B I O G R A P H Y

Gillian Leigh Anderson, OBE is an American-British actress. Anderson was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Rosemary "Posie" Alyce (née Lane), a computer analyst, and Homer Edward "Ed" Anderson III, who owned a film post-production company. She is of English, German, and Irish ancestry. Soon after her birth, her parents moved to Puerto Rico for 15 months, then to London. The family relocated so that her father could attend the London Film School. During her childhood, she lived in north London's Crouch End and Haringey. She was a pupil of Coleridge Primary School. When Anderson was 11 years old, her family returned to the United States, settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They continued to keep a flat in London, and spent their summers there. Anderson later said that she had always intended to return to England. In Grand Rapids, she attended Fountain Elementary and City High-Middle School, a program for gifted students with a strong emphasis on the humanities.

Following the move to Grand Rapids, Anderson went through a rebellious stage as a teenager; taking drugs, dating a much older boyfriend, and cultivating a punk appearance (dyeing her hair various colors, shaving the sides of her head, sporting a nose piercing and an all-black wardrobe). She was put in therapy at the age of 14. Anderson listened to bands such as Dead Kennedys and Skinny 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 for breaking and entering into her high school in an attempt to glue the locks of the doors. She later managed to reduce the charges to trespassing.

At an early age, Anderson was interested in marine biology, but after becoming interested in theatre during her teenage years, she began acting in high school productions during her first year and later in community theatre. She also served as a student intern at the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre & School of Theatre Arts. After graduating from high school in 1986, she attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990. Anderson also participated in the National Theatre of Great Britain's summer program at Cornell University. To support herself financially during her student years, she worked at the Goose Island Brewpub in Chicago. After Anderson became famous, the brewery named one of their beers after her – a Belgian Style Farmhouse Ale, simply called "Gillian".

Anderson is the eldest of three siblings. Her brother Aaron – who was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis – died in 2011 of a brain tumor, at the age of 30. Aaron was a DJ, a mentor, and a practicing Buddhist. He was in his second year of a PhD program in Developmental Psychology at Stanford University when he was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2008. Her sister Zoe is a ceramicist, whom Anderson calls "an exceptional artist". Zoe is openly gay and is married to her partner.

Anderson is bidialectal. With her English accent and background, she was mocked and felt out of place as a teenager in the American Midwest and soon adopted a Midwestern accent. To this day, she easily shifts between her American and English accents. In May 2013, during an interview with BlogTalkRadio, Anderson addressed the matter of her national 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."
(source)

T E L E V I S I O N

F I L M

S T A G E

T H E S C U L L Y E F F E C T

In the late 1990s, one name was synonymous with a medical doctor-turned-paranormal detective: Dana Scully. Played by actor Gillian Anderson, Dr. Dana Scully made her mark on millions of fans who tuned in every week to watch The X-Files. Scully was one of the first multidimensional female characters in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field to be featured on a popular television show, and the first to play a leading role. She is known for her objectivity, skepticism, confidence, and brilliance. In the world of entertainment media, where scientists are often portrayed as white men wearing white coats and working alone in labs, Scully stood out in the 1990s as the only female STEM character in a prominent, prime time television role. Scully's media depiction of a high-achieving woman in STEM asked a generation of girls and women to imagine new professional options, and to study and pursue careers in STEM—a phenomenon known as the "Scully Effect."

To assess the "Scully Effect," researchers conducted an online survey from February 15 to February 20, 2018, using an opt-in sample of 2,021 participants. The study was conducted by 21st Century Fox, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, a global firm specializing in data, research, insight, trends and innovation. The sample was demographically representative and weighted to be representative of women in the U.S. population based on age (25 and older), STEM involvement, and viewing of The X-Files. About one-third (29%) of respondents were aged 25 to 39, while the remainder (71%) were aged 40 or older. Roughly half (49%) of the sample studied a STEM field in college, or currently works in STEM. Two-thirds of respondents (68%) had seen at least one episode of The X-Files, which speaks to the show's wide reach.

Women who are medium/heavy watchers of The X-Files hold more positive views of STEM than non/light watchers, and several survey questions link this directly to the influence of Scully's character. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of women who are familiar with Dana Scully say she increased their belief in the importance of STEM. A greater percentage of medium/heavy viewers of The X-Files strongly believe that young women should be encouraged to study STEM than non/light viewers (56% compared to 47%). Medium/heavy viewers are significantly more likely to strongly agree with the statement "I would encourage my daughter/granddaughter to enter a STEM field" than non/light viewers (53% compared to 41%). Medium/heavy viewers are more likely to strongly agree with the statement "If I could go back and do it again, I would have studied or worked in an industry that is STEM" than non/light viewers (27% compared to 17%).

Women who regularly watch The X-Files are more likely to express interest in STEM, major in a STEM field in college, and work in a STEM profession than other women in the sample. Among women who are familiar with Scully's character, half (50%) say Scully increased their interest in STEM. Medium/heavy viewers are 43% more likely than other women to have considered working in a STEM field than non/light viewers (40% compared to 28%). Medium/heavy viewers are 27% more likely to have studied STEM than non/light viewers (28% compared to 22%). Medium/heavy viewers are 50% more likely to have worked in a STEM field than non/light viewers (24% compared to 16%).

Most of the women in the sample consider Dana Scully to be a role model for girls and women, and women who work in STEM are particularly likely to see her this way. Among women who are familiar with Scully's character, 91% say she is a role model for girls and women. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of women that work in STEM say Dana Scully served as their role model. Among women who are familiar with Scully's character, 63% say Scully increased their confidence that they could excel in a male-dominated profession. Nine out of 10 (91%) women who are familiar with Scully's character say she stands out as being a strong female character on television. Women in the sample were asked about various attributes of Scully's character. The most frequently used words to describe her were "smart," "intelligent," and "strong."
(source | video)

V I N T A G E

F A M I L Y

S O C I A L M E D I A

Q U O T E S

I'm damaged in many ways. And yet a lot of what my fight is about is pushing through that to live a meaningful, sane existence and make a difference and play to my strengths. So I think damaged characters resonate with me.

Well, I don't know if we need more women out there to say '**** off!'. But television isn't the issue. There are a lot of female characters on TV who are intelligent, and a good enough portion of them aren't all about the date and the car and the plastic surgery. It's in film that it's lacking! It would be great to see more women in a wider range of characters and better populated in film.

Stella (Gibson), who I play in The Fall, is a character that I feel very, very close to. I really enjoy spending time in her shoes. And Blanche (DuBois). I think those two women have been my favorites.

Roles without complexity just don't interest me. I don't see Scully as being particularly complex, yet she continues to represent such an iconic female presence in TV. She's outspoken, powerful... Attributes common to women, but that were uncommon in women characters at the time. At the same time, she was just one of us. I don't think Stella is. I don't know how normal she is.

It would be difficult for me to be in a relationship where the man is the boss.

There are aspects of Stella I'm familiar with in my own personality.
I feel I've been able to make peace with myself more because she's so unapologetic about the island that she is. Yeah [I am a solitary person], I mean my [romantic] partners have consistently said, 'You live this life I have no idea about.' The idea of saying, 'I'm thinking about doing this film, let's talk about what it means for our life...' It's challenging for me. It's not my first instinct. My first instinct is to decide, 'Can I do this? Yes I can.'

With The Fall and Streetcar I feel that if I died in September then I could look down from up there feeling I had accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.

I feel very lucky to have all these characters at the same time. Everyone has been working very hard on the ground, trying to make this happen. So far it's fine.

As I get older, I imagine the roles that I'm able to get are going to change. There will be a certain point where I'll make the decision to go grey, you know. There might be a certain point where I decide that it's silly for me to continue being blond when I'm in my 60s. I've also always wanted to direct, I've also always wanted to be an artist. Maybe when the kids are out of college, I can decide to downsize and go grey and get less work.

So much of this world is based on illusion, temporariness, and disposability that I think it's essential that our closest relationships reflect what is real.

Looking through some old photographs recently, I came across a few when I was younger, and I have a very similar expression on my face to Kristen Stewart. I've got this '**** all this' look going on. I wish I'd had people around me at that point in my life who understood me, instead of saying, 'Why aren't you smiling?' So much was fear back then and not being able to comprehend what was happening.

That's really important, to show (on television) adult, mature women, completely different in the experiences they'd been through and the choices that they'd made, bonding through womanhood. Too often, what is portrayed between women is either 'girly' and going shopping, or the opposite, the negativity.

I still get letters and emails from people who are my age or a little bit younger saying they're writing because they used to be a fan, or they're 12 years old and just discovered The X-Files. Often women and girls talk about the strength they've gotten from Scully and how the stuff she went through and the strength she showed has helped them go through difficulties in their own life. It's amazing.

I've never considered myself a sex symbol even though it's so flattering to be thought of as one.

If you look at the way that it was lit, the way that it was shot, the production values... the horror aspect of it, the unsolved crimes. I mean, the amount of other shows that have tried to copy it over the last twenty years!

It is not a matter of being fearless. The fear is sometimes constant, but it’s about moving forward regardless of the fear. Courage means feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

To me, a relationship is about loving another human being; their gender is irrevelant.

Even though I can dress up like a soccer mom, the punk rocker will forever be under my skin.

I have a talent to be both very serious and very inappropriately goofy!

The real question is: How the **** did I end up as the world's sexiest woman in 1996?

I don't know why I keep being cast as everybody's boss because if you saw me in my real life, in my black jeans and my flip-flops running around a playground with my kids I'm very different. I keep being cast in these roles and it cracks me up! That in and of itself is funny enough for me to say, 'Yes, why not, I'll show you!

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20

i'm damaged in many ways
yet a lot of what my fight is about
is pushing through that to live

a meaningful, sane existence

gilliana | txf 20