Anderson has supported numerous charities and humanitarian organizations. She is an honorary spokesperson for theNeurofibromatosis Network and a co-founder of South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes). She was appointed an honoraryOfficer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for her services to drama.
Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Rosemary "Posie" Alyce (née Lane),[3][4][5] acomputer analyst, and later vice president of Neurofibromatosis Inc., the NF support group of West Michigan, and Homer Edward "Ed" Anderson III, who owned a filmpost-production company.[6] She has described her upbringing as influenced byBuddhism.[7] She is of English, German, and Irish ancestry.[8] Soon after her birth, her parents moved toPuerto Rico for 15 months, then to London. The family relocated so that her father could attend theLondon Film School.[9] With her parents, she lived in north London'sCrouch End andHaringey.[10] She was a pupil ofColeridge Primary School.[11] When Anderson was 11 years old, her family returned to the United States, settling inGrand Rapids, Michigan.[12] They continued to keep a flat in London and spent their summers there.[13] Anderson later said that she had always intended to return to England.[14] In Grand Rapids, she attended Fountain Elementary andCity High-Middle School, a program for gifted students with a strong emphasis on the humanities.[15]
We were in a smallRepublican town. There were only six punks there. We were weird. It's not like London.
Following the move to Grand Rapids, Anderson went through a rebellious stage; taking drugs, dating a much older boyfriend, and cultivating apunk appearance (dyeing her hair various colors, shaving the sides of her head, sporting a nose piercing and an all-black wardrobe).[13][15][16] She was put intherapy at the age of 14.[7] Anderson listened to bands such asDead Kennedys andSkinny Puppy. She was voted by her classmates as "class clown", "most bizarre girl" and "most likely to be arrested". She was arrested on graduation night forbreaking and entering into her high school in an attempt to glue the locks of the doors.[17] She later managed to reduce the charges totrespassing.[18]
Anderson is the eldest of three siblings. Her brother Aaron – who was diagnosed withneurofibromatosis – died in 2011 of a brain tumor, at the age of 30. Aaron was a DJ, a mentor, and a practicingBuddhist. He was in his second year of a PhD program indevelopmental psychology atStanford University when he was diagnosed withglioblastoma in 2008.[21][22] Her sister Zoe is aceramicist, whom Anderson called "an exceptional artist".[23] Anderson isbidialectal.[24] With her English accent and background, she was mocked and felt out of place in theAmerican Midwest and soon adopted aMidwestern accent. To this day, she easily shifts between her American and English accents.[24][25] In May 2013, during an interview withBlogTalkRadio, Anderson addressed the matter of hernational identity: "I've been asked whether I feel more like a Brit than an American and I don't know what the answer to that question is. I know that I feel that London is home and I'm very happy with that as my home. I love London as a city and I feel very comfortable there. In terms of identity, I'm still a bit baffled."[26]
Anderson moved to Los Angeles in 1992 and spent a year auditioning. The same year, she appeared in her first feature-length film,The Turning, starringKaren Allen andTess Harper. The film drama is an adaptation of the playHome Fires Burning.[27]
Although she had once vowed she would never do television work, being out of work for a year changed her mind. Anderson recalled: "First of all, I swore I'd never move to Los Angeles, and once I did, I swore I'd never do television. It was only after being out of work for almost a year that I began going in [to auditions] on some stuff that I would pray that I wouldn't get because I didn't want to be involved in it."[27] She broke into mainstream television in 1993 with a guest appearance on the collegiate drama,Class of '96, on the fledglingFox Network.[9]
Anderson at the stage door for the playThe Sweetest Swing in Baseball at theRoyal Court Theatre, 2004
As a result of this guest appearance, Anderson was sent the script forThe X-Files. She was 24 when she decided to audition because, "for the first time in a long time, the script involved a strong, independent, intelligent woman as a lead character."[31] ProducerChris Carter wanted to hire her, but Fox wanted someone with previous television exposure and greater sex appeal.[27] Fox sent in more actresses, but Carter stood by Anderson, and she was eventually cast asFBI Special Agent Dana Scully. Filmed for the first five seasons in Vancouver, British Columbia, before moving to Los Angeles, California, the series ran for nine seasons. Two related films were also produced, released in 1998 and 2008. During her time onThe X-Files, Anderson won numerous awards for her portrayal of Special Agent Scully, including anEmmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series,[32] aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama, twoScreen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and aSaturn Award for Best Actress on Television. Anderson is the first actress to win an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and a SAG Award in the same year.[33] For the role, she received a total of four Emmy nominations, four Golden Globe nominations and nine SAG nominations.[15]
We got a lot of letters all the time, and I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those pursuits because of the character of Scully. And I said, 'Yay!'
Anderson was the first woman to write and direct an episode ofThe X-Files ("all things"). During its run – between the fifth and sixth seasons – Anderson co-starred inThe X-Files: Fight the Future, a 1998 film that continuedThe X-Files storyline. Anderson also provided the voice for a parody of her Scully character in "The Springfield Files", an episode of the animated comedy television seriesThe Simpsons. While filmingThe X-Files, she met assistant art directorClyde Klotz, who became her first husband.[15] Anderson's character onThe X-Files initiated a phenomenon referred to as "The Scully Effect"; as themedical doctor and theFBI Special Agent inspired many young women to pursue careers in science, medicine, andlaw enforcement. It contributed to the increase in the number of women in those fields.[35][36] "The Scully Effect" remains a subject of academic inquiry.[37]
In 1996, Anderson narrated thetelevision documentariesSpies Above andWhy Planes Go Down. While hosting theBBC documentary seriesFuture Fantastic, she became impressed by the theme music of the show, by the electronic duo Hal and initiated a collaboration with them. In 1997, Anderson provided spoken word vocals and starred in the music video for their single "Extremis", which was frequently aired onMTV. She also helped to assemble an album ofelectronic music,Future: A Journey Through The Electronic Underground, forVirgin Records, which won praise from European music critics.[38][39]
WhenThe X-Files ended in 2002, she moved back to London for a change of pace and the opportunity to return to the stage.[42][43] In 2002, Anderson made herWest End debut inMichael Weller's playWhat The Night Is For at theComedy Theatre.[44] In 2004, Anderson starred in theRoyal Court Theatre's production ofRebecca Gilman's playThe Sweetest Swing in Baseball, as artist Dana Fielding who assumes the personality of the troubledbaseball playerDarryl Strawberry – a role for which she earned rave reviews.[45][46]
In October 2014, Anderson published her first book,A Vision of Fire, co-authored withJeff Rovin. The book is the first novel of what has developed asThe Earthend Saga trilogy. The publisher describes it as "a science fiction thriller of epic proportions".[74] In December 2015, Anderson and Rovin published their second novel of the trilogy,A Dream of Ice.[75] In January 2016, Anderson portrayed Anna Pavlovna Scherer inBBC One's television adaptationWar & Peace.[76] The same month, she returned to portrayFBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the six-episodetenth season ofThe X-Files.[77] Anderson has fought and succeeded in securingequal pay with her male co-star onThe X-Files in the '90s and again in 2015, when negotiating her salary with the network. She has always been outspoken about her struggle for equal pay in the role.[78]
From April 23, 2016, through June 4, 2016, Anderson reprised her role of Blanche DuBois inA Streetcar Named Desire on stage at the newSt. Ann's Warehouse inBrooklyn, New York City.[79] On September 13, 2016, Anderson and Rovin publishedThe Sound of Seas; their third and final novel ofThe EarthEnd Saga trilogy.[80] The same month, she returned to portrayingDSU Stella Gibson in the third series ofThe Fall.[81] Anderson is the narrator of the Englishdub ofRonja, the Robber's Daughter – Studio Ghibli'sanime, which began streaming onAmazon Prime in January 2017.[82] In February 2017, Anderson portrayedEdwina Mountbatten inGurinder Chadha's Partition drama filmViceroy's House (2017).[83]
On March 7, 2017, Anderson and the journalist-activistJennifer Nadel published theirself-help guide book for women, titledWE: A Manifesto for Women Everywhere.[84] Anderson stated that the book is a "call-out to all women around the world – and by women I include girls,transgender, anyone who identifies themselves as being intrinsically female."[85] In April 2017, she played goddess Media in the first season ofAmerican Gods – a television series adaptation ofNeil Gaiman's science fiction novel of thesame name.[86] Following the departure as showrunners of the show's creators,Bryan Fuller andMichael Green, Anderson stated she would not return to the show.[87] In October 2017, Anderson appeared alongsideGlenn Close andChristina Hendricks inCrooked House – a film adaptation ofAgatha Christie's novel ofthe same name.[88] In January 2018, she was back playing FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in theeleventh season ofThe X-Files.[89] In January 2018, she confirmed that she would be leavingThe X-Files after the end of the season.[90] Anderson is set to portray the role of Captain MacLaren inStar Citizen'ssingle-player componentSquadron 42.[91] In January 2019, she began playing Jean Milburn in theNetflixdramedySex Education.[92]
From February 2, 2019, through May 11, 2019, Anderson portrayed Margo Channing in a stage production ofAll About Eve at theNoël Coward Theatre for which she received her third Laurence Olivier Award nomination.[93][94] On September 7, 2019, it was announced that she will portray former British Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the Netflixhistorical drama seriesThe Crown.[95] Anderson is the second American actress (afterMeryl Streep inThe Iron Lady) to portray Thatcher in a major production. In a statement Anderson said: "I am so excited to be joining the cast and crew ofThe Crown and to have the opportunity to portray such a complicated and controversial woman, Thatcher was undoubtedly formidable but I am relishing exploring beneath the surface and, dare I say, falling in love with the icon who, whether loved or despised, defined an era."[96]
In February 2021, Anderson started filmingWhite Bird.[97] It was initially scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022, but after several delays was rescheduled for October 2024.[98][99][100] In November 2021, Anderson voiced the cat inRobin Robin, a stop-motion short Christmas film about a bird raised by mice who is questioning where she belongs.[101]Robin Robin was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[102] In December 2021, she played Joanna, mother to Catherine the Great in season two of Hulu'sThe Great.[103]
In February 2022, Anderson launched her first audio show titledWhat Do I Know?! on Curio.[104] The fortnightly podcast explores "deeply human stories of social challenges, sexual liberation, phenomenal women".[104] In March 2022, it was announced that Anderson had signed a first look deal with Netflix.[105] It is a two-year deal with her company, Fiddlehead Productions. In April of the same year, she portrayedEleanor Roosevelt in the TV seriesThe First Lady on Showtime.[106] The series was cancelled after the one season.[107] Released in theatres in December 2022 and on Netflix in 2023, Anderson starred in directorScott Cooper'sThe Pale Blue Eye alongsideChristian Bale.[108]
In February 2023, Anderson announced her "Dear Gillian" project with Bloomsbury, where she asked for women to write letters to her personally about sexual fantasies and stories that she will turn into a book.[109] The book, "Want" was released in September 2024.[110] On February 7, 2023, Netflix announced that Anderson had been cast asEmily Maitlis inScoop, a film aboutAndrew Mountbatten Windsor's 2019Newsnight interview.[111] The film was released in April 2024.[112] In April 2023, Anderson launched G Spot Beverages.[113] The beverages are soft drinks with "life-enhancing adaptogens and nootropics".[113] On May 16, it was announced that Anderson would star in thefilm adaptation ofRaynor Winn’s bestselling memoirThe Salt Path alongsideJason Isaacs which would be directed byMarianne Elliott.[114] In June 2023, Anderson signed on toThe Abandons on Netflix.[115] Filming was due to take place in late 2023 but was pushed back till 2024 due to the SWG writers' strike and is set for release in 2025.[115]
In January 2024, Anderson joined the cast of Disney'sTron: Ares.[116] In August 2024, Anderson signed on to the adaptation of Louise Kennedy’sTrespasses.[117] In an interview with Bustle in October 2024, Anderson announced she would be co-producing the adaptation ofThe Coast Road by Alan Murrin.[118]
Anderson is a committedfeminist.[125][126] In an August 2014 interview withGlamour magazine, Anderson said: "I have feminist bones and when I hear things or see people react to women in certain ways I have very little tolerance."[127] Anderson has several tattoos; all of them, as she described, are in some way about "peace of mind, right mind, right action".[17] She practicesmeditation daily.[128]
Anderson married her first husband,Clyde Klotz, anX-Files assistant art director, on New Year's Day 1994, in Hawaii in aBuddhist ceremony. Their daughter, Piper Maru, was born on September 25, 1994.[9][15] The series' creator,Chris Carter, Piper's godfather, named anX-Filesepisode after her. Anderson and Klotz divorced in 1997.[15] On December 29, 2004, Anderson married Julian Ozanne, a documentarian, onLamu Island, off the coast ofKenya. Anderson announced their separation on April 21, 2006.[130] Anderson and former partner, businessman Mark Griffiths, have two children.[131][132] She ended their relationship in 2012.[133]
In March 2012, Anderson toldOut magazine about her long-term relationship with a girl in high school.[16] She then toldCBS News that she had dated other women, though most of her relationships had been with men.[134] In an interview with theLondon Evening Standard in December 2014, she stated: "I am an actively heterosexual woman who celebrates however people want to express their sexuality."[10] Anderson also identified as heterosexual in a January 2015 interview.[135][136] In an interview withThe Daily Telegraph in March 2015, Anderson said she was not closed to the idea of entering another same-sex relationship, adding: "To me a relationship is about loving another human being; their gender is irrelevant."[137] She reiterated this toThe Times in 2018, saying "I could be with a woman next year." She accepted the label bisexual: “It's just who I am. I have absolutely no issue with it whatsoever, and I don't really care if other people have an issue with it."[138][139]
Anderson resides with her three children in London, where she has lived since 2002.[43] She has been in a relationship with British screenwriterPeter Morgan since 2016 apart from a short break in 2020.[140][141][142][143]
Anderson has been active in supporting numerous charity organizations, global and social causes, as well as running her own humanitarian ventures. She supportsThe Trevor Project organization, focused on suicide prevention efforts amongLGBTQ youth and attended three of the Trevor Project's "Cracked X-Mas" events to benefit the organization.[144][145] In 2013, Anderson was made a patron of theCharles Dickens Statue Fund, and was instrumental in securing the funding for UK's first Dickens statue, located inPortsmouth, Hampshire.[146] In June 2016 she became a patron of the Temple Legal Centre, a London-based organization that assists people through the legal process by providing them freefamily law advice and support.[147] In June 2016, Anderson expressed her support for the United Kingdom to remain a member of theEuropean Union in the run-up to June'sreferendum on that issue.[148][149] In January 2018, Anderson was given a City Lit Lifetime Fellowship Award by theadult education collegeCity Literary Institute.[150]
Anderson is an honorary spokeswoman for theNeurofibromatosis Network. She often holds auctions with the profits benefiting the NF Network.[151] Her brother Aaron died fromNeurofibromatosis type I in 2011.[6][152][21] In May 1996, Anderson addressed theUnited States Congress urging for more education and funding for NF research projects.[153] She partners withDoodle 4 NF – an annual fundraiser for the NF Network.[154] She also supported the Children with Tumours organization and theGlobal Genes movement, which is devoted to helping children with NF.[155]
In 2008, Anderson co-founded South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes), which helps in empowering marginalised young people in South Africa through youth mentoring. The nonprofit organization provides youth leaving children's homes with guidance that enables them to develop their skills, further their education, and source suitable housing in order to participate in society as independent adults.[156]
While filmingThe Last King of Scotland in 2005, Anderson started a crowdfunding venture that benefited the Alinyiikira Junior School inKampala, Uganda. She ran the philanthropic project until 2011.[157] Anderson is a member of the board of directors for Artists for a New South Africa[158][159] and a campaigner forACTSA: Action for Southern Africa.[160][161] She was a patron of the Friends of Treatment Action Campaign (FoTAC) which worked with theTreatment Action Campaign in South Africa to ensure greater access to treatment to reduce the effects of HIV and prevent new infections.[162] Anderson also supported Buskaid – a charitable trust aiming to help young black musicians in South Africa.[163][164]
Anderson is a supporter of various women's organizations and social movements. She has been a long-time supporter of theFeminist Majority Foundation (FMF). In 1996, Anderson became FMF's spokeswoman and participated as a team leader in the FMF'sMillion4Roe campaign. In March 1999, she attended an FMF event to stop gender apartheid inAfghanistan and in April 2002, she appeared onHollywood Squares to benefit the FMF's campaign to aid Afghan women and girls.[165] Anderson participated inEve Ensler'sVagina Monologues, including a stage performance on February 14, 1999.[41] Anderson is a supporter of Ensler'sV-Day movement aiming to end violence against women and girls.[166]
Anderson is a patron ofChildreach International, a London-based charity that works in partnership with local communities in thedeveloping world to secure children's basic rights; she addressed the problem ofchild trafficking during the press for theSold film that presents the issue. Anderson also supports theirTaught Not Trafficked campaign that was launched in July 2014.[173][174] In 2015, Anderson became a patron of the International Literacy Centre (ILC) – European home ofReading Recovery.[175] In January 2016 she helped launch ILC's Reading Recovery Read Aloud campaign.[176] During February and March 2016, Anderson held an internet charity auction benefitingGreat Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH)children's hospital in theBloomsbury area of London.[177] In March 2016, it was reported that Anderson is one of the artistssponsoring an unaccompaniedrefugee minor in the"Jungle" camp in Calais.[178] In July 2017, Anderson was awarded aUCL Honorary Fellowship for her support of the International Literacy Centre's Reading Recovery program.[179]
In late 2010, Anderson and other artists joined a campaign to boycottBotswana diamonds over the government's treatment of theKalahariSan.[180] Anderson supports tribal rights charitySurvival International, an organization that champions tribal peoples around the world and in early 2010 she participated in a performance in a London stage fundraiser for its cause.[181] In February 2011, Anderson narrated a short film about recent footage of anuncontacted tribe, in which the Amazon Indians were spotted from the air on theBrazil-Peru border. Anderson has said: "What comes across powerfully from this amazing footage is how healthy and confident these people appear. I hope they can be left alone – but that will only happen if the loggers are stopped."[182] In June 2011, Anderson became an ambassador for Survival International.[183] In September 2015, Anderson was among the artists who signed a letter calling for a new approach to conservation that would respect tribal peoples' rights.[184]
In 2012, Anderson joinedGreenpeace in standing with the people of Brazil for a zero-deforestation law to save theAmazon.[185] In 2013, she backed theCheetah Conservation Fund by creating a short film together with the fund, advocating CCF's action to prevent the extinction of the cheetah.[186] In 2013, she joined theFishlove campaign, supporting the fight against unsustainable fishing practices that harm themarine ecosystem.[187] In November 2015, Anderson was named a friend and supporter of Positive Luxury, a company that informs consumers on brands' commitment to quality, craftsmanship, service andsustainability.[188][189]
Narrated the audiobooks of her novel trilogyThe Earthend Saga:A Vision of Fire (2014),[204]A Dream of Ice (2015)[205] andThe Sound of Seas (2016).[206]
One of the narrators ofBBC Radio 4's ongoing seriesA History of Ideas (2015).[207]
In 2009, Anderson was named as one of 20 most powerful women in British theatre and was dubbed "The Honorary Brit" byHarper's Bazaar andTiffany & Co.'s list.[215] In 2010, Anderson was named Honorary Associate of TheLondon Film School (LFS).[216]
^"Explorer Program Helps"(PDF). Boy Scouts of America. September–October 1966. p. 13.Explorer Post 29, American Cyanamid Company. Stamford, Conn. Leslie C. Lane, Jr., Institutional Representative. 19 Explorers.
^Nisbet, Matthew C.; Dudo, Anthony (September 3, 2013). "Entertainment Media Portrayals and Their Effects on the Public Understanding of Science".Hollywood Chemistry. ACS Symposium Series. Vol. 1139. ACS Publications. pp. 241–249.doi:10.1021/bk-2013-1139.ch020.ISBN978-0-8412-2824-5.(subscription required)
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