Gillian Anderson is an American actress, she has several dozen roles in films, TV shows and on the stage. However, she gained worldwide fame thanks to the science fiction television project "The X-Files", which lasted a record 11 seasons. For her role as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, she received the prestigious Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
Biography: childhood and early career
Gillian Lee Anderson recently celebrated her fiftieth birthday, she was born on August 9, 1968 in Chicago. The future actress was born into a wealthy family. Her father owned a video editing and production company for motion pictures. Mom worked in the field of computer analytics. Due to the work of the head of the family, the Andersons often moved. They lived in Puerto Rico for a year and a half, Gillian spent her childhood in London, and at the age of eleven she returned to the United States. The family settled in the city of Grand Rapids, a large town in Michigan. Young Miss Anderson was a capable student, more attracted to the humanities.
For a long time, Gillian remained the only child in the family, so she took the birth of her younger brother and sister extremely painfully. Like many teenagers, her resentment against her parents resulted in experiments with her appearance. The girl became interested in piercing, dyed her hair in unimaginable colors, tried drugs. Classmates laughed at her rebellious behavior, gave offensive nicknames and predicted Gillian problems with the law. A couple of times she actually ended up in the police for petty hooliganism and attempted shoplifting.
In addition to punk culture, Anderson was fond of theater since school. Classes in a theatrical circle completely changed her views on her future profession. And if earlier she wanted to study marine biology, then starting to play on stage, she firmly decided to become an actress. Gillian improved her skills at the Civic Theater of the city of Grand Rapids. After graduating from high school in 1986, she attended the private de Paul University in Chicago, where she attended the Goodman School of Drama, the oldest institution in the Midwest. Parents did not want to accept the choice of their daughter, which is why Gillian even left home when she was a schoolgirl. However, stubbornness and firmness of character helped her on the way to her cherished goal. In 1990, Anderson received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and set off to conquer the world of theater and cinema.
Creativity: a career in theater and cinema
After receiving an acting education, yesterday's graduate moved to New York. While waiting for the roles, she worked as a waitress. Finally, she was invited to the theatrical production "Absent Friends". Gillian's game did not go unnoticed, in 1991 she was awarded the Theater World Awards. Then there was a role in the play "Philanthropist" based on the play by Christopher Hampton, for which she left for Connecticut.
In 1992, Anderson's acting ambition took him to Los Angeles. She actively attended auditions and screen tests until she got a role in the film "Reincarnation". Alas, the debut turned out to be unsuccessful: the film failed at the box office. For about a year, Gillian was out of work, waiting in vain for interesting offers. Then she took the initiative into her own hands, again going to the auditions. In 1993, the actress starred in the series "Class 96" for the new Fox television channel.
At the same time, Fox was preparing to shoot a pilot episode of the X-Files project. The creator of the series, Chris Carter, was looking for actors for the main roles. Gillian Anderson also received an invitation to audition. She liked the role, and the actress herself managed to impress director Carter. Although the producers convinced him that the role of Dana Scully should be played by a sexy beauty with a magnificent bust, Chris opted for Gillian. He managed to win her candidacy in front of television bosses.
The X-Files series turned Anderson from a little-known actress to a superstar. During the filming process, she worked 16 hours a day. Even with a newborn daughter I stayed at home for only 10 days. This dedication came at a cost to Gillian. She recalled how she unsuccessfully fought panic attacks when she left the baby in the trailer while she ran into the frame. Then the actress came to her senses for a long time with the help of a psychotherapist.
With David Duchovny on The X-Files
Despite all the difficulties, Anderson was a permanent participant in two hundred episodes of the series "The X-Files". At the start of the project, the shooting took place in Vancouver, from the sixth season - in Los Angeles. In several episodes, she acted as a director and screenwriter. For the role of Agent Scully, Gillian, as the best actress in a series, received many awards at the most famous awards:
- Screen Actors Guild Award (1996, 1997);
- Emmy Television Award (1997);
- Golden Globe Award (1997);
- Saturn Prize (1997).
In addition, based on the series, two feature films were released in 1998 and 2008: The X-Files: Fight for the Future and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, respectively.
Dana Scully's resounding success allowed Gillian to develop her acting career with ease. In the early 2000s, she returned to work in the theater and for this she moved to London. She was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Theater Award for her role as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014).
In addition to "The X-Files", Gillian Anderson has about 50 roles in films and TV shows. The most famous projects in which the actress participated:
- the film "House of Joy" (2000);
- the film "The Mighty Celt" (2005);
- the series Bleak House (2005);
- the film "The Last King of Scotland" (2006);
- the series "Collapse" (2013-2016);
- the series "Hannibal" (2013);
- TV series "War and Peace" (2016).
The actress takes part in the dubbing of animated films, she especially likes cartoons in the anime genre. Also in 2015, she hosted the program "History of Ideas" on BBC radio. Her voice can be heard in computer games and audiobooks dedicated to the series "The X-Files".
Personal life
Gillian Anderson was married twice, but both of her marriages ended in divorce. She met her first husband, designer Clyde Klotz, on the set of The X-Files in Canada. The wedding took place on January 1, 1994, and nine months later, on September 25, 1994, the couple had a daughter, Piper Maru. The X-Files director Chris Carter became the girl's godfather. In 1997, the marriage with Klotz broke up.
In December 2004, Gillian Anderson married documentary filmmaker Julian Ozane, but divorced just 16 months later. The reason was the actress's betrayal with businessman Mark Griffiths, from whom she even managed to get pregnant. In this union, Anderson gave birth to sons Oscar (2006) and Felix (2008). In 2012, the lovers broke up.
Gillian Anderson and Mark Griffiths
In 2016, journalists wrote about the novel of the actress and British writer Peter Morgan. For the sake of a new passion, the man destroyed a long-term marriage in which five children were born.
Gillian Anderson does not remain aloof from public life. She is a supporter of the animal welfare organization PETA and supports Greenpeace. The actress also takes an active part in the activities of the fund to combat neurofibromatosis, from which her brother died in 2011.
