Skip to content
MovieCove
Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson

Actor, also producer · Born August 9, 1968 (58) · Chicago, Illinois, USA

2 Primetime Emmys · 2 Golden Globes · 4 Screen Actors Guild Awards · 2 other major award bodies

Gillian Leigh Anderson OBE (born August 9, 1968) is an American actress, writer, and activist. She is best known for her roles as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the sci-fi series The X-Files (1993–2002; 2016–2018), Lily Bart in the drama film The House of Mirth (2000), DSI Stella Gibson in the BBC/RTÉ crime drama series The Fall (2013–2016), Jean Milburn in the Netflix comedy-drama series Sex Education (2019–2023), and Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of the Netflix drama series The Crown (2020). She has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Born in Chicago, Anderson was raised first in London and then in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She later started her career onstage in New York City before achieving international recognition for her work on The X-Files. Her film work includes the dramas The Mighty Celt (2005), The Last King of Scotland (2006), Shadow Dancer (2012), and Viceroy's House (2017), as well as the X-Files films Fight the Future (1998) and I Want to Believe (2008). Her television credits include Lady Dedlock in Bleak House (2005), Wallis Simpson in Any Human Heart (2010), Miss Havisham in Great Expectations (2011), Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier on Hannibal (2013–2015), Media in the first season of American Gods (2017), and Eleanor Roosevelt on The First Lady (2022). Anderson has also received awards and acclaim for her stage work, which includes Absent Friends (1991), for which she won a Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer; A Doll's House (2009), for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress; Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (2014 and 2016), for which she won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress and received a second Laurence Olivier Award nomination; and All About Eve (2019), for which she received a third Laurence Olivier Award nomination. Anderson has supported numerous charities and humanitarian organizations, being an honorary spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network and a co-founder of South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes). She has lived in London since 2002 and was appointed an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2016 for her services to drama. Description above from the Wikipedia article Gillian Anderson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 9, 1968 (58)
From
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
53 on MovieCove · 76 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 25% in 30 days

What are Gillian Anderson's films like?

Across their 44 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 62nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 87th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 92nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 61st percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
23%
Self
22%
Morality
14%
Power
14%
Survival
10%
Ideas
9%
Society
8%
Family bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 35 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 13 · Dark 12

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 21 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 10 · Charged 11 · Intense 14

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 23 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 6

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 15 · Full focus 6

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 24 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 4

Roles they play

28 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 7 of 28 analyzed roles.

Hero
7 of 28
Ally
5 of 28
Shadow
5 of 28
Mentor
5 of 28
Threshold guardian
4 of 28
Shapeshifter
2 of 28
Show the 28 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
25
Contemplative
20
Dread
12
Melancholic
15
Joyful
9
Other
36

How their films linger

Hopeful19 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 9 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet25
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous9
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Gillian Anderson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 40 of their 53 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gillian Anderson's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

76 credits, 53 with a MovieCove page; 35 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Animals(2026)

    as Dayle Burton

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Julia Set(2026)

    Producer · Actor

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma(2026)

    as Billy

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Sara Price: Chasing Dakar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Show 3 episodes · as Narrator

  • The Abandons(2025)

    Show 7 episodes · as Constance Van Ness

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Trespasses(2025)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer · as Gina Lavery

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Tron: Ares(2025)

    as Elisabeth Dillinger

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Tron: Ares - A Special Look (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    as Elisabeth Dillinger

  • The Salt Path(2024)

    as Raynor Winn

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Woolf Works (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Actor

  • Scoop(2024)

    as Emily Maitlis

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • White Bird(2023)

    as Vivienne Beaumier

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Pale Blue Eye(2022)

    as Julia Marquis

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The First Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · as Eleanor Roosevelt

  • Robin Robin(2021)

    as Cat (voice)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Sunlit Night(2019)

    as Olyana

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • National Theatre Live: All About Eve (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Margo Channing

  • Sex Education(2019)

    Show 32 episodes · as Jean Milburn

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • UFO(2018)

    as Dr. Hendricks

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • The Spy Who Dumped Me(2018)

    as Wendy

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Crooked House(2017)

    as Magda Leonides

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • American Gods(2017)

    Show 2 episodes · as Media

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Narrator

  • Viceroy's House(2017)

    as Edwina Mountbatten

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Woolf Works (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    as Voiceover from a letter by Virginia Woolf (voice)

  • The Crown(2016)

    Show 10 episodes · as Margaret Thatcher

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Sold(2014)

    as Sophia

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • War & Peace(2016)

    Show 6 episodes · as Anna Pavlovna Scherer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The Widowmaker(2015)

    as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Robot Overlords(2014)

    as Kate

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • The Departure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · as Blanche DuBois

  • National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    as Blanche DuBois

  • Crisis(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as Meg Fitch

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows

  • Ronja, the Robber's Daughter(2014)

    Show as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows

  • Last Love(2013)

    as Karen Morgan

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • I'll Follow You Down(2013)

    as Marika Whyte

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Fall(2013)

    Show 17 episodes · as Stella Gibson

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Hannibal(2013)

    Show 21 episodes · as Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Room on the Broom(2012)

    as Witch (voice)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Sister(2012)

    as Kristin Jansen

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Shadow Dancer(2012)

    as Kate Fletcher

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Great Expectations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Show 3 episodes · as Miss Havisham

  • Johnny English Reborn(2011)

    as Pamela

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Moby Dick(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · as Elizabeth

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all shows

  • The Crimson Petal and the White(2011)

    Show 4 episodes · as Mrs. Castaway

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Any Human Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Show 4 episodes · as Duchess Of Windsor

  • Boogie Woogie(2009)

    as Jean Maclestone

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • How to Lose Friends & Alienate People(2008)

    as Eleanor Johnson

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The X Files: I Want to Believe(2008)

    as Dana Scully

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind(2007)

    as Queen Vorkana (voice)

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Closure(2007)

    as Alice

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • The Last King of Scotland(2006)

    as Sarah Merrit

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Bleak House(2005)

    Show 15 episodes · as Lady Dedlock

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Tristram Shandy(2005)

    as Widow Wadman / Gillian Anderson

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Mighty Celt(2005)

    as Kate

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The House of Mirth(2000)

    as Lily Bart

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Harsh Realm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Video Narrator (uncredited)

  • Playing by Heart(1998)

    as Meredith

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Chicago Cab(1997)

    as Southside Girl

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The X Files(1998)

    as Dana Scully

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Mighty(1998)

    as Loretta Lee

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Akte X Intern - Was Sie schon immer wissen wollten (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Dana Scully / Self

  • Spies Above (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as narrator

  • Why Planes Go Down (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Narrator

  • ReBoot(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Data Nully (voice)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • Frasier(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Jenny (voice)

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • The X-Files(1993)

    Show 218 episodes · Director · Writer · as Dana Scully

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Class of '96 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Rachel

  • Eek! The Cat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Dana Scully (voice)

  • The Turning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as April Cavanaugh

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Dana Scully (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • A Matter of Choice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    as Woman

  • Three at Once (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    as Woman 1

  • The South Bank Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Boys from Brazil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 4 episodes · as Frieda Steiner

  • The Turning Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as (voice)

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 75 titles, 73 of them dated from 1978 to 2026; peak year 2012.

Biggest box office

The X Files (1998)

$189M worldwide

Highest rated

The X-Files (1993)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Animals (2026)

Film career

MilestoneBreakoutAward win
19782026

Peak 2012 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 29 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 1 more milestone

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting75 of 75: 71 only acting, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score69thDirecting2 of 75: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 75: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing2 of 75: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

75 titles, 4 with more than one role — acting and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s3 · acting1990s14 · 14 acting · 1 crew2000s9 · acting2010s30 · 30 acting · 1 crew2020s16 · 16 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 30% of 30 roles
9808131823

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

2 Primetime Emmys, 2 Golden Globes, 4 Screen Actors Guild Awards and 1 other major award from 27 major nominations, 1996–2021.

WinNomination
  1. 2021
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Supporting Role
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Critics Choice Award, won · Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
  2. 2018
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
  3. 2011
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress
  4. 2007
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
  5. 2006
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress
  6. 2001
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  7. 2000
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  8. 1999
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Show 3 earlier years
  1. 1998
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  2. 1997
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  3. 1996
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Gillian Anderson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 36; across their 35 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Approval · how many liked their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 35

Midcredits score across 53 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up20
  • 50th to 74th19
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

28 of their 53 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved10
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser28
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · actor

Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind (2007)

80th percentile spread · 23% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Crown (2016)

Midcredits 98th · 94% liked

Reviewers score the acting 74/100 in their films, across 32 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Gillian Anderson's work okay for kids?

Across up to 26 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore16 titles25–87 · median 68 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity26 titles11–69 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity20 titles26–73 · median 42 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs18 titles12–58 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense18 titles16–86 · median 43 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Gillian Anderson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gillian Anderson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Duchovny shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers