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Olivia Williams

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Olivia Williams
Born
Olivia Haigh Williams
Occupation(s)Film, stage and television actress
Years active1992–present
SpouseRhashan Stone (2003–present)
AwardsBest Actress, British Independent Film Awards (2003)

Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British film, stage and television actress from England who has appeared in British and American films.

Biography

Early life

Olivia Haigh Williams was born on 26 July 1968 in Camden Town, London, England.[1] Both her parents are barristers.[2] She graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge with a degree in English literature,[1] then studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years.

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, which aired in the US on the A&E Network.

Williams' cinema debut was in 1997 in The Postman, after doing a screen test for Kevin Costner. She later beat four well-known actresses for the lead role of Rosemary Cross in Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998).[3] She then starred as Bruce Willis's 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 appeared uncredited as Dr. Moira MacTaggert in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand. On TV, Williams acted as British author Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets (2008) and will star as a principal character in Joss Whedon's upcoming show Dollhouse, expected to premiere in January 2009 on Fox.[4]

In 2000 she wrote and read the short story The Significance Of Hair for BBC Radio.

Selected works

Film

Year(s)
of appearance 		Film Role Awards and nominations
1997 Beck Karen Quinn
1997 Gaston's War Nicky
1997 The Postman Abby
1998 Rushmore Rosemary Cross
1999 The Sixth Sense Anna Crowe
2000 Four Dogs Playing Poker Audrey
2000 Born Romantic Eleanor
2000 Dead Babies Diana
2001 The Body Sharon Golban
2001 A Knight's Tale Phillipa Chaucer (uncredited)
2001 Lucky Break Annabel Sweep/Lady Hamilton in show
2001 The Man from Elysian Fields Andrea
2002 The Heart of Me Madeleine
2002 Below Claire
2003 To Kill a King Lady Anne Fairfax
2003 Peter Pan Mrs. Darling
2005 Valiant Victoria (voice)
2005 Tara Road Ria
2005 Mockingbird Mother
2006 X-Men: The Last Stand Moira MacTaggert (uncredited)
2007 There for Me
2008 Flashbacks of a Fool Grace Scott
2008 An Education TBA

Some information in this table was obtained from "Olivia Williams : Filmography". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2007-09-23.

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
2008 Dollhouse Adelle DeWitt

Some information in this table was obtained from "Olivia Williams : Filmography". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2007-09-23.

Theatre

Year(s)
of appearance 		Production Role Awards and nominations
1995 Richard III (c. 1591)
by William Shakespeare
2003 Love's Labour's Lost (c. 1595–1596)[6]
by William Shakespeare

Olivier Theatre, Royal National Theatre, London

The Princess
2003 The Hotel in Amsterdam (first performed 1968)[7]
by John Osborne

Donmar Warehouse, London

Annie
2006 The Changeling (1653)[8]
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.[9][10] The couple have two children, Esmé Ruby (born 6 April 2004)[1][11] and Roxana May (born 7 April 2007).[10]

Williams practices Bikram Yoga and rides a bicycle to sets when working on films.[1][12] After filming The Postman, she spent time in Bolivia studying spectacled bears in the rainforest.[13][14] Since 2006, she has written occasional travel reports for the "Independent Traveller" section of the British newspaper The Independent on Sunday.[1]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Biography for Olivia Williams". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  2. ^ "Olivia Williams Biography (1968– )". Film Reference. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  3. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2008-04-03). "Olivia Williams cast in 'Dollhouse'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-05-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b "Awards for Olivia Williams". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  6. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Taylor, Paul (2003-09-22). "The Hotel In Amsterdam, Donmar Warehouse, London : Lounging around can be highly entertaining". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ 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. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Coveney, Michael (2006-05-17). "The Changeling, Barbican, London". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help) Bassett, Kate (2006-05-21). "The Changeling, Barbican, London : Lost in the labyrinth". The Independent. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "Olivia Williams to marry". Contactmusic.com. 2003-08-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) "Williams' whirlwind romance". Contactmusic.com. 2005-03-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Biography for Rhashan Stone". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2007-01-18.
  11. ^ "Olivia Williams pregnant". Contactmusic.com. 2003-10-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) "Olivia Williams' pro breast-feeding stance". Contactmusic.com. 2004-08-12. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Olivia's cycling passion". Contactmusic.com. 2003-07-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Hoggard, Liz (2003-04-13). "How we met? Olivia Williams & Susanna Paisley". The Independent on Sunday (republished on LookSmart). {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Ojumu, Akin (1999-07-04). "Everyone's talking about... Olivia Williams". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

References

Further reading

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