Olivia Colman on the set of The Queen

Olivia Colman: Early Life, Career & Net Worth

If you have watched The Lost Daughter, then you know Olivia Colman.

Olivia was also awarded the CBE in 2019 for her services to Drama. Additionally, Colman is also a part of the cast of The Crown.

Most importantly, Olivia is the only actress to win the BAFTA TV in Actress, Comedy Actress, and Supporting Actress categories.

Olivia with her Oscar
Olivia Colman with her Oscar

The humble actress is one of a kind and is considered one of the elite British actresses.

In this article, you will find details about the life of this Oscar-winning actress Olivia. Firstly, here are some of the quick facts about Olivia Colman.

Quick Facts

Full Name Sarah Caroline Olivia Sinclair CBE
Stage Name Olivia Colman
Known For The Favourite
Date of Birth January 30, 1974
Age 50 Years Old
Place of Birth Norwich, Norfolk, England
Current Residence South London, England
Profession Actress
Active years 1999-Present
Nationality British
Father Keith Colman
Mother Mary Colman
Siblings
Marital Status Married
Spouse Ed Sinclair
Children 3
School Gresham’s School, Norfolk
High School Norwich High School for Girls
College  Homerton College, Cambridge University
Alma Mater Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Languages English
Religion Christianity
Ethnicity English, Irish, French and distant Scottish
Complexion White
Zodiac Sign Aquarius
Favorite Actor Ian McKellen
Favorite Actress Helen Mirren
Favorite Movies It’s a Wonderful Life
Height In feet: 5ft 7in
In centimeters: 170 cm
Weight In Kilograms: 60 kg
In Pounds: 132 lbs
Body Measurements 36-28-35 inches
Body Type  Slim
Shoe Size 8 US
Dress Size 5 US
Hair Color Dark Brown
Eye Color Hazel
Net Worth $6 million
Social Media Instagram
Last Updated April 2024

Olivia Colman: Early Life, Education, and Family

Olivia Colman was born as Sarah Caroline Olivia Colman on January 30, 1974, in Norwich, England.

This British actress was born to parents Keith Colman and Mary Colman.

Furthermore, her father, Keith, was a chartered surveyor, whereas her mother, Mary, was a nurse.

Colman was educated at the Norwich High School for Girls. Likewise, her parents enrolled her in the Gresham’s School in Norfolk.

At the age of 16, Olivia got her first role in a school play named The Prime of Muss Jean Brodie, where she played Jean Brodie.

Additionally, as Colman grew up, she took inspiration from her mother to pursue acting professionally.

Besides, Sarah also studied primary teaching at Homerton College. During her days at Cambridge, Olivia appeared in The Word, a Channel 4 series, in 1995.

A childhood picture of Colman
A childhood picture of Colman

Sarah was nicknamed Colly back then. Later on, Olivia decided to study Drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Likewise, she graduated from the school in 1999. Furthermore, Colman auditioned for the Footlights Dramatic Club of Cambridge University.

Colly had to adopt a stage name as there was already an actress named Sarah Colman, so she chose Olivia Colman.

Before choosing acting as her professional job, Olivia was a cleaner at an unknown company.

Likewise, Colman was part of Who Do You Think You Are?.

Olivia Colman: Age, Height, and Weight

Olivia Colman is currently 50 Years Old.

In addition, Colly is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs about 60 Kilograms. Her body measurements are 36-28-35 inches.

Moreover, the British actress has Dark Brown colored hair and Hazel colored eyes.

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Olivia Colman: Career

Start of an Incredible Career

Colman’s career started with her playing in Bruiser, a BBC2 comedy sketch show, in 2000.

Likewise, after the directors loved her work, she featured in many Channel 4, BBC, ITV series like The Office, People Like Us, etc.

Additionally, Colly became a regular feature in many BBC Radio 4 comedies; some of them were Concrete Cow, The House of Milton Jones, Think the Unthinkable, etc.

Colly is the voice of Mink in Hut 33. The following year, Olivia played in many advertisements.

Besides, Colman appeared in the television advertisement of AA car insurance alongside Mark Burdis.

Also, she provided the voice for Andrex, a toilet paper brand. She gave the voice-over for a gorilla in the Glade air freshener advertisement.

Most importantly, Colman became famous as she got to play a part in Peep Show, the Channel 4 comedy.

Colly worked alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb and played the role of Sophie.

In addition, this actress was featured in The Mitchell & Webb Situation and The Mitchell vs. the Machines.

Additionally, as her agents told her to leave the show’s program, she left the shows. But, Olivia still appeared on the Peep Show until 2015.

Similarly, Colly featured in a recurring role in Green Wing, a surreal comedy from 2004 to 2006.

Furthermore, she played in Confetti, a mockumentary film, in 2006 and claimed it as the worst experience of her life.

In 20007, Sarah played in two comedy movies, Grow Your Own and Hot Fuzz.

Furthermore, Colman was the lead actress in Dog Altogether. In 2008, Olivia cameoed in Beautiful People, a BBC sitcom.

Most importantly, Colman did a cameo in Skins, in one episode called Naomi.

Gaining Fame

In 2010, Colman got the leading role in the BBC sitcom rev, alongside Tom Hollander. Additionally, the sitcom ran from 2010 to 2014.

Most importantly, Olivia did a cameo in an episode of Doctor Who.

In 2011, Colly was cast in Exile, the BBC drama starring Jim Broadbent and John Simm.

Likewise, Colman played the role of Sally Owen from 2011 to 2012 in Twenty Twelve, a comedy series about the Olympic Games, London 2012.

Again, the same year, Olivia starred in Tyrannosaur, which went to become a solid movie.

The critically acclaimed movie helped Colly win the BIFA Award for Best Performance by an Actress.

Similarly, Colman played in The Iron Lady, the drama film which won the Academy Award.

Most importantly, she won the Award for British Actress of the Year awarded by the London Film Critics’ Circle in 2011.

In 2013, Olivia was cast in Broadchurch, a crime drama series where she played the role of DS Ellie Miller.

Olivia Colman with a broad smile
Olivia smiling for a picture

The same year Colly was nominated for an Emmy and a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress.

Alike, she starred in The Thirteenth Tale as Margaret Lea opposite Vanessa Redgrave. Her subsequent work came in 2015 in The Lobster, an absurdist dystopian film.

The actress received the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2015 for her incredible performance in the movie.

Besides, in 2016, Colman played in the BBC miniseries The Night Manager, for which she won a Golden Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Colly starred in Flowers, the Channel 4 black comedy. Similarly, Olivia gave voice to Strawberry in Watership down, an animated Netflix miniseries.

Most importantly, in 2017, Colman co-starred in Murder on the Orient Express, where she played the role of Hildegarde Schmidt.

Recent Years

In 2018, Colly played the role of Queen Anne in The Favourite. In addition, Olivia starred opposite Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.

Most importantly, Colly gained 16 kg weight in preparation for her role in the movie. Additionally, she won 3 awards for her incredibly realistic performance in the critically acclaimed film.

Similarly, Colman gave an incredible Academy Awards acceptance speech which was good, and the fans loved it.

Correspondingly, in 2018, Olivia played the role of Madame Thernardier in Les Miserables, the BBC miniseries.

Again, Olivia starred in the third and fourth seasons of The Crown, where she played the role of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Netflix historical drama series helped her win three awards. In 2020, Colman starred in the film adaptation of The Father.

Likewise, in 2021, Colly got the lead role in Empire of Light, a romantic drama film. Surprisingly, she also acted in The Lost Daughter alongside Paul Mescal, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, sister of Jake Gyllenhaal, directed this movie in 2021.

Interestingly, in April, she joined the cast of Secret Invasion, the Disney+ MCU series. Similarly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe series will be released in 2022.

Moreover, in 2023, Colman will feature in the musical film Wonka.

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Olivia Colman: Philanthropy

The actress is the patron of Tender, a UK Charity which educates young people about violence and sexual abuse.

Likewise, Olivia has worked in the Alzheimer’s Society’s charity event.

Colman has also provided support for the charity of Marie Curie, which helps terminally ill people.

Furthermore, Olivia is also the patron of the blood cancer charity, which helped a friend of hers.

Similarly, in 2014, Colly raised her voice on behalf of the women of Afghanistan.

She was involved in the BBC Radio documentary, where she read out the stories of the unheard Afghani women who were suffering.

Additionally, Olivia warned the UK not to abandon them to the Taliban.

Furthermore, Colly became the president of UNICEF UK in 2020; she was an ambassador since 2015.

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Olivia Colman: Husband and Children

There is no history of Colly dating anyone except her husband. In addition, Olivia married Ed Sinclair in 2001.

Furthermore, Sinclair is also an actor like Olivia; her talented husband is also a writer who graduated from Cambridge University.

Most importantly, the pair fell in love at very first sight.

Olivia with her husband Ed.
Olivia with her husband, Ed.

Also, Ed Sinclair was a law student who loved writing and reading law cases. After their marriage, Colman and Sinclair moved to South London, 

The couple is blessed with three children. In addition, Hall Sinclair, Finn Sinclair, Baby Girl Sinclair are their children’s names.

Olivia Colman: Net Worth

Sarah Caroline Olivia Sinclair, aka Olivia Colman, has an estimated net worth of around $6 million.

Moreover, most of her income is generated through her movie and television roles. She also earns some revenue through endorsement deals.

Some of the brands she sponsors are Danone Actimel, The National Lottery, and AA Car Insurance & Loans.

Olivia Colman: Social Media Presence

Colman is only known to be active on Instagram. Likewise, the dynamic actress has around 84k followers on her account.

She mostly posts about memories from the past.

Olivia Colman: Fun Facts

  • In the voice-over for Andrex, Olivia said, “be kind to your behind.”
  • Olivia wanted to be a teacher before considering acting as her professional job.
  • Colly is an advocate of the group Hacked Off.
  • Olivia got her husband, Ed, to steal a roll of toilet paper from Buckingham Palace, One for the collection!
  • Colman has two dogs named Alfred and Lord Waggyson.
  • While filming, The Night Manager, her character was not meant to be pregnant, but she became pregnant; thus, the writers incorporated it.

Olivia Colman: FAQs

Has Olivia Colman worked with Josh O’Connor?

Yes, Colman has worked with O’Connor.

In fact, they have worked together on three different projects named Les Miserables, The Crown, and Mothering Sunday.

Are Olivia Colman and Tom Hardy related?

Olivia and Tom are not related, but the same agent represents them. Similarly, Colman and Hardy have worked together in Locke and London Road.

Why was Olivia Colman awarded the CBE?

Colman was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.

Further, she got the title of CBE for her services to Drama in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

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