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Olivia Colman Is the Queen of Film and Television

Olivia Colman Is the Queen of Film and Television

Olivia Colman has recently ascended as the (literal) queen of American entertainment, what with her Oscar-winning turn as Queen Anne in The Favourite, Oscar-nominated performance in The Father, and role as Queen Elizabeth in The Crown, which has earned her multiple Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe win. But for the Brits—and fans of U.K. television—Colman has long been a fixture, even ranking at the top of the Radio Times's 2018 list of the most powerful people in British television.

From a viewer's perspective, her success is immensely satisfying—both for her undeniable talent, and her reputation as a genuinely good person. If you're not already a passionate fan, sit back, relax, and become indoctrinated into the cult of Colman.

Even her early guest spots were on iconic British shows.

One of her first acting credits is for a character on The Office (the original British version, of course), and she later appeared in single episodes of Skins and Doctor Who.

Her first major role was in the beloved Peep Show.

She appeared in 33 episodes of the cult comedy, playing the on-and-off-again love interest of one of the main characters, Mark Corrigan. Among others, the show was created by writer Jesse Armstrong, who would go on to make The Thick of It (a political satire that continues to inform British culture) and HBO's Succession.


But her real big break came from 2011's Tyrannosaur.

It was actor-turned-director Paddy Considine who finally gave Colman a chance to show her serious side. "I always wanted to do these kinds of dramatic roles, and I always knew that no one saw me that way," Colman told the New York Times this past year. "Good old Paddy."

She first portrayed a Queen back in 2012.

Colman played Queen Elizabeth, the mother of the current British monarch, in Hyde Park on Hudson—a period piece centering on FDR, years before there was any talk of her appearing on The Crown.

Recently, she's starred in what seems like every critically acclaimed show coming out of Britain.

From playing a small-town cop on Broadchurch (created by Chris Chibnall, now the showrunner for Doctor Who) to an evil godmother on Fleabag (starring and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who's also behind the hit Killing Eve), Olivia Colman seems to have worked with every prestige U.K. television creator.

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

She kicked off her American crossover with an awards season darling.

Her first stateside award (a Golden Globe) was for another British import, The Night Manager, adapted from the novel by John le Carré—but Colman truly began to seep into the pop culture consciousness with her role in The Favourite.

Her portrayal of Queen Anne is compelling, and made all the better for her embrace of the abject. She put on 35 pounds for the part, and between the gout flare-ups and vomiting, Queen Anne hardly a sex symbol. For many image-conscious actresses, the role would be a non-starter, but for Colman, this was ideal. "I wasn’t meant to look nice or be nice, and it was liberating and brilliant," she told the New York Times. "I find it more embarrassing to try to look good."

Photo credit: YORGOS LANTHIMOS © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
Photo credit: YORGOS LANTHIMOS © 2018 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION

Her Oscars speech became something of a phenomenon.

When she accepted the Best Actress statue at the annual Academy Awards, Colman was still a relative unknown to U.S. audiences—but that quickly changed, after her brilliantly dotty speech went viral.

The actress seemed genuinely shocked to have won, and, at a loss, said "this is hilarious, I've won an Oscar!" It only got better from there.(If you haven't seen it yet, give yourself that two-minute and 11-second gift below.)

She's earned recognition at the Emmys and the Golden Globes for her work on The Crown.

Colman was nominated for Emmys for playing Queen Elizabeth in both The Crown's third and fourth seasons. The actress won a Golden Globe for her work in the show's third season, and was nominated for another after its fourth. And at the 2021 Golden Globes, Colman had the unique distinction of being nominated for Best Actress twice: for The Crown, and for her turn in the film The Father.

Despite all her success, Colman actually seems down-to-earth.

When Vanity Fair asked how she felt about her paycheck for The Crown (which, informed by a controversy over the pay gap between Claire Foy and Matt Smith, is quite substantial), Colman had this to say: "I’m fucking thrilled... We can fix the loo, which hasn’t worked for about three years."

She has a reputation for being brutally, refreshingly honest. When Vogue asked her about the pressures of working in an image-focused industry, she simply replied, "If someone doesn’t like me because of the size of my bum, they can fuck off. Because I’m quite a nice person to be with, actually."

She lives with her husband, children, and two dogs (the elder of which is, importantly, named Alfred, Lord Waggyson) in London.

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