Celebrity Nooz: Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson (Actress) - The X-Files

Updated: 10/4/12

Name: Gillian Anderson

Born: August 9, 1968, Chicago, Illinois

Claim To Fame: She is best known as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files.

Family Life: She was married to Clyde Klotz, The X-Files series assistant art director, from 1994 until they divorced in 1997. They have a daughter, Piper, together. She married Julian Ozanne, a documentary filmmaker, in 2004, but they divorced in 2006. She was in a relationship with Mark Griffiths from 2006-2012. They have two sons together: Oscar (born November 1, 2006) and Felix (born October 15, 2008).

Info: Anderson's acting career began in New York when she appeared in Alan Ayckbourn's play Absent Friends at the Manhattan Theatre Club, and she won the 1990?91 Theatre World "Newcomer" Award for her role. She next appeared in Christopher Hampton's The Philanthropist at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut.

At the age of 24, Anderson auditioned for the X Files, and was eventually cast as Special Agent Dana Scully. The popular series ended up running for nine seasons, and included two films, released in 1998 and 2008. Anderson won several awards for her portrayal of Special Agent Scully, including an Emmy Award,[15] Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards for "Best Actress in a Drama Series."

When The X-Files ended, Anderson focused on stage productions and various film projects. She has also done narrative work for documentaries on scientific topics.

Trivia: Was voted the "Sexiest Woman in the World" for FHM's 100 Sexiest Women poll in 1996.

Was chosen by People magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1997.

Attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago (formerly the Goodman School of Drama), where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990.

Is of English and Irish descent.

Attended Fountain Elementary and then City High-Middle School, a program for gifted students with a strong emphasis on the humanities; she graduated in 1986.

With her English accent and background, Anderson was mocked and felt out of place in the American Midwest and soon adopted a Midwest accent.

Hosted Masterpiece Theatre during the Jane Austen series.

Was voted "Most Likely to be Arrested" by her classmates in high school, and was, in fact, arrested on graduation night for trying to glue the locks shut at her high school.

Her younger brother died of a brain tumor in 2011 at the age of 30.

Is an avid art collector. Her collection includes work from such artists as Diane Arbus, Francesco Clemente and Kiki Smith.

Spent her first paycheck from "The X-Files" (1993) on art.

Is an active member of PETA.

Where Are They Now: From May 14, 2009 until July 18, 2009, Anderson portrayed Nora in Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Donmar Warehouse in London's West End. She was nominated for Best Actress in the Lawrence Olivier Awards 2010. In April 2011 she starred in the BBC adaptation The Crimson Petal and the White as Mrs. Castaway.

She appears as the head of MI7 Pamela Thornton in Johnny English Reborn, which opened internationally in Australia on September 15, 2011. She also portrayed Miss Havisham in a three-part BBC adaptation of Great Expectations that aired in late December 2011.

Anderson is the honorary spokesperson of NF, Inc. and is also a patron of the UK-based Neurofibromatosis Association. She is a member of the board of directors for Artists for a New South Africa and a campaigner for ACTSA: Action for Southern Africa. She is a supporter of tribal rights charity Survival International, which led to her performance in a London stage fundraiser in early 2010. In June 2011, Anderson became an ambassador for Survival.

Write To Gillian Anderson:
Gillian Anderson
c/o SFM
1122 S. Robertson Blvd., Suite 15
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Official Website: http://www.gilliananderson.ws/

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