Gillian Leigh Anderson OBE is an American actress, writer, and activist. She is best known for her roles as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the sci-fi series The X-Files (1993–2002; 2016–2018), Lily Bart in the drama film The House of Mirth (2000), DSI Stella Gibson in the BBC/RTÉ crime drama series The Fall (2013–2016), Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023), and Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the Netflix drama series The Crown (2020). She has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Born in Chicago, Anderson was raised first in London and then in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She later started her career onstage in New York City before achieving international recognition for her work on The X-Files. Her film work includes the dramas The Mighty Celt (2005), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Shadow Dancer (2012), and Viceroy's House (2017), as well as the X-Filesfilms Fight the Future (1998) and I Want to Believe (2008). Her television credits include Lady Dedlock in Bleak House (2005), Wallis Simpson in Any Human Heart (2010), Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (2011), Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on Hannibal (2013–2015), Media in the first season of American Gods (2017), and Eleanor Roosevelt on The First Lady (2022).
Anderson has also received awards and acclaim for her stage work, which includes Absent Friends (1991), for which she won a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer; A Doll's House (2009), for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress; Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014 and 2016), for which she won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress and received a second Laurence Olivier Award nomination; and All About Eve (2019), for which she received a third Laurence Olivier Award nomination.
Anderson has supported numerous charities and humanitarian organizations, being an honorary spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network and a co-founder of South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes). She has lived in London since 2002 and was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for her services to drama.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Gillian Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
TRON: Ares
2025
The Salt Path
Raynor Winn
2025
Woolf Works
2024
Scoop
Emily Maitlis
2024
White Bird
Vivienne Beaumier
2023
The Pale Blue Eye
Julia Marquis
2022
Robin Robin
Cat (voice)
2021
Letters Live from the Archive: International Women’s Day
Self
2021
The Sunlit Night
Olyana
2020
This Changes Everything
Self
2019
National Theatre Live: All About Eve
Margo Channing
2019
UFO
Dr. Hendricks
2018
The Spy Who Dumped Me
Wendy
2018
Crooked House
Magda Leonides
2017
The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism
Narrator
2017
Heroes Manufactured
Self (archive footage)
2017
Viceroy's House
Edwina Mountbatten
2017
Woolf Works
Voiceover from a letter by Virginia Woolf (voice)
2017
Sold
Sophia
2016
Getting the Old Scent Again: Reimagining Red Dragon
Self
2015
The Widowmaker
Narrator
2015
Robot Overlords
Kate
2014
The Departure
Blanche DuBois
2014
National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire
Blanche DuBois
2014
Mr. Morgan's Last Love
Karen Morgan
2013
I'll Follow You Down
Marika Whyte
2013
Room on the Broom
Witch (voice)
2012
FOX 25th Anniversary Special
Self
2012
Sister
Kristin Jansen
2012
Shadow Dancer
Kate Fletcher
2012
Johnny English Reborn
Pamela
2011
No Pressure
Self
2010
Boogie Woogie
Jean Maclestone
2009
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Eleanor Johnson
2008
The X Files: I Want to Believe
Dana Scully
2008
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind
Queen Vorkana (voice)
2007
Straightheads
Alice
2007
The Last King of Scotland
Sarah Merrit
2006
A Cock and Bull Story
Widow Wadman / Gillian Anderson
2005
The Mighty Celt
Kate
2005
Richard Rodgers: Some Enchanted Evening
Self - Performer
2002
The House of Mirth
Lily Bart
2000
Playing by Heart
Meredith
1998
Chicago Cab
Southside Girl
1998
The X-Files
Agent Dana Scully
1998
The Mighty
Loretta Lee
1998
Akte X Intern - Was Sie schon immer wissen wollten
Dana Scully / Self
1998
Inside The X-Files
Self
1998
The Turning
April Cavanaugh
1992
A Matter of Choice
Woman
1988
Three at Once
Woman 1
1986
Animals
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
The First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt · (10 episodes)
2022
The Savoy
Self · (1 episode)
2020
Sex Education
Jean Milburn · (32 episodes)
2019
American Gods
Media · (2 episodes)
2017
American Gods
Goddess Media · (8 episodes)
2017
The Crown
Margaret Thatcher · (10 episodes)
2016
War and Peace
Anna Pavlovna Scherer · (6 episodes)
2016
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (1 episode)
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · (1 episode)
2014
Ronja the Robber's Daughter
Narrator · (26 episodes)
2014
Crisis
Meg Fitch · (13 episodes)
2014
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self · (1 episode)
2014
The Fall
Stella Gibson · (17 episodes)
2013
Hannibal
Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier · (21 episodes)
2013
Great Expectations
Miss Havisham · (3 episodes)
2011
Moby Dick
Elizabeth · (4 episodes)
2011
The Crimson Petal and the White
Mrs. Castaway · (4 episodes)
2011
Any Human Heart
Duchess Of Windsor · (4 episodes)
2010
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2009
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (1 episode)
2007
Bleak House
Lady Dedlock · (15 episodes)
2005
Parkinson
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2004
Celebrities Uncensored
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2003
Top Gear
Self · (1 episode)
2002
American Idol
Self · (1 episode)
2002
V Graham Norton
Self · (1 episode)
2002
Richard & Judy
Self · (1 episode)
2001
Harsh Realm
Video Narrator (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1999
The Magic Hour
Self · (1 episode)
1998
Parkinson
Self · (1 episode)
1998
Future Fantastic
Self - Host · (9 episodes)
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1996
ReBoot
Data Nully (voice) · (1 episode)
1994
Frasier
Jenny (voice) · (1 episode)
1993
The X-Files
Dana Scully · (218 episodes)
1993
Class of '96
Rachel · (1 episode)
1993
Eek! The Cat
Dana Scully (voice) · (1 episode)
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1992
The Simpsons
Dana Scully (voice) · (1 episode)
1989
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Winner · (1 episode)
1944
The Abandons
Constance Van Ness · (1 episode)
Trespasses
Gina · (1 episode)
This Morning
Self · (1 episode)
1988
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee · (2 episodes)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee/Presenter · (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member · (1 episode)
1944