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Olivia Williams Biography
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Olivia Williams
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2009) (Find sources: Olivia Williams – news, books, scholar) |
| Olivia Williams | |
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 Olivia Williams, September 2008 |
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| Born | Olivia Haigh Williams 26 July 1968 Camden Town, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Spouse(s) | Rhashan Stone (2003–present) |
Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films. As of 2009 she stars in the Joss Whedon sci-fi drama Dollhouse.
Contents |
Early life
Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England. Both her parents are barristers. She graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge with a degree in English literature, then studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years and spent three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company.1
Career
After graduation, Williams worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London and in 1995 toured the United States in a production of Shakespeare's Richard III starring Ian McKellen. Her first significant appearance before the cameras was as Jane Fairfax in the British TV film Emma (1996), based on Jane Austen's 1816 novel.1
Williams made her film debut in 1997's The Postman, after doing a screen test for Kevin Costner.1 She later won the lead role of Rosemary Cross in Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998).2 She then starred as Bruce Willis' wife in the blockbuster The Sixth Sense (1999). Since then, Williams has appeared in several British films, including Lucky Break (2001) and The Heart of Me (2002), for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress. She also played Mrs. Darling in the latest film adaptation of Peter Pan. Williams was uncredited for her role as Dr. Moira MacTaggert in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand. On TV, Williams portrayed British author Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets (2008) and was cast as Adelle DeWitt in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, on Fox for the 2009-2010 season.3
In 2000 she wrote and read the short story The Significance Of Hair for BBC Radio.
Selected works
Film
| Year | Film | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Beck | Karen Quinn | |
| Gaston's War | Nicky | ||
| The Postman | Abby | ||
| 1998 | Rushmore | Rosemary Cross | |
| 1999 | The Sixth Sense | Anna Crowe | |
| 2000 | Four Dogs Playing Poker | Audrey | |
| Born Romantic | Eleanor | ||
| Dead Babies aka Mood Swingers | Diana | ||
| 2001 | The Body | Sharon Golban | |
| A Knight's Tale | Phillipa Chaucer (uncredited) | ||
| Lucky Break | Annabel Sweep/Lady Hamilton in show |
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| The Man from Elysian Fields | Andrea | ||
| 2002 | The Heart of Me | Madeleine |
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| Below | Claire | ||
| 2003 | To Kill a King | Lady Anne Fairfax | |
| Peter Pan | Mrs. Darling | ||
| 2005 | Valiant | Victoria (voice) | |
| Tara Road | Ria | ||
| Mockingbird | Mother | ||
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Moira MacTaggert (uncredited) | |
| 2008 | Flashbacks of a Fool | Grace Scott | |
| Broken Lines | Zoe | ||
| 2009 | An Education | Miss Stubbs | |
| 2010 | The Ghost | Ruth Lang | |
| Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll | TBA |
Television
| Year(s) of appearance |
Film or series | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 (1 episode) |
Van der Valk (1972–1973, 1977, 1991–1992) "Still Waters" |
Irene Kortman | |
| 1992 (1 episode) |
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1987–2000) "The Speaker of Mandarin" |
Jennifer Norris | |
| 1996 | Emma | Jane Fairfax | |
| 1998 (2 episodes) |
Friends (1994–2004) "The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 1" and "The One with Ross's Wedding: Part 2" |
Felicity | |
| 2000 | Jason and the Argonauts | Hera | |
| 2001 (1 episode) |
Spaced (1999, 2001) "Help" |
Knocked-down Cyclist | |
| 2004 | Agatha Christie – A Life in Pictures | Agatha Christie | |
| 2006 | Krakatoa – The Last Days | Johanna Beijerinck | |
| 2007 | Damage | Michelle Cahill | |
| 2008 | Miss Austen Regrets | Jane Austen | |
| 2009 | Dollhouse | Adelle DeWitt |
Theatre
| Year(s) of appearance |
Production | Role | Awards and nominations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Richard III (c. 1591) by William Shakespeare |
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| 2003 | Love's Labour's Lost (c. 1595–1596)4 by William Shakespeare Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London |
The Princess | |
| 2003 | The Hotel in Amsterdam (first performed 1968)5 by John Osborne Donmar Warehouse, London |
Annie | |
| 2006 | The Changeling (1653)6 by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley Cheek by Jowl production at the Barbican Centre, London |
Beatrice-Joanna |
Personal life
On 2 November 2003, Williams married American stage actor and playwright Rhashan Stone. The couple have two children, Esmé Ruby (born 6 April 2004) and Roxana May (born 7 April 2007).
Williams practises Bikram Yoga and rides a bicycle to sets when working on films. After filming The Postman, she spent time in Bolivia studying spectacled bears in the rainforest.78 Since 2006, she has written occasional travel reports for the "Independent Traveller" section of the British newspaper The Independent on Sunday.
Notes
- ^ a b c Gilbert, Gerard (15 November 2009). "Olivia Williams: 'I just do what I'm told'". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/olivia-williams-i-just-do-what-im-told-1818815.html. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (2001-01-20). "Dead good : Returning from Hollywood to star in British movies would be a step back for most, but Sixth Sense star Olivia Williams was tempted by sex, drugs and cruelty". The Guardian. http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,424380,00.html.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2008-04-03). "Olivia Williams cast in 'Dollhouse'". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i1773b9d1d4828bb0949984fd99f45dbe. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
- ^ Bassett, Kate (2003-03-02). "Love's Labour's Lost, NT Olivier, London; Honour, NT Cottesloe, London; The Green Man, Bush, London; Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Donmar Warehouse, London : Parting is such sugary sorrow". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article121190.ece.
- ^ Bassett, Kate (2003-09-21). "The Hotel in Amsterdam, Donmar Warehouse, London; A Woman of No Importance, Haymarket Theatre Royal, London; The Recruiting Officer, Garrick, Lichfield : Charming, funny... and totally vile". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article88038.ece. Taylor, Paul (2003-09-22). "The Hotel In Amsterdam, Donmar Warehouse, London : Lounging around can be highly entertaining". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article87979.ece.
- ^ Williams, Olivia (2006-05-04). "Diary of a nervous star : Olivia Williams, star of 'The Sixth Sense', is appearing on stage in 'The Changeling'. In her tour diary, she says it's scarier than Hollywood". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/features/article361917.ece. Coveney, Michael (2006-05-17). "The Changeling, Barbican, London". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article485784.ece. Bassett, Kate (2006-05-21). "The Changeling, Barbican, London : Lost in the labyrinth". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article549627.ece.
- ^ Hoggard, Liz (2003-04-13). "How we met? Olivia Williams & Susanna Paisley". The Independent on Sunday (republished on LookSmart). http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030413/ai_n12737588.
- ^ Ojumu, Akin (1999-07-04). "Everyone's talking about... Olivia Williams". The Observer. http://film.guardian.co.uk/Column/0,4541,63001,00.html.
Further reading
- "Getting personal with Olivia Williams". The Guardian. 1999-08-17. http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,,74553,00.html.
- Matheou, Demetrios (1999-08-20). "Olivia in La-La land : For years she was a jobbing actor in regional theatre. Then Olivia Williams got the call from Kevin Costner. She's never looked back". The Guardian. http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/interview/0,,75019,00.html.
- Brett, Anwar (2003-04-23). "Olivia Williams : The Heart of Me". bbc.co.uk. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/04/23/olivia_williams_the_heart_of_me_interview.shtml.
- Tennant, Laura (2003-04-25). "Olivia Williams : Growing up in public". The Independent. http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/features/article116513.ece.
External links
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