Gillian AndersonActor Evolution · YouTube
Gillian Anderson
Actress · TV star
Known for
International breakthrough as Dana Scully in The X-Files (1993-2018), one of the most iconic female characters in television science fiction, winning the Emmy and Golden Globe. Portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (2020) earning Emmy and Golden Globe wins, and a therapist in Netflix's Sex Education (2019-2023). Starred in The Fall (2013-2016) and Hannibal (2013-2015). American-British actress with an international career spanning science fiction, prestige drama and auteur cinema, a benchmark for the complex female character in contemporary television.
Gillian Anderson
Actress · TV star
Known for
International breakthrough as Dana Scully in The X-Files (1993-2018), one of the most iconic female characters in television science fiction, winning the Emmy and Golden Globe. Portrayed Margaret Thatcher in The Crown (2020) earning Emmy and Golden Globe wins, and a therapist in Netflix's Sex Education (2019-2023). Starred in The Fall (2013-2016) and Hannibal (2013-2015). American-British actress with an international career spanning science fiction, prestige drama and auteur cinema, a benchmark for the complex female character in contemporary television.
Movies 44 titles
Plays Dayle Burton
Animals
2026
Plays Billy
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
2026
Plays Elisabeth Dillinger
TRON: Ares
2025
Plays Pamela
Johnny English Reborn
2011
Plays Kate Fletcher
Shadow Dancer
2012
Plays Emily Maitlis
Scoop
2024
Plays Sarah Merrit
The Last King of Scotland
2006
Plays Wendy
The Spy Who Dumped Me
2018
Plays Vivienne Beaumier
White Bird
2023
Plays Julia Marquis
The Pale Blue Eye
2022
Plays Eleanor Johnson
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
2008
Plays Dana Scully
The X-Files
1998
Plays Dana Scully
The X-Files: I Want to Believe
2008
Plays Alice
Straightheads
2007
Plays Magda Leonides
Crooked House
2017
Plays Lily Bart
The House of Mirth
2000
Plays Edwina Mountbatten
Viceroy's House
2017
Plays Widow Wadman / Gillian Anderson
A Cock and Bull Story
2005
Plays Kate
Robot Overlords
2015
Plays Marika Whyte
I'll Follow You Down
2013
Plays Raynor Winn
The Salt Path
2025
Plays Loretta Lee
The Mighty
1998
Plays Dr. Hendricks
UFO
2018
Plays Meredith
Playing by Heart
1998
Plays Karen Morgan
Mr. Morgan's Last Love
2013
Plays Kristin Jansen
Sister
2012
Plays Cat (voice)
Robin Robin
2021
Plays Jean Maclestone
Boogie Woogie
2010
Plays Margo Channing
National Theatre Live: All About Eve
2019
Plays Olyana
The Sunlit Night
2020
Plays Southside Girl
Chicago Cab
1998
Plays Sophia
Sold
2016
Plays Blanche DuBois
National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire
2014
Plays April Cavanaugh
The Turning
1992
Plays Kate
The Mighty Celt
2005
Director
Plays Blanche DuBois
The Departure
2014
Plays Woman 1
Three at Once
1986
TV Shows 21 titles
Director
Plays Dana Scully
The X-Files
1993
Plays Jean Milburn
Sex Education
2019
Plays Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier
Hannibal
2013
Plays Stella Gibson
The Fall
2013
Plays Lady Dedlock
Bleak House
2005
Plays Meg Fitch
Crisis
2014
Plays Margaret Thatcher
The Crown
2016
Plays Eleanor Roosevelt
The First Lady
2022
Plays Constance Van Ness
The Abandons
2025
Plays Anna Pavlovna Scherer
War and Peace
2016
Plays Mrs. Castaway
The Crimson Petal and the White
2011
Producer
Plays Gina Lavery
Trespasses
2025
Plays Duchess Of Windsor
Any Human Heart
2010
Plays Elizabeth
Moby Dick
2011
Plays Miss Havisham
Great Expectations
2011
Plays Media
American Gods
2017
Plays Rachel
Class of '96
1993
Plays Dana Scully (voice)
The Simpsons
1989
Plays Data Nully (voice)
ReBoot
1994
Plays Jenny (voice)
Frasier
1993
Plays Dana Scully (voice)
Eek! The Cat
1992
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Animals
Full Filmography 65
Animals
Dayle Burton
2026
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Billy
2026
Trespasses
Gina Lavery · 4 episodes
2025
The Abandons
Constance Van Ness · 7 episodes
2025
TRON: Ares
Elisabeth Dillinger
2025
The Salt Path
Raynor Winn
2025
Scoop
Emily Maitlis
2024
White Bird
Vivienne Beaumier
2023
The First Lady
Eleanor Roosevelt · 10 episodes
2022
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Gillian Anderson and where are they from?
Gillian Anderson is 58 years old, born on August 9, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
What are the most famous roles of Gillian Anderson?
Gillian Anderson is best known for roles in Johnny English Reborn, The Last King of Scotland, The Spy Who Dumped Me.
How many movies has Gillian Anderson been in?
Over a 40-year career (since 1986), Gillian Anderson has appeared in 39 movies and 21 TV shows.
What was Gillian Anderson's first movie?
The career of Gillian Anderson began with Three at Once (1986).
What is Gillian Anderson's most recent movie or series?
Gillian Anderson's most recent release is Animals, which premiered on October 9, 2026.
What TV shows has Gillian Anderson appeared in?
On television, Gillian Anderson has appeared in The Simpsons, Sex Education, The X-Files, Hannibal.
Gillian Anderson
1968-08-09 · Chicago, Illinois, USA
Gillian Leigh Anderson OBE (born August 9, 1968) 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-Files films 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.Gillian Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.