Olivia Williams

{{short description|British actress (born 1968)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Olivia Williams

| image = Olivia Williams July 9, 2014 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Williams in 2014

| birth_name = Olivia Haigh Williams

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|07|26|df=yes}}

| birth_place = North London, England

| occupation = Actress

| alma_mater = Newnham College, Cambridge
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

| years_active = 1992–present

| spouse = {{Marriage|Rhashan Stone|2003}}

| children = 2

}}

Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who appears in British and American films and television. Williams studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years followed by three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first significant screen role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television film Emma (1996), based on Jane Austen's novel.

She made her film debut in 1997's The Postman, followed by Rushmore (1998) and The Sixth Sense (1999). Williams also acted in the British films Lucky Break (2001), The Heart of Me (2002) and An Education (2009). She continued acting in films such as The Ghost Writer (2010), Hanna (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), Sabotage (2014), Maps to the Stars (2014), Victoria & Abdul (2017), and The Father (2020).

From 2017 to 2019, she played Emily Silk in the science fiction television series Counterpart. From 2022 to 2023, Williams portrayed Camilla Parker Bowles in Netflix's historical drama The Crown in its final two seasons.

Early life

Williams was born in North London.[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/olivia-williams-the-actor-on-poor-pay-for-women-in-hollywood-bill-murray-and-bolivian-spectacled-bears-10007006.html "Olivia Williams: The actor on poor pay for women in Hollywood, Bill Murray, and Bolivian spectacled bears"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925145449/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/olivia-williams-the-actor-on-poor-pay-for-women-in-hollywood-bill-murray-and-bolivian-spectacled-bears-10007006.html |date=25 September 2015}}. The independent. Retrieved 24 May 2015 Both her parents are barristers.

Williams was educated at South Hampstead High School, an independent school for girls in Hampstead in north London, and Newnham College, Cambridge, where she graduated with a degree in English literature. She then studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years and spent three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company.{{cite news |first=Gerard |last=Gilbert |title=Olivia Williams: 'I just do what I'm told' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/olivia-williams-i-just-do-what-im-told-1818815.html |work=The Independent |date=15 November 2009 |access-date=15 November 2009 |location=London |archive-date=6 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906191727/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/olivia-williams-i-just-do-what-im-told-1818815.html |url-status=live}}

Career

File:Olivia Williams.jpg

File:Olivia Williams (Berlin Film Festival 2010) 2.jpg (2010)]]

File:Olivia Williams (Berlin Film Festival 2010) cropped.jpg

After graduation, Williams worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London. In 1995, she toured the United States in the National Theatre 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.

Williams made her film debut in the 1997 movie The Postman, after doing a screen test for Kevin Costner. She later won the lead role of Rosemary Cross in Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998).{{cite news|last=Hodgkinson|first=Will|title=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|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,424380,00.html|newspaper=The Guardian|date=20 January 2001|location=London|access-date=30 May 2006|archive-date=23 June 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060623183733/http://film.guardian.co.uk/interview/interviewpages/0,,424380,00.html|url-status=live}} She then starred as Bruce Willis' wife in the blockbuster The Sixth Sense (1999), a film she would later parody during her brief appearance in the British sitcom Spaced.{{fact|date=October 2024}}

In 2000, Williams wrote the short story "The Significance of Hair" for BBC Radio and read it on the air.{{Cite web |url=http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/o/op/opening_lines.html |title=Opening Lines |access-date=27 September 2011 |archive-date=4 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404013550/http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/o/op/opening_lines.html |url-status=live}}

Since 2001, Williams has appeared in several British films, including Lucky Break (2001), The Heart of Me (2002), for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bifa.film/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313201815/http://www.bifa.org.uk/winners/2003|url-status=dead|title=British Independent Film Awards · BIFA|archivedate=13 March 2013|website=BIFA · British Independent Film Awards}} and An Education (2009). She played Mrs. Darling in the 2003 film adaptation of Peter Pan. Williams was uncredited for her role as Dr. Moira MacTaggert in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand.{{Cite web |date=24 June 2022 |title=Exclusive: Gillian Anderson Joins Marvel In Major Role |url=https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/exclusive-gillian-anderson-marvel.html |last=Martin |first=Michileen |access-date=25 June 2022 |website=Giant Freakin Robot |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=19 January 2018 |title=15 Actors You Completely Forgot Were In X-Men Movies |last=Pereira |first=Sergio |url=https://screenrant.com/x-men-actors-completely-forgot-roles/ |access-date=25 June 2022 |website=ScreenRant |language=en-US}}

On TV, Williams portrayed British author Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets (2008) and was cast as Adelle DeWitt in Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, which ran on Fox from 2009 to 2010.{{cite news|title=Olivia Williams cast in 'Dollhouse' |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=3 April 2008 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i1773b9d1d4828bb0949984fd99f45dbe |access-date=16 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510070544/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i1773b9d1d4828bb0949984fd99f45dbe |archive-date=10 May 2008 |url-status=dead}}

In 2010, Williams won acclaim for her performance as Ruth Lang in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, winning the National Society of Film Critics Award, London Critics Circle Film Award for best supporting actress and was runner-up for best supporting actress at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2010.{{fact|date=October 2024}}

In Hanna (2011), Williams played Rachel, a bohemian mother travelling across North Africa and Europe, who comes into contact with the eponymous teen assassin, who is on the run. The film starred Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, and was a critical and sleeper hit. In 2014, Williams co-starred in David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars, a dark comic look at Hollywood excess.{{cite news|title=Mia Wasikowska & More Join David Cronenberg's 'Maps To The Stars,' Some Story Details Revealed|work=The Playlist |url=http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/mia-wasikowska-more-join-david-cronenbergs-maps-to-the-stars-some-story-details-revealed-20130508|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-date=3 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603025727/http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/mia-wasikowska-more-join-david-cronenbergs-maps-to-the-stars-some-story-details-revealed-20130508|url-status=live |last1=Jagernauth |first1=Kevin }} In 2014 she portrayed Meg Hamilton in the British mystery film Altar.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/92377/altar-scares-up-a-uk-dvd-release-as-the-haunting-of-radcliffe-house/ |title=Altar |date=9 March 2015 |access-date=9 March 2015 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151400/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/92377/altar-scares-up-a-uk-dvd-release-as-the-haunting-of-radcliffe-house/ |url-status=live}}

In 2017, Williams began appearing in the Starz science-fiction series Counterpart, playing Emily, the wife of lead character Howard Silk. In one universe she is still married to him, but her counterpart in the other universe is divorced from him. In 2021, she was cast as Camilla Parker Bowles, for the final two seasons of The Crown.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/olivia-williams-my-big-royal-comeback-now-im-playing-camilla-in-the-crown-9prhg3n09|title=Olivia Williams: My big royal comeback — now I'm playing Camilla in The Crown|last=Smith|first=Julia Llewellyn|work=The Times|date=5 February 2022}}

Personal life

Williams had a seven-year relationship and then engagement to the actor Jonathan Cake which ended two weeks before their planned wedding. In 2003, she married the actor and playwright Rhashan Stone, with whom she has two daughters.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jan/09/theatre |location=London |work=The Guardian |first=Maddy |last=Costa |title=Maddy Costa talks to actor Olivia Williams |date=9 January 2008 |access-date=12 December 2016 |archive-date=17 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617115624/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jan/09/theatre |url-status=live}}

After filming The Postman, she spent time in Bolivia studying spectacled bears in the rainforest.{{cite news|last=Hoggard|first=Liz|title=How we met? Olivia Williams & Susanna Paisley|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030413/ai_n12737588|work=The Independent on Sunday (republished on LookSmart)|date=13 April 2003|access-date=23 September 2007|archive-date=3 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103190400/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20030413/ai_n12737588|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Ojumu|first=Akin|title=Everyone's talking about... Olivia Williams|url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/Column/0,4541,63001,00.html|newspaper=The Observer|date=4 July 1999|location=London|access-date=11 July 2006|archive-date=18 June 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060618120333/http://film.guardian.co.uk/Column/0,4541,63001,00.html|url-status=live}}

Williams was diagnosed with VIPoma in 2018 and, after treatment, became an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/news-and-blogs/actor-olivia-williams-becomes-pancreatic-cancer-uk-ambassador/|title=Olivia Williams becomes Pancreatic Cancer UK ambassador|date=6 November 2019|website=Pancreatic Cancer UK}}

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+

! Year

! Film

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan="3"|1997

| Beck

| Karen Quinn

|

Gaston's War

| Nicky

|

data-sort-value="Postman, The" | The Postman

| Abby

|

1998

| Rushmore

| Rosemary Cross

|

1999

| data-sort-value="Sixth Sense, The" | The Sixth Sense

| Anna Crowe

|

rowspan="3"|2000

| Four Dogs Playing Poker

| Audrey

|

Born Romantic

| Eleanor

|

Dead Babies

| Diana

| aka Mood Swingers

rowspan="3"|2001

| data-sort-value="Body, The" | The Body

| Sharon Golban

|

Lucky Break

| Annabel Sweep / Lady Hamilton in show

|

data-sort-value="Man from Elysian Fields, The" |The Man from Elysian Fields

| Andrea

|

rowspan="2"|2002

| data-sort-value="Heart of Me, The" | The Heart of Me

| Madeleine

|

Below

| Claire

|

rowspan="2"|2003

| To Kill a King

| Anne Fairfax

|

Peter Pan

| Mrs. Darling

|

rowspan="3"|2005

| Valiant

| Victoria (voice)

|

Tara Road

| Ria

|

Mockingbird

| Mother

|

2006

| X-Men: The Last Stand

| Moira MacTaggert

| Uncredited{{Cite web |date=28 November 2023 |title=Report: The Nevers{{-'}} Olivia Williams Joins The Wheel of Time Season 3 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/report-nevers-olivia-williams-joins-223129220.html |access-date=18 December 2023 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}

rowspan="2"|2008

| Flashbacks of a Fool

| Grace Scott

|

Broken Lines

| Zoe

|

2009

| data-sort-value="Education, An" | An Education

| Miss Stubbs

|

rowspan="2"|2010

| data-sort-value="Ghost Writer, The" | The Ghost Writer

| Ruth Lang

|

data-sort-value="Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" | Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

| Betty Dury

|

rowspan="3"|2011

| Collaborator

| Emma Stiles

|

Hanna

| Rachel

|

Wild Bill

| Kelly

|

rowspan="3"|2012

| Anna Karenina

| Countess Vronskaya

|

Now Is Good

| Mother

|

Hyde Park on Hudson

| Eleanor Roosevelt

|

rowspan="2"|2013

| data-sort-value="Last Days on Mars, The" | The Last Days on Mars

| Kim Aldrich

|

Justin and the Knights of Valour

| Queen (voice)

|

rowspan="3"|2014

| Sabotage

| Caroline Brentwood

|

Maps to the Stars

| Cristina Weiss

|

Altar

| Meg Hamilton

|

rowspan="2"|2015

| Seventh Son

| Mam Ward

|

Man Up

| Hilary

|

2016

| data-sort-value="White King, The" | The White King

| Sophia (voice)

|

2017

| Victoria & Abdul

| Jane Spencer

|

2020

| data-sort-value="Father, The" | The Father

| The Woman

|

2023

| data-sort-value="Trouble with Jessica, The" | The Trouble with Jessica

| Beth

| {{cite web|url= https://collider.com/the-trouble-with-jessica-trailer/|website=Collider|access-date=3 April 2024|title= The Trouble With Jessica Trailer: Indira Varma Causes Chaos at Dinner|first=Simbiat|last=Ayoola|date=1 February 2023}}

2024

| Another End

| Juliette

|

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

rowspan="2"|1992

| Van der Valk

| Irene Kortman

| Episode: "Still Waters"

data-sort-value="Ruth Rendell Mysteries, The" | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries

| Jennifer Norris

| Episode: "The Speaker of Mandarin"

1996

| Emma

| Jane Fairfax

| Television film

1998

| Friends

| Felicity

| 2 episodes

2000

| Jason and the Argonauts

| Hera

| 2 episodes

2001

| Spaced

| Knocked-down cyclist

| Episode: "Help"

2004

| Agatha Christie: A Life in Pictures

| Agatha Christie

| rowspan="4" | Television film

2006

| Krakatoa: The Last Days

| Johanna Beijerinck

2007

| Damage

| Michelle Cahill

2008

| Miss Austen Regrets

| Jane Austen

2009–2010

| Dollhouse

| Adelle DeWitt

| Main role

2010

| Terriers

| Miriam Foster

| Episode: "Change Partners"

2011–2012

| Case Sensitive

| Charlie Zailer

| 4 episodes

2014

| Salting the Battlefield

| Belinda Kay

| Television film

2014–2015

| Manhattan

| Liza Winter

| Main role

2017

| data-sort-value="Halcyon, The" | The Halcyon

| Lady Hamilton

| 8 episodes

2017–2019

| Counterpart

| Emily Burton Silk

| Main role

2020

| Homemade

| Queen (voice)

| Episode: "Voyage Au Bout De La Nuit"

2021–2023

| data-sort-value="Nevers, The" | The Nevers

| Lavinia Bidlow

| Main role

2022

| Ten Percent

| Olivia Williams

| Episode #1.2

2022–2023

| data-sort-value="Crown, The" | The Crown

| Camilla Parker Bowles{{cite web |last=Nugent |first=Annabel |date=30 April 2021 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/netflix/the-crown/the-crown-olivia-williams-camilla-parker-bowles-b1840076.html |title=The Crown: Olivia Williams set to play as Camilla Parker Bowles in season five and six |work=The Independent |access-date=2 May 2021}}

| Main role (seasons 56)

2023

| Funny Woman

| Gloria

| Episode #1.6

rowspan="2" | 2024

| Dune: Prophecy

| Tula Harkonnen

| Main role

data-sort-value="Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The" | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

| Winterblossom the Entwife (voice)

| Episode: "Eldest"

2025

|The Wheel of Time

| Morgase Trakand

| Main role; season 3

TBA

|Monster

|Alma Reville

|Main role; season 3{{Cite web |last=Otterson |first=Joe |date=2024-10-15 |title='Monster' Season 3 Casts Laurie Metcalf as Ed Gein's Mother, Tom Hollander as Alfred Hitchcock and Olivia Williams as Alma Reville (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/monster-season-3-cast-laurie-metcalf-tom-hollander-olivia-williams-1236178705/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

=Theatre=

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Olivia Williams theatre roles

! Year

! Production

! Role

! Venue

1995

| Richard III

| Maid / Nurse / Mistress

|

rowspan="2"|2003

| Love's Labour's Lost{{cite news|last=Bassett|first=Kate|title=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|url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article121190.ece|newspaper=The Independent|date=2 March 2003}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

| The Princess

| Olivier Theatre, National Theatre, London

data-sort-value="Hotel in Amsterdamn, The" | The Hotel in Amsterdam{{cite news|last=Bassett|first=Kate|title=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|url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article88038.ece|newspaper=The Independent|date=21 September 2003}}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} {{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Paul|title=The Hotel In Amsterdam, Donmar Warehouse, London : Lounging around can be highly entertaining|url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article87979.ece|newspaper=The Independent|date=22 September 2003}}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

| Annie

| Donmar Warehouse, London

2006

| data-sort-value="Changeling, The" | The Changeling{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Olivia |title=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 |url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/features/article361917.ece |newspaper=The Independent |date=4 May 2006 |location=London}}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} {{cite news|last=Coveney|first=Michael|title=The Changeling, Barbican, London|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article485784.ece|newspaper=The Independent|date=17 May 2006|access-date=7 September 2017|archive-date=5 February 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205070009/http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article485784.ece|url-status=dead}} {{cite news|last=Bassett|first=Kate|title=The Changeling, Barbican, London : Lost in the labyrinth|url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/theatre/reviews/article549627.ece|newspaper=The Independent|date=21 May 2006}}{{Dead link|date=September 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}

| Beatrice-Joanna

| Cheek by Jowl production at the Barbican Centre, London

2011

| In a Forest, Dark and Deep{{cite journal|last1=Billington|first1=Michael|title=In a Forest Dark and Deep – review|journal=The Guardian|date=14 March 2011|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/mar/15/in-a-forest-dark-and-deep-review|issn=0261-3077|access-date=26 February 2017|archive-date=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203135333/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/mar/15/in-a-forest-dark-and-deep-review|url-status=live}}

| Betty

| Vaudeville Theatre, London

2015

| Waste

| Amy O'Connell

| Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, London

2017

| Mosquitoes{{cite journal|last1=Billington|first1=Michael|title=Mosquitoes review – sparring sisters collide in Lucy Kirkwood's science stormer|journal=The Guardian|date=26 July 2017|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jul/26/mosquitoes-review-lucy-kirkwood-olivia-colman-olivia-williams|issn=0261-3077|access-date=10 September 2017|archive-date=9 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909104155/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2017/jul/26/mosquitoes-review-lucy-kirkwood-olivia-colman-olivia-williams|url-status=live}}

| Alice

| Dorfman Theatre, National Theatre, London

2019

| Tartuffe

| Elmire

| Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, London

2022

| Marys Seacole{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/apr/30/olivia-williams-i-have-unattractive-knees-they-have-taken-offence-at-my-scathing-remarks-and-decided-to-stop-functioning |title=Olivia Williams: 'I have unattractive knees. They have taken offence at my scathing remarks and decided to stop functioning' |website=TheGuardian.com |date=30 April 2022}}

| May

| Donmar Warehouse, London

Awards and nominations

Notes

{{Reflist|2}}

Further reading

  • {{Cite news |title=My Story – Olivia Williams |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/my-story--olivia-williams-1196318.html |work=The Independent on Sunday |date=6 September 1998 |location=London}}
  • {{Cite news |title=Getting personal with Olivia Williams |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/feature_story/0,,74553,00.html |work=The Guardian |date=17 August 1999 |location=London}}
  • {{Cite news |last=Matheou |first=Demetrios |title=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 |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/interview/0,,75019,00.html |work=The Guardian |date=20 August 1999 |location=London}}
  • {{Cite news |last=Brett |first=Anwar |title=Olivia Williams: The Heart of Me |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/04/23/olivia_williams_the_heart_of_me_interview.shtml |publisher=BBC |date=23 April 2003}}
  • {{Cite news |last=Tennant |first=Laura |title=Olivia Williams: Growing up in public |url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/film/features/article116513.ece |work=The Independent |date=25 April 2003 |location=London}}{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}