012, Gillian joined Greenpeace to support a law against deforestation in the Amazon. In 2013, she supported the Cheetah Conservation Fund. She made a short film to help prevent the extinction of cheetahs. In 2013, she joined the Fishlove campaign. This campaign fights against fishing practices that harm the marine ecosystem. In November 2015, Gillian became a supporter of Positive Luxury. This company helps consumers find brands that are committed to quality and sustainability.

Filmography

Film Roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1992	Turning, TheThe Turning	April Cavanaugh
1997	Chicago Cab	Southside Girl or Brenda
1998	The X-Files	Dana Scully
	Mighty, TheThe Mighty	Loretta Lee
	Playing by Heart	Meredith
1999	Princess Mononoke	Moro (voice)	English dub
2000	House of Mirth, TheThe House of Mirth	Lily Bart
2005	Mighty Celt, TheThe Mighty Celt	Kate Morrison
	Cock and Bull Story, AA Cock and Bull Story	Herself/Widow Wadman
2006	Last King of Scotland, TheThe Last King of Scotland	Sarah Merrit
2007	Straightheads	Alice Comfort
2008	X-Files: I Want to Believe, TheThe X-Files: I Want to Believe	Dana Scully
	How to Lose Friends & Alienate People	Eleanor Johnson
2009	Boogie Woogie	Jean Maclestone
2011	Johnny English Reborn	Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton
2012	Sister	Kristin Jansen
	Shadow Dancer	Kate Fletcher
	Room on the Broom	Witch (voice)	Short film
2013	Mr. Morgan's Last Love	Karen Morgan
	From Up on Poppy Hill	Dr. Miki Hokuto (voice)	English dub
	I'll Follow You Down	Marika Whyte
2014	Sold	Sophia
	Robot Overlords	Kate Flynn
2017	Viceroy's House	Edwina Mountbatten
	Crooked House	Magda West
	2018	The Spy Who Dumped Me	Wendy
UFO		Professor Rebecca Hendricks
2019	The Sunlit Night	Olyana Gregoriov
2021	Robin Robin	The Cat (voice)	Short film
2022	The Pale Blue Eye	Mrs. Julia Marquis
2024	White Bird	Vivienne Beaumier
	Scoop	Emily Maitlis
	The Salt Path	Raynor Winn
2025	Tron: Ares	0TBA	Post-production

Television Roles

Video Games

Music Videos

Stage Performances

Radio and Voice Work

Radio Roles

Voice Narrations

• Narrated Anne Rice's novel Exit to Eden (1992).
• Narrated The X-Files: Ground Zero (1997).
• Narrated "The Guardian of the Pool: A Story from Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales" (2009).
• Narrated the story "Reversal" from David Eagleman's book Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives (2010).
• Narrated Charlotte Brontë's lost story "L'Ingratitude" for London Review of Books's podcast (2012).
• Narrated Roald Dahl's short story "The Last Act".
• Narrated the audiobooks of her novel trilogy The Earthend Saga: A Vision of Fire (2014), A Dream of Ice (2015) and The Sound of Seas (2016).
• One of the narrators of BBC Radio 4's series A History of Ideas (2015).
• Narrated Wilkie Collins' short story "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost" for Audible UK (2015).
• Co-narrator of the audiobook for her and Jennifer Nadel's book WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere (2017).
• Provided the voice of Dana Scully for The X-Files: Cold Cases and The X-Files: Stolen Lives audiobooks (2017).
• Provided the voice of Captain Rachel MacLaren for Squadron 42.

Awards and Recognition

Gillian Anderson and Bill Nighy at Jo Cox's birthday memorial in London, June 2016.

In 2009, Gillian was named one of the 20 most powerful women in British theatre. She was called "The Honorary Brit" by Harper's Bazaar. In 2010, she was named Honorary Associate of The London Film School.

In 2013, Gillian received a City Lit Lifetime Fellowship Award. This was to recognize her support for adult education.

In 2016, Gillian was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). This honor was for her contributions to drama. In 2018, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In 2021, Gillian won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. This was for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.

Images for kids

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  Gillian Anderson's signature.

See also

In Spanish: Gillian Anderson para niños