Gillian Anderson is an American actress, on her account of several dozens of roles in films, TV shows and on the stage. However, she gained world fame thanks to the science fiction television project "The X-Files", which lasted a record 11 seasons. For the role of the FBI special agent, Dana Scully was awarded the prestigious Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
Biography: childhood and early career
Gillian Lee Anderson recently celebrated her fiftieth anniversary; she was born on August 9, 1968 in Chicago. The future actress was born in a wealthy family. Her father owned a company engaged in the editing and processing of video materials for films. 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 community in Michigan. Young Miss Anderson was a capable student, gravitated more to the humanities.
For a long time, Gillian remained the only child in the family, so she extremely painfully took the birth of her younger brother and sister. Like many teenagers, her resentment towards her parents resulted in experiments with her appearance. The girl was 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 got into the police because of petty hooliganism and an attempted theft in a store.
In addition to punk culture, Anderson from school was fond of theater. Classes in the theater circle completely changed her views on the future profession. And if earlier she wanted to study marine biology, then starting to play on stage, she decided to become an actress. Gillian perfected her skills at the Grand Rapids Civil Theater. After graduating from school in 1986, she enrolled at the private de Paul University in Chicago, where she became a student at the Goodman School of Drama, the oldest educational institution in the Midwest. Parents did not want to accept their daughter's choice, which is why Gillian even left home when she was a schoolgirl. However, stubbornness and firmness of character helped her on her way to her cherished goal. In 1990, Anderson received a bachelor of fine arts diploma and set off to conquer the world of theater and cinema.
Creativity: career in theater and cinema
After receiving an acting education, yesterday's graduate moved to New York. In anticipation of roles, she worked as a waitress. Finally, she was invited to the theater production of Missing Friends. The game Gillian 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 of Christopher Hampton, for which she left for Connecticut.
In 1992, acting ambition led Anderson to Los Angeles. She actively attended castings and film screenings, until she got a role in the film "Transformation." Alas, the debut was unsuccessful: the film failed at the box office. Somewhere during the year, Gillian sat unemployed, waiting in vain for interesting offers. Then she took the initiative in her own hands, again going to the auditions. In 1993, the actress starred in the series "Class 96" for the new Fox channel.
At the same time, Fox was preparing for the filming of a pilot episode of the X-Files project. The creator of the series, Chris Carter, was looking for actors to star in. Gillian Anderson also received an invitation to sample. She liked the role, and the actress herself managed to impress the director Carter. Although the producers convinced him that in the role of Dana Scully, a sexy beauty with a lush bust should be removed, 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 into a superstar. During the filming process, she worked 16 hours a day. Even with her newborn daughter she stayed at home for only 10 days. Such dedication cost Gillian dearly. She recalled how she had unsuccessfully fought panic attacks when she left the baby in the trailer, while she herself ran into the frame. Then the actress recovered for a long time with the help of a psychotherapist.
Despite all the difficulties, Anderson was a constant 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 series, she acted as a director and screenwriter. For the role of agent Scully Gillian, as the best actress of the 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 in 1998 and 2008, two feature films were released: The X-Files: Fighting for the Future and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, respectively.
The great success of Dana Scully allowed Gillian to easily develop his acting career. In the early 2000s, she returned to work in the theater and for this moved to London. For her role as Blanche Dubois in the production of Desire Tram (2014), she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Theater Award.
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 movie “The Mighty Celt” (2005);
- the series "Cold House" (2005);
- the film “The Last King of Scotland” (2006);
- the series “Crash” (2013-2016);
- the series “Hannibal” (2013);
- TV series “War and Peace” (2016).
The actress takes part in the voicing of animated films, especially she likes cartoons in the anime genre. Also in 2015, she hosted the program “History of Ideas” on the Air Force radio. Her voice can be heard in computer games and audio books dedicated to the series The X-Files.
