Gillian Anderson Net Worth, Early Life, Career, Income,TV Programs
Gillian Anderson, an acclaimed American actress, boasts a net worth of $40 million. She is best known for her iconic role as Special Agent Dana Scully in the long-running television series “The X-Files.” Beyond this landmark role, Anderson has built a successful career across both film and television.
Early Life
Gillian Anderson was born on August 9, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois. Her father, Edward Anderson, owned a film post-production company. The family relocated to Puerto Rico for 15 months before moving to London so her father could attend the London Film School. Growing up in north London’s Crouch End neighborhood, Gillian attended Coleridge Primary School. At age 11, the family returned to the United States, settling in Grand Rapids, Michigan, while maintaining a flat in London for summer visits.
Upon returning to the U.S., Anderson experienced a rebellious phase during her teenage years, which included petty theft and dating an older boyfriend. She began therapy at 14. After graduating from high school, she attended The Theatre School at DePaul University in Chicago and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1990. To support herself through school, she worked at the Goose Island Brewpub. Gillian is bidialectal; her English accent made it challenging to fit in during her Midwest upbringing, prompting her to adopt a Midwestern accent.
Early Career
At 22, Anderson moved to New York and began her acting career with the play “Absent Friends,” earning the Theatre World Award for Best Newcomer. In 1992, she relocated to Los Angeles and auditioned for a year before landing her first film role in “The Turning.” Initially vowing never to work in television, she reconsidered after being out of work for a year. She made her television debut in 1993 with a guest appearance on “Class of ’96,” which led to her being cast in “The X-Files.”
“The X-Files”
Gillian Anderson was cast as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully on the Fox science-fiction series “The X-Files.” Initially believing the series would only last for 13 episodes, she was surprised when it debuted on September 10, 1993, and ran until May 19, 2002, spanning nine seasons and 202 episodes. The show became one of Fox’s highest-rated and most profitable series, significantly elevating both Anderson’s and co-star David Duchovny’s careers. The series also led to two feature films that performed moderately well at the box office.
Anderson received numerous accolades for her portrayal of Scully, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award—all in the same year—making her the first actress to achieve this feat. She was also the first woman to write and direct an episode of “The X-Files.” In 2016, she reprised her role in the show’s reboot.
TV Programs
Following the conclusion of “The X-Files” in 2002, Anderson moved back to London seeking a change of pace and returned to stage acting. She debuted West End that year with “What The Night Is For.” In 2004, she starred in the Royal Court Theatre’s production of “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball.” Her performance in the BBC miniseries “Bleak House” (2006) garnered BAFTA and Emmy nominations.
From 2013 onwards, Anderson starred as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson in the critically acclaimed Irish-British crime drama “The Fall,” earning multiple award nominations while also serving as executive producer for its second season. Between 2013 and 2015, she appeared in NBC’s series “Hannibal.”
In 2014, she received acclaim for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” which became the fastest-selling show at London’s Young Vic Theatre. Subsequently, she took on various roles in stage productions and TV series such as “American Gods,” “Crooked House,” and “All About Eve.” In January 2019, she began playing Jean Milburn in Netflix’s series “Sex Education,” followed by portraying former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Crown‘s fourth season.
Income
During the first three seasons of “The X-Files,” Gillian Anderson earned significantly less than Duchovny. She later revealed that her original contract required her to stand behind him in the scenes. However, as the show’s popularity soared thanks to Scully’s character, she successfully negotiated equal pay starting from the fourth season at $240,000 per episode, translating to approximately $5.76 million per season (equivalent to $10 million today after inflation). Both actors earned around $4 million for the first film and an estimated $6 million for the second.
Personal Life
Gillian Anderson has been married twice: first to Clyde Klotz from 1994 to 1997 and then to Julian Ozanne from 2004 to 2007. She has three children; two are from her relationship with Mark Griffiths, which ended in 2012. Since 2016, she has been involved with screenwriter Peter Morgan and resides in London with her children.
Gillian Anderson is deeply engaged with various charitable organizations and activist causes. She supports initiatives like the Trevor Project and Feminist Majority Foundation while serving as a spokesperson for the Neurofibromatosis Network—an organization close to her heart following her brother Aaron’s death from the disease in 2011. Additionally, she co-founded South African Youth Education for Sustainability (SAYes) in 2008 to empower marginalized youth through mentorship programs.
