Gillian Anderson
Biography
Gillian Anderson is an American actress who became internationally known as FBI agent Dana Scully in The X-Files, a role that brought her an Emmy, a Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Born in Chicago and raised in London and Michigan, she trained at DePaul University's Theatre School and began on stage, winning a Theatre World Award for Absent Friends. She returned to the part for The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008), and later played Stella Gibson in The Fall, Jean Milburn in Sex Education and Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. Her films include The House of Mirth (2000), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Shadow Dancer (2012) and Viceroy's House (2017). Her stage work brought Olivier Award nominations for A Doll's House and All About Eve, and an Evening Standard Theatre Award for A Streetcar Named Desire. She was appointed an honorary OBE in 2016.
58years old
Turns 59 on August 9in 299 days
- Born Chicago
- Star sign: LeoThe sign runs July 23 to August 22
- Gillian Leigh Anderson (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 32
- Career span
- 29 years1997 to 2026
Genres
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A first
Anderson became the first actress to win a SAG Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy in the same year.
A first
Anderson wrote and directed an episode of The X-Files called "all things", making her the first woman to do both jobs on the show.
First role
Anderson won a 1990-91 Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer for her first stage role, in Alan Ayckbourn's Absent Friends at the Manhattan Theatre Club.
Early training
Anderson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990 from The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, and she also took part in the National Theatre of Great Britain's summer program at Cornell University.
A first
Anderson was the first woman to host Masterpiece Theatre since the series began in 1971, doing so in 2008 during its Jane Austen series.
Gillian Anderson movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
David Duchovny's page
Simon McBurney's page
Jeff Bridges's page
Sharon Stone's page
Danny Huston's page
Amanda Peet's page
Also two films together7 more actors
- Kerry WashingtonAnimals (2026) and The Last King of Scotland (2006)
- Rufus SewellScoop (2024) and I'll Follow You Down (2013)
- Gena RowlandsPlaying by Heart (1998) and The Mighty (1998)
- Mitch PileggiThe X Files: I Want to Believe (2008) and The X Files (1998)
- April GracePlaying by Heart (1998) and Chicago Cab (1997)
- Alex SharpThe Sunlit Night (2019) and UFO (2018)
- Hasan MinhajTRON: Ares (2025) and The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Gillian Anderson's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$906 million
20 of the 31 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 31 films: 20 worldwide figure; 2 us gross only; 3 never in cinemas; 6 figure not found.
- 20Worldwide figure
- 2US gross only
- 3Never in cinemas
- 6Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 93% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$189M20.9% of the total
- 2$177M19.5% of the total
- 3$160M17.7% of the total
- 4$142M15.7% of the total
- 5$69M7.7% of the total
- 6$49M5.4% of the total
- 7$34M3.7% of the total
- 8$22M2.4% of the total
$65.2 millionfrom the other 12 films with a worldwide figure, 7% of the total
Awards
Ten awards and honors from 1991 to 2018, four of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | |||
| 1996 | Best Actress – Television Series Drama | The X-Files | Won |
| Emmy Awards | |||
| 1997 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series | The X-Files | Won |
| SAG Awards | |||
| 1997 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The X-Files | Won |
| 1996 | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series | The X-Files | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| 2018 | Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | |
| 2016 | Officer of the Order of the British Empire | Won | |
| 2000 | British Independent Film Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a British Independent Film | The House of Mirth | Won |
| 1997 | Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television | The X-Files | Won |
| 1991 | Theatre World Award | Won | |
| Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.