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Gillian Anderson OBE

Award-winning film, television, and theatre actress 

Gillian Anderson OBE is an award-winning film, television, and theatre actress whose credits include the roles of Special Agent Dana Scully in FOX Television's long-running and critically-acclaimed drama series, ‘The X-Files’, ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies' masterpiece ‘The House of Mirth’ (2000), and Lady Dedlock in the very successful BBC production of Charles Dickens' ‘Bleak House’.

Two individuals holding a framed City Lit Fellowship certificate during an award presentation with a city skyline in the background.

From West End Triumphs to Iconic Screen Roles

In 2003, Gillian won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Best Actress Award for her West End debut in Michael Weller's two-hander ‘What the Night Is For’. The following year, she starred in Rebecca Gilman's play ‘The Sweetest Swing in Baseball’ which ran at London's Royal Court Theatre from March 25 through May 15, 2004. From May 14 through July 18, 2009, she played Nora in a new version of Ibsen's ‘A Doll's House’ at the Donmar Warehouse in London. She received a Laurence Olivier Nomination for her performance. The 2010 period drama ‘Any Human Heart’ earned her a Bafta nomination for her role as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor whom King Edward VIII abdicated to marry. She played Miss Havisham in the award-winning BBC adaptation of "Great Expectations" in 2011 and in the summer of 2014, she was Blanche DuBois in the Young Vic's critically-acclaimed production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’.

City Lit Lifetime Fellow

Award-winning film, television, and theatre actress, Gillian Anderson OBE, received her City Lit Lifetime Fellowship Award from Chair of the Board of Governors Dame Moira Gibb. City Lit Fellowships are awarded to individuals who have shown a significant commitment to adult education in the United Kingdom and who have provided support and inspiration to City Lit and our students. Other City Lit Fellows include prominent politicians Sir Vince Cable and Nick Boles MP, mental health campaigner Ruby Wax OBE, and acclaimed author Malorie Blackman OBE.

Gillian Anderson with City Lit drama studentsGillian Anderson with City Lit drama students
Photos: Dominic Harris photography
“Before I visited City Lit in 2013, I had looked through what you do here and the lives you have helped transform, and on that first visit, it was such a privilege to hear just some of the stories of those impacted by such opportunity, I was overwhelmed. What an extraordinary gift to the community, and to this wonderful city. I still applaud the hard work and dedication of those who come here as adults to try something new, follow a passion or embrace a second chance. It’s a huge honour for me to receive this Lifetime Fellowship and to celebrate this phenomenal college and I remain so glad you exist for the community of London.
Gillian Anderson OBE