The majority of the younger audiences know her from the globally popular Netflix showSex Education —one of thebest LGBTQ+ TV series you should be watching— but there’s definitely more toGillian Andersonand her long-standing career. Chicago-born and London-raised, Anderson eventually left for New York to pursue her acting career. While working as a waitress to support herself, she secured herself small roles that would eventually help her properly kick off her career withTheX-Files.
Apart from appearing on screens both big and small in projects for which she received awards such as the Emmy and the Golden Globe, Anderson also doesn’t shy away from the stage. On top of her acting career, Anderson knows how to use her platform to help as she’s an avid activist for the LGBTQ+, Africa, women’s rights, Indigenous rights, and many more. Next,Anderson is slated to appear as Eleanor Roosevelt in Showtime’sThe First Ladyalongside Viola Davis (as Michelle Obama) and Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford. Until then, let’s take a look at Gillian Anderson’s 8 best performances, ranked.
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8The House of Mirth
There’s something spectacular about Gillian Anderson in period pieces. She has done it withMoby Dick, War and Peace, The Greatand, of course,The House of Mirth. Gillian Anderson plays Lilly Bart, who comes from a rich family and has a chance to also marry rich, but foolishly falls in love with a man named Selden who can’t offer her much fortune. The vibrant period of the 19th century offers us a look at the social injustices through Lilly’s perspective. She is obviously interested in the life that Selden leads, but she keeps putting herself into boxes. Anderson’s performance secured her an award for Best Actress at the British Independent Film Awards.
7Bleak House
Bleak Houseis a 2006 BBC television drama miniseries adapted from the Charles Dickens novel with the same title. This time, Gillian Anderson plays a character of Lady Dedlock, who even with the minimum of lines captures the audience’s attention. Her severe beauty and cold stoicism blend perfectly together and shine as one on the screen. Anderson received many nominations for her incredible performance, such as the British Academy Television Awards for Best Actress and the Primetime Emmy Award for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.
6The Crown
Everyone should be familiar with the critically acclaimed Netflix TV seriesThe Crown.The series follows the personal and political lives of British royal and political figures, but mainly Queen Elizabeth II’s and her life from her marriage to Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947 up until her reign in the 21st Century. Gillian Anderson doesn’t appear until the 4th season as Margaret Thatcher. Anderson must have had studied Thatchers' mannerism in detail because the resemblance is truly uncanny. Despite her lovable personality in real life, her depiction of Thatcher truly forces you to despise her. Anderson has added yet another accomplishment to her name by receiving an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress inThe Crown.
5The Last King Of Scotland
Although fiction mixed with reality,The Last King of Scotlandfollows Dr.Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) on his mission to Africa and his accidental involvement in the dictatorship of the Ugandan president Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Anderson comes into the picture as Sarah Merrit, who runs the missionary clinic along with her husband. Although she doesn’t act as the central character, her charisma strongly vibrates through the screen as she enjoys the attention from the Doctor.
4Sex Education
Anderson’s character of Jean Millburn inSex Educationis definitely among the most popular in recent pop culture. She plays the mum of the main character Ottis who’s dealing with his high school years. She is, in fact, the perfect embodiment of the TV show’s title as she also plays a couple’s therapist mostly focused on the sexual aspects of the relationship. It’s so refreshing to see a woman character completely comfortably in her own skin and sexuality as she uses it to help others. Anderson absolutely deserves an Emmy for her laid-back, though no less nuanced, performance of Jean.
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Sisteris yet another, this time a Swiss, critically acclaimed movie in which Gillian Anderson has starred. The movie follows the life of two siblings who live in poor conditions. The younger brother Simon steals from numerous people to support his older sister Louise’s recklessness. That’s when he meets Kristin (Anderson) who willingly pays for his lunch. Not only do we get to hear Anderson speak French in this movie, we get to witness her acting as a mother figure without actually being the mother.
Hannibalis a psychological horror thriller following the journey of a psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and an FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy). Gillian Anderson plays a character called Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier, Lecter’s psychiatrist, who, after some time, realizes the disturbing nature of Hannibal and later joins him. It’s astounding how she was able to portray such a complex character with complete ease. The NBC show deserves more recognition as it is; if not for anything else, watch it for Gillian Anderson.
1The X-Files
And finally, the TV series that helped Gillian Anderson’s acting career reach the stardom status:The X-Files. The original TV series lasted from 1993 to 2002, but returned with movies and more episodes years later. The plot focuses on the FBI agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson). While Mulder believes in the supernatural and extraterrestrial, Scully’s skepticism and Catholicism won’t let her look at things differently than she’s been raised to. The duo’s chemistry stays iconic in the pop culture to this day. Her performance as Scully earned her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress back in 1997.
