KOOL TV BABE OF THE WEEK: GILLIAN ANDERSON - BEYOND "THE X-FILES"

Beyond THE X-FILES! Gillian Anderson: popular actress and quirky world-wide sex symbol. Image: ULIKE.

Breaking the mould of small screen TV heroines in playing compassionate and dedicated scientist/FBI agent Dana Katherine Scully, investigating the dark and dangerous recesses of THE X-FILES for nearly ten years, the excellent and gorgeous actress Gillian Anderson has escaped any typecasting worries she may have had from the long term sci-fi/horror hit to become an excellent character actress of note, appearing in a wide variety of varying degrees of successful UK theatre and worldwide films, from comedy (HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE) to drama (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND), in between 1993 and 2002, and beyond. She was marvellous, and awards nominated, as the tragic Lady Dedlock in the 2005 BBC dramatisation of Charles Dickens BLEAK HOUSE, held her own as main lead in the sad and poignant story of Lily Bart, a singular woman beyond her time, in the movie THE HOUSE OF MIRTH, brought the controversial Mrs. Wallis Simpson to life in CHANNEL FOUR's recent ANY HUMAN HEART, and is now playing a bitter, twisted and money hungry brothel keeper of the Victorian era, Mrs Castaway, in the ambitious new, star-studded BBC TV adaptation (starting tonight) of Michael Faber's acclaimed 2002 period novel THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE, about the life and fortunes of what looks like a seemingly ordinary family of the time and their links/involvement within a seedy new world of sex and debauchery, and how the poor often had no choice but to become embroiled in it if they were to survive, that would become so prevalent and shocking for its time.

In her most famous role, as Dana Scully, alongside David Duchovny as Fox Mulder in THE X-FILES. Image: FOX.

As the controversial Mrs Wallis Simpson in ANY HUMAN HEART. Image: CHANNEL FOUR. 

As brothel owner Mrs Castaway in the upcoming CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE. Image: BBC.

As the tragic, haunted figure of Lady Dedlock in the acclaimed BLEAK HOUSE. Image: BBC.

Pussy galore! Anderson as Pamela Head in JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN. Image: UNIVERSAL. 

Mostly living in the UK these days, and finding challenging and diverse work here (hopefully she'll also bring some much needed good laughs to the next Rowan Atkinson starring JOHNNY ENGLISH spy comedy (the first was pretty awful!), playing his upper crust Stella Rimmington/M17 boss, Pamela Head), Miss Anderson's spirited and quirky personality, sense of humour, and good acting instincts, look set to keep her in fine life and career stead for a long while to come...