Olivia Haigh Williams (born 26 July 1968) is a British actress who has appeared in British and American films and television. Williams studied drama at the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...

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 ''The Postman'' is a post-apocalyptic dystopia science fiction novel by David Brin. It is about a man wandering the desolate Oregon countryside who finds a United States Postal Service uniform, which he puts on and then claims he is a mail carri ...

'', followed by '' Rushmore'' (1998) and ''

The Sixth Sense ''The Sixth Sense'' is a 1999 American psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It stars Bruce Willis as a child psychologist whose patient ( Haley Joel Osment) claims he can see and talk to the dead. Released ...

'' (1999). Williams also acted in the British films '' Lucky Break'' (2001), '' The Heart of Me'' (2002) and ''

An Education ''An Education'' is a 2009 coming-of-age drama film based on a memoir of the same name by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby. It stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright school ...

'' (2009). She continued acting in films such as ''

The Ghost Writer ''The Ghost Writer'' is a 1979 novel by the American author Philip Roth. It is the first of Roth's novels narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, one of the author's putative fictional alter egos, and constitutes the first book in his '' Zuckerman Bound ...

'' (2010), '' Hanna'' (2011), ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...

'' (2012), '' Hyde Park on Hudson'' (2012), ''

Sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

'' (2014), ''

Maps to the Stars ''Maps to the Stars'' is a 2014 internationally co-produced satirical drama film directed by David Cronenberg, and starring Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams, Sarah Gadon, and Evan Bird. The screen ...

'' (2014), '' Victoria & Abdul'' (2017), and '' The Father'' (2020). From 2017 to 2019, she played Emily Silk in the science fiction television series '' Counterpart''. In 2022, Williams portrayed

Camilla Parker Bowles Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

historical drama ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

'' in its fifth season, a role she reprised in its sixth and final season.

Early life

Williams was born in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. Both her parents are barristers. Williams was educated at

South Hampstead High School ) , established = as St. Johns Wood School , closed = , type = Independent day school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head ...

, an independent school for girls in Hampstead in north London, followed by

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicen ...

, from which she graduated with a degree in English literature. She then studied drama at the

for two years and spent three years at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Career

Olivia Williams (Berlin Film Festival 2010) 2

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 William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

'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 ''

'', after doing a screen test for

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

. She later won the lead role of Rosemary Cross in

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...

's '' Rushmore'' (1998). She then starred as

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

' wife in the blockbuster ''

'' (1999), a film she would later parody during her brief appearance in the British sitcom ''

Spaced ''Spaced'' is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes farcical and action-packed) misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bi ...

''. Since then, 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 The British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) is an organisation that celebrates, supports and promotes British independent cinema and filmmaking talent in United Kingdom. Nominations for the annual awards ceremony are announced in early November, ...

for Best Actress, and ''

'' (2009). She played Mrs. Darling in the 2003 film adaptation of ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

''. Williams was uncredited for her role as Dr.

Moira MacTaggert Dr. Moira MacTaggert (sometimes spelled ''MacTaggart'', ''McTaggart'', ''McTaggert''), more recently known as Moira X, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She first appeared in ''The Uncanny X-Men ...

in the 2006 film '' X-Men: The Last Stand''. On TV, Williams portrayed British author Jane Austen in ''

Miss Austen Regrets ''Miss Austen Regrets'' is a 2007 biographical drama television film directed by Jeremy Lovering and written by Gwyneth Hughes. It stars Olivia Williams as Jane Austen, with Imogen Poots, Greta Scacchi, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Edmondson and Ja ...

'' (2008) and was cast as Adelle DeWitt in Joss Whedon's ''

Dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy home made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North America ...

'', which ran on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

from 2009 to 2010. In 2010, she won acclaim for her performance as Ruth Lang in

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

's ''

Ghost Writer A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often ...

'', 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. In '' Hanna'' (2011), she played Rachel, a bohemian mother travelling across

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, who comes into contact with the eponymous teen assassin, who is on the run. The film starred

Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Una Ronan ( , ; born 12 April 1994) is an American-born Irish actress. Primarily known for her work in period dramas since adolescence, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations fo ...

Eric Bana Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana (), is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series '' Full Frontal'' before gaining notice in the comedy drama '' The Castle'' (19 ...

and Cate Blanchett, and was a critical and sleeper hit. In 2014, Williams co-starred in David Cronenberg's ''

'', a dark comic look at Hollywood excess. In 2014 she portrayed Meg Hamilton in the British mystery film ''

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

''. 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, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...

, for the final two seasons of ''

''. In 2000, Williams wrote the short story "The Significance of Hair" for

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

, and read it on the air.

Personal life

In the 1980s, she was associated with

Radek Sikorski Radek is a masculine Christian name of Slavic origin. It is often nickname of Radovan, Ctirad and Radoslav. It is used as a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Radek Baborák, Czech conductor and French ...

for several years. Williams had a seven-year relationship and then engagement to the actor

Jonathan Cake Jonathan James Cake (born 31 August 1967) is an English actor who has worked on various TV programmes and films. His notable screen roles include Jack Favell in '' Rebecca'' (1997), Oswald Mosley in '' Mosley'' (1997), Japheth in the NBC telev ...

which ended two weeks before their planned wedding. In 2003, she married the actor and playwright

Rhashan Stone Rhashan Stone is an American actor and comedian based in the UK. He is best known for appearing in many comedy shows such as ''Desmond's'' and ''Mutual Friends''. Stone is also a stage actor who has performed in numerous productions for The Ro ...

, with whom she has two daughters. After filming ''The Postman'', she spent time in Bolivia studying spectacled bears in the rainforest. Williams was diagnosed with

VIPoma A VIPoma or vipoma () is a rare endocrine tumor that overproduces vasoactive intestinal peptide (thus ''VIP'' + '' -oma''). The incidence is about 1 per 10,000,000 per year. VIPomas usually (about 90%) originate from the non-β islet cells of ...

in 2018 and, after treatment, became an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Awards and nominations

* 2001: '' Lucky Break'' ** Nominated: Empire Award for Best Actress * 2002: '' The Heart of Me'' ** Won: British Independent Film Award for Best Actress * 2009: ''

'' ** Nominated: London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year ** Nominated:

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Motion Picture is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest acting achievements in film. Winners and nominees : 1990s 2000s 2010s 2 ...

* 2010: ''

'' ** Won: London Film Critics Circle Award for British Supporting Actress of the Year ** Won:

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress The National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress is one of the annual awards given by the National Society of Film Critics. Winners * † = Winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress * ‡ = Nominated for the ...

** Nominated: Empire Award for Best Actress ** Nominated:

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress was an award given annually by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It was first introduced in 1977 to reward the best performance by a supporting actress. In 2022, ...

* 2023: ''

'': ** Nominated: SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Olivia 1968 births 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses Actresses from London Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge English Shakespearean actresses English dramatists and playwrights English film actresses English radio actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses Living people People educated at South Hampstead High School Actors from Camden Town Royal Shakespeare Company members Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School