Gillian Anderson's Biography

Gillian was born on August 9, 1968 in Chicago, IL, to Ed and Rosemary Anderson and is one of 3 children. She lived in Puerto Rico, and then in London, so her father could attend a film school there (Her family still owns a flat there). At age 11 she moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she attended elementary and then high school. She then moved to Chicago where she went to college and once she had gained her BFA she then moved to New York, N.Y. where she made several theater performances and then to Los Angeles in about '91/'92.

Gillian attended Fountain Elementary and then City High in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After graduating in 1986 she moved to Chicago and attended the Goodman Theater School at DePaul University (a major theater conservatory), in Chicago, IL where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While attending DePaul Univeristy, she also studied at the summer program at the National Theater of Great Britain at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.

After initially wanting to be a marine biologist, at about age 17, she was in "a couple of auditions" in the Grand Rapids Community Theater, where she was "cast in a couple of things," and from then it was as if she "had never thought about marine biology." While studying for her Bachelor of Fine Arts at DePaul University, Gillian spent some time in the National Theater of Great Britain. During this time, she also had a role in a film named "The Turning" in 1988. After receiving her degree, she moved to New York and embarked on a serious career in theater - including an off-broadway production of Alan Ayckbourne's "Absent Friends," for which she won a Theater World award in 1991. She also appeared in "The Philanthropist" at the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, Connecticut. Gillian then moved to Los Angeles and spent a year auditioning for various things, during which time she did "Home Fires Burning" for a cable station as well as the audiocassette version of "Exit to Eden" by Anne Rice. Although she had once vowed she would "never do TV", and seemed set on a career in film or theater, being out of work for a year or so changed her mind and she had a role in an episode of "Class of '96" and then was impressed enough by the role of Dana Scully that she auditioned for the role. The auditioning went well and it seems Chris Carter had decided on casting Gillian for the role. The network (FOX) "freaked" at the possibility of casting someone with as little TV experience as Gillian and also appeared to be looking for someone more "bimboish". So they flew in more actresses from New York, but Chris stood his ground and they cast Gillian as Special Agent Dana Scully. Gillian, who was also somewhat surprised at being cast said, "I was convinced they were looking for someone leggier, and with a bigger chest." (Thank god for Chris Carter and small miracles...)

Television & Movie work