Gillian Anderson's first big break came when she was cast in a starring role in FOX's THE X-FILES in September 1993. Her performance earned her an Emmy Award nomination for the 1995-96 season and a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in a Drama Series for the 1996-97 season. Earlier, Anderson had gained recognition as an actress for her off-Broadway performance in Alan Ayckborne's Absent Friends at the Manhattan Theater Club, for which she won a Theatre World Award. She also appeared in Christopher Hampton's The Philanthropist at the Long Wharf Theater.

Her love of theater began in high school, when she participated in community theater productions. Later, Anderson studied with the National Theatre of Great Britain at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and then at the Goodman Theater School at Chicago's DePaul University, where she obtained her B.F.A. degree.

Anderson's film and television credits include The Turning, produced by The Tribeca Film Center, and an episode of FOX's series Class of '96.