Gillian Anderson facts for kids

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

Gillian Leigh Anderson (born August 9, 1968) is a famous American actress. She is well-known for many roles, including FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the TV series The X-Files. She also played Lily Bart in the film The House of Mirth (2000).

Other important roles include DSU Stella Gibson in the crime drama The Fall, and Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama ... Education. She also played British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. Gillian has won many awards, like two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. She has lived in London since 2002.

Early Life and Education

Gillian Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother, Rosemary, was a computer analyst, and her father, Homer, owned a film company. Soon after she was born, her family moved to Puerto Rico for a short time, then to London, UK. They lived in north London while her father studied at the London Film School.

When Gillian was 11, her family moved back to the United States, settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She attended Fountain Elementary and City High-Middle School, which was a special program for gifted students. Even after moving, her family kept a flat in London and spent summers there. Gillian always planned to return to England.

During her teenage years in Grand Rapids, Gillian became interested in acting. She started performing in high school plays and later in local community theater. She also worked as an intern at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts. After finishing high school in 1986, she went to The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago. She earned her degree in 1990. To support herself during college, she worked at a brewpub in Chicago.

Gillian is the oldest of three children. Her brother, Aaron, passed away in 2011 at age 30 from a brain tumor. Her sister, Zoe, is an artist who works with ceramics. Gillian can easily switch between American and English accents. She has said that London feels like home to her.

Becoming an Actress

After college, Gillian moved to New York City when she was 22. She worked as a waitress while starting her acting career. Her first play was Absent Friends in New York, for which she won an award for "Best Newcomer."

In 1992, Gillian moved to Los Angeles. She appeared in her first movie, The Turning. Even though she once said she would never do TV, being out of work for a year changed her mind. She made a guest appearance on the TV show Class of '96 in 1993.

The X-Files and Early Success

This guest role led her to audition for The X-Files. Gillian was 24 and liked that the script featured a "strong, independent, intelligent woman." The show's creator, Chris Carter, wanted to hire her. Even though the network wanted someone more experienced, Carter insisted on Gillian, and she was cast as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully.

Anderson at the stage door for the play The Sweetest Swing in Baseball at the Royal Court Theatre, 2004

The X-Files became a huge hit and ran for nine seasons. Two movies based on the show were also made in 1998 and 2008. During her time on The X-Files, Gillian won many awards for playing Scully. These included an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She was the first actress to win all three of these awards in the same year.

Gillian was also the first woman to write and direct an episode of The X-Files. Her character, Dana Scully, inspired many young women to study science, medicine, and law enforcement. This is known as "The Scully Effect" and is still studied today.

In the late 1990s, Gillian also worked on other projects. She narrated documentaries and provided her voice for a cartoon version of Scully in The Simpsons. She also appeared in films like Chicago Cab (1997) and Playing by Heart (1998). She voiced the character Moro in the English version of the animated film Princess Mononoke (1999).

Major Roles and Stage Work

Anderson at the 2008 WonderCon

In 2000, Gillian starred in the film The House of Mirth. She received great reviews and won awards for her performance. After The X-Files ended in 2002, she moved back to London to focus on stage acting. She made her West End debut in the play What The Night Is For.

In 2005, she played Lady Dedlock in the BBC TV show Bleak House, based on Charles Dickens' novel. She won an award for Best International Actress for her role in the Irish film The Mighty Celt. She also appeared in the film A Cock and Bull Story.

Gillian continued to appear in films like The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Straightheads (2007). In 2008, she hosted Masterpiece Theatre and starred in the second X-Files movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. She also appeared in the comedy film How to Lose Friends & Alienate People.

Continued Success in TV and Film

In 2009, Gillian played Nora in the play A Doll's House in London, earning a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award. In 2010, she played Wallis Simpson in the TV adaptation Any Human Heart, which earned her another award nomination.

She appeared in several TV miniseries in 2011, including The Crimson Petal and the White, Moby Dick, and Great Expectations, where she played Miss Havisham. She also appeared in the British comedy film Johnny English Reborn.

Anderson at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International

From 2013 to 2016, Gillian starred as DSI Stella Gibson in the crime drama The Fall, which was highly praised. She also became an executive producer for the show. From 2013 to 2015, she played Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier in the series Hannibal.

In 2014, Gillian received great praise for her stage performance as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire in London. She won an award for Best Actress and received another Laurence Olivier Award nomination. The show was so popular that it became the fastest-selling in the theater's history.

Gillian also started writing books. In 2014, she published her first novel, A Vision of Fire, which was the first book in The Earthend Saga trilogy. The second book, A Dream of Ice, came out in 2015, and the third, The Sound of Seas, in 2016.

In 2016, she returned as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully for the tenth season of The X-Files. She has always spoken out about fighting for equal pay with her male co-star on The X-Files.

Anderson at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival

In 2017, Gillian played Edwina Mountbatten in the film Viceroy's House. She also played the goddess Media in the first season of American Gods. In 2017, she co-authored a self-help book for women called WE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere.

In 2018, she returned for the eleventh season of The X-Files. She also appeared in the film Crooked House. In January 2019, she began playing Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama ... Education, a role she continued until 2023.

From February to May 2019, Gillian played Margo Channing in the stage production of All About Eve, earning her third Laurence Olivier Award nomination. In September 2019, it was announced that she would play former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of The Crown, which was released in 2020.

Recent Work (2020s)

In February 2021, Gillian started filming White Bird, which was released in October 2024. In November 2021, she voiced the cat in Robin Robin, a stop-motion Christmas film 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 What Do I Know?! which explores social challenges and stories of women. In April 2022, she played Eleanor Roosevelt in the TV series The First Lady. In December 2022, she starred in the film The Pale Blue Eye alongside Christian Bale.

In February 2023, Gillian announced her "Dear Gillian" project, asking women to write letters about their stories for a book called "Want," which was released in September 2024. In April 2024, the film Scoop, where she played Emily Maitlis, was released. In April 2023, Gillian launched G Spot Beverages, a line of soft drinks. In May 2023, it was announced that Gillian would star in the film adaptation of The Salt Path, which was directed by Marianne Elliott. 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. In October 2024, Gillian announced she would be co-producing the adaptation of The Coast Road.

Personal Life

Gillian enjoys collecting art and has works by famous artists. She also likes architecture and interior design. She is a strong supporter of women's rights. Gillian has several tattoos that she says are about "peace of mind." She practices meditation every day.

Gillian has three children. Her daughter, Piper Maru, was born in 1994. She also has two sons with her former partner, Mark Griffiths. Gillian lives with her children in London. She has been in a relationship with British screenwriter Peter Morgan since 2016.

Helping Others

Gillian Anderson is very active in supporting many charities and humanitarian groups. She is an honorary spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network. This organization helps people with neurofibromatosis, a condition that causes tumors to grow on nerves. Her brother Aaron had this condition and passed away from a brain tumor. Gillian has spoken to the United States Congress to ask for more funding for research into neurofibromatosis.

Supporting Youth in Africa

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. SAYes provides guidance to help them develop skills, continue their education, and find housing. This helps them become independent adults.

Gillian has also supported other groups in Africa, like Artists for a New South Africa. She helped raise money for a school in Uganda and supported a trust that helps young black musicians in South Africa.

Advocating for Women and Children

Gillian is a long-time supporter of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF), which works for women's rights. She also supports organizations that help women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Gillian is a patron of Childreach International, a charity that works to protect children's basic rights around the world. She also helps the International Literacy Centre, which works to improve reading skills for children.

Environmental and Indigenous Rights

Gillian supports environmental causes. In 2012, she joined Greenpeace to support a law to prevent deforestation in the Amazon. She also supports the Cheetah Conservation Fund and campaigns against unsustainable fishing practices.

She is an ambassador for Survival International, a charity that champions tribal peoples around the world. She has narrated films about uncontacted tribes and advocates for their right to be left alone.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1986	Three at Once	Woman 1	Short film
1988	Matter of Choice, AA Matter of Choice	Young pregnant woman	Short film
1992	Turning, TheThe Turning	April Cavanaugh
1997	Chicago Cab	Southside Girl or Brenda
1998	The X-Files	FBI Special Agent Dana Scully
	Mighty, TheThe Mighty	Loretta Lee
	Playing by Heart	Meredith
1999	Princess Mononoke	Moro (voice)	English dubbing
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
2010	No Pressure	Herself	Short film
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 dubbing
	I'll Follow You Down	Marika Whyte
2014	Sold	Sophia
	Robot Overlords	Kate Flynn
	The Departure	Blanche DuBois	Short film; also director
2017	Viceroy's House	Edwina Mountbatten
	The Artist's Garden: American Impressionism	Narrator (voice)	Documentary
	Crooked House	Magda West
2018	The Spy Who Dumped Me	Wendy
	UFO	Professor Rebecca Hendricks
	This Changes Everything	Herself	Documentary
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	Elisabeth Dillinger	Post-production
TBA	Animals
	Teenage ... and Death at Camp Miasma

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	Class of '96	Rachel	Episode: "The Accused"
1993–2002; 2016–2018	The X-Files	FBI Special Agent Dana Scully	213 episodes Also writer and director of "all things"
1995	Eek! the Cat	Agent Scully (voice)	Episode: "Eek Space 9"
1996	ReBoot	Data Nully (voice)	Episode: "Trust No One"
	Why Planes Go Down	Narrator (voice)	Documentary
	Spies Above	Narrator (voice)	Documentary
	Future Fantastic	Narrator (voice)	9 episodes
1996–2002	Hollywood Squares	Herself	5 episodes
1997	The Simpsons	Agent Scully (voice)	Episode: "The Springfield Files"
1999	Frasier	Jenny (voice)	Episode: "Dr. Nora"
	Harsh Realm	Narrator (voice)	Uncredited Episode: "Pilot"
2005	Bleak House	Lady Honoria Dedlock	14 episodes
2007	Robbie the Reindeer	Queen Vorkana (voice)	Episode: "Close Encounters of the Herd Kind"
2008	Masterpiece	Herself	Episode: "Sense and Sensibility"
2010	Any Human Heart	Wallis, Duchess of Windsor	3 episodes
2011	The Crimson Petal and the White	Mrs. Castaway	2 episodes
	Moby Dick	Elizabeth	2 episodes
	Great Expectations	Miss Havisham	3 episodes
2013–2016	The Fall	DSU Stella Gibson	17 episodes; also executive producer
2013–2015	Hannibal	Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier	15 episodes
2014	Crisis	Meg Fitch	10 episodes
	Robot Chicken	Fairy Godmother/Fiona (voice)	Episode: "Up, Up, and Buffet"
	National Theatre Live	Blanche DuBois	Episode: "A Streetcar Named Desire"
2015	The Widowmaker	Narrator	Voice Documentary
2016	War & Peace	Anna Pavlovna Scherer	4 episodes
2017	Ronja, the Robber's Daughter	Narrator (voice)	26 episodes
	American Gods	Media	4 episodes
2019–2023	... Education	Jean Milburn	Main Role, 24 episodes
2020	The Crown	Margaret Thatcher	6 episodes
2021	The Great	Johanna
2022	The First Lady	Eleanor Roosevelt
2025	Trespasses	Gina	Miniseries
TBA	The Abandons	Constance Van Ness	Main Role

Video games

Music videos

Stage

Radio

Voice work (selected)

• Narrator of Anne Rice's novel Exit to Eden (1992).
• Narrator of The X-Files: Ground Zero (1997).
• Narrator of "The Guardian of the Pool: A Story from Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales" (2009).
• Narrated the story "Reversal" from David Eagleman's speculative fiction 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 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 ongoing series A History of Ideas (2015).
• Narrated Wilkie Collins' short story "Mrs. Zant and the Ghost" for Audible UK's Christmas Car Selection (2015).
• Co-narrator of the audiobook for her and Nadel's self-empowerment 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).

Discography

• Hal featuring Gillian Anderson – Extremis EP (1997), Virgin Records. Chart positions: UK #23, Scotland #19.

Awards and Honors

In 2009, Gillian was named one of the 20 most powerful women in British theater. In 2010, she was named an Honorary Associate of The London Film School (LFS).

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

See also

In Spanish: Gillian Anderson para niños