Olivia Williams | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Williams in 2014 | |
| Born | Olivia Haigh Williams (1968-07-26)26 July 1968 (age 57) London, England |
| Alma mater | Newnham College, Cambridge Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is an English actress who appears in British and American films and television. Williams studied drama at theBristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at theRoyal Shakespeare Company. Her first significant screen role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television filmEmma (1996), based onJane Austen's novel.
She made her film debut in 1997'sThe Postman, followed byRushmore (1998) andThe Sixth Sense (1999). Williams also acted in the British filmsLucky Break (2001),The Heart of Me (2002) andAn Education (2009). She continued acting in films such asThe Ghost Writer (2010),Hanna (2011),Anna Karenina (2012),Hyde Park on Hudson (2012),Sabotage (2014),Maps to the Stars (2014),Victoria & Abdul (2017), andThe Father (2020).
From 2017 to 2019, she played Emily Silk in the science fiction television seriesCounterpart. From 2022 to 2023, Williams portrayedQueen Camilla inNetflix's historical dramaThe Crown in its final two seasons.
Williams was born inNorth London.[1] Both her parents arebarristers.
Williams was educated atSouth Hampstead High School, anindependent school for girls inHampstead in north London, andNewnham College, Cambridge, where she graduated with a degree inEnglish literature. She then studied drama at theBristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years and spent three years at theRoyal Shakespeare Company.[2]
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After graduation, Williams worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in bothStratford-upon-Avon and London. In 1995, she toured the United States in the National Theatre production ofShakespeare'sRichard III starringIan McKellen. Her first significant appearance before the cameras was as Jane Fairfax in the British TV filmEmma (1996), based onJane Austen's1816 novel.[2]
Williams made her film debut in the 1997 movieThe Postman, after doing a screen test forKevin Costner.[2] She later won the lead role of Rosemary Cross inWes Anderson'sRushmore (1998).[3] She then starred asBruce Willis' wife in the blockbusterThe Sixth Sense (1999),[4] a film she would later parody during her brief appearance in the British sitcomSpaced.[citation needed]
In 2000, Williams wrote the short story "The Significance of Hair" forBBC Radio and read it on the air.[5]
Since 2001, Williams has appeared in several British films, includingLucky Break (2001),The Heart of Me (2002), for which she won theBritish Independent Film Award for Best Actress,[6] andAn Education (2009). She played Mrs. Darling in the 2003 film adaptation ofPeter Pan. Williams was uncredited for her role as Dr.Moira MacTaggert in the 2006 filmX-Men: The Last Stand.[7][8]
On TV, Williams portrayed British authorJane Austen inMiss Austen Regrets (2008) and was cast as Adelle DeWitt inJoss Whedon'sDollhouse, which ran onFox from 2009 to 2010.[9]
In 2010, Williams won acclaim for her performance as Ruth Lang inRoman Polanski'sThe Ghost Writer, winning theNational Society of Film Critics Award,London Critics Circle Film Award for best supporting actress and was runner-up for best supporting actress at theLos Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2010.[citation needed]
InHanna (2011), Williams played Rachel, a bohemian mother travelling acrossNorth Africa andEurope, who comes into contact with the eponymous teen assassin, who is on the run. The film starredSaoirse Ronan,Eric Bana andCate Blanchett, and was a critical and sleeper hit. In 2014, Williams co-starred inDavid Cronenberg'sMaps to the Stars, a dark comic look at Hollywood excess.[10] In 2014 she portrayed Meg Hamilton in the British mystery filmAltar.[4]
In 2017, Williams began appearing in the Starz science-fiction seriesCounterpart, playing Emily, the wife of lead character Howard Silk. In one universe she is still married to him, but her counterpart in the other universe is divorced from him. In 2021, she was cast asCamilla Parker Bowles, for the final two seasons ofThe Crown.[11]
She had a seven-year relationship and then engagement to the actorJonathan Cake, which ended two weeks before their planned wedding. In 2003, she married the actor and playwrightRhashan Stone, with whom she has two daughters.[12]
After filmingThe Postman, she spent time inBolivia studyingspectacled bears in the rainforest.[13][14]
Williams was diagnosed withVIPoma in 2018 and, after treatment, became an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK.[15]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Van der Valk | Irene Kortman | Episode: "Still Waters" |
| The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Jennifer Norris | Episode: "The Speaker of Mandarin" | |
| 1996 | Emma | Jane Fairfax | Television film |
| 1998 | Friends | Felicity | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Jason and the Argonauts | Hera | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Spaced | Knocked-down cyclist | Episode: "Help" |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures | Agatha Christie | Television film |
| 2006 | Krakatoa: The Last Days | Johanna Beijerinck | |
| 2007 | Damage | Michelle Cahill | |
| 2008 | Miss Austen Regrets | Jane Austen | |
| 2009–2010 | Dollhouse | Adelle DeWitt | Main role |
| 2010 | Terriers | Miriam Foster | Episode: "Change Partners" |
| 2011–2012 | Case Sensitive | Charlie Zailer | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Salting the Battlefield | Belinda Kay | Television film |
| 2014–2015 | Manhattan | Liza Winter | Main role |
| 2017 | The Halcyon | Lady Hamilton | 8 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Counterpart | Emily Burton Silk | Main role |
| 2020 | Homemade | Queen (voice) | Episode: "Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit" |
| 2021–2023 | The Nevers | Lavinia Bidlow | Main role |
| 2022 | Ten Percent | Olivia Williams | Episode #1.2 |
| 2022–2023 | The Crown | Camilla Parker Bowles[18] | Main role (seasons 5–6) |
| 2023–2024 | Funny Woman | Gloria | 4 episodes |
| 2024–present | Dune: Prophecy | Tula Harkonnen | Main role |
| 2024 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Winterblossom the Entwife (voice) | Episode: "Eldest" |
| 2025 | The Wheel of Time | Morgase Trakand | Episode: "A Question of Crimson" |
| Monster: The Ed Gein Story | Alma Reville | 2 episodes[19] | |
| TBA | The Good Daughter† | Harriet Quinn | Upcoming series |
| Year | Production | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Richard III | Maid / Nurse / Mistress | |
| 2003 | Love's Labour's Lost[20] | The Princess | Olivier Theatre,National Theatre, London |
| The Hotel in Amsterdam[21] | Annie | Donmar Warehouse, London | |
| 2006 | The Changeling[22] | Beatrice-Joanna | Cheek by Jowl production at theBarbican Centre, London |
| 2011 | In a Forest, Dark and Deep[23] | Betty | Vaudeville Theatre, London |
| 2015 | Waste | Amy O'Connell | Lyttelton Theatre,National Theatre, London |
| 2017 | Mosquitoes[24] | Alice | Dorfman Theatre,National Theatre, London |
| 2019 | Tartuffe | Elmire | Lyttelton Theatre,National Theatre, London |
| 2022 | Marys Seacole[25] | May | Donmar Warehouse, London |
Media related toOlivia Williams at Wikimedia Commons
