Age, Biography, and Wiki
Olivia Colman (born Sarah Caroline Sinclair, née Colman) was born on January 30, 1974, making her 51 years old in 2025. Colman is a highly acclaimed English actress known for her work in both comedy and drama. She graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and rose to fame with her role in the cult sitcom Peep Show (2003–2015). Colman has been honored with an Academy Award, multiple BAFTA Awards, Golden Globes, and Emmys. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019 for her services to drama.
| Occupation | Stage Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 30 January 1974 |
| Age | 51 Years |
| Birth Place | Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | England |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Olivia Colman's official height is approximately 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm). Her weight and body measurements are not officially published, reflecting her preference for privacy regarding personal details.
| Height | 5 feet 6 inches |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Olivia Colman is married to Ed Sinclair, a writer and actor. The couple has been together for many years and has three children. There are no reports of dating or relationship issues.
For her portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in the period black-comedy film The Favourite (2018), Colman won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She received further Academy Award nominations for her performances in the dramas The Father (2020) and The Lost Daughter (2021). Her other notable film credits include Tyrannosaur (2011), The Iron Lady (2011), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), Locke (2013), The Lobster (2015), Empire of Light (2022), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), Wonka (2023), Wicked Little Letters (2023), and Paddington in Peru (2024).
She was privately educated at Norwich High School for Girls and then sixth form at Gresham's School in Holt, Norfolk. Colman's first role was Jean Brodie in a school production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at age 16. She cites her mother's interrupted career as a ballet dancer as an inspiration to pursue acting professionally. Colman spent a term studying primary education at Homerton College, Cambridge before studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, from which she graduated in 1999. During her time at Cambridge, she appeared in the Channel 4 series The Word in 1995 under her nickname "Colly", auditioned for the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club and met future co-stars David Mitchell and Robert Webb.
In 2018, she traveled to India to trace her family history, which included ancestors that were both posted in India and, possibly, were actually Indian, as well (specifically, the mother of her great great great grandmother, Harriott Slessor).
In 2007, Colman starred as Alice in the comedy film Grow Your Own and as PC Doris Thatcher in the action comedy film Hot Fuzz. She also played a lead role in Paddy Considine's short film Dog Altogether. She appeared in October and November 2008 in the BBC sitcom Beautiful People (based on the life of Simon Doonan) as Debbie Doonan, Simon's mother. Colman made a guest appearance in the episode "Naomi" of the series Skins as Naomi's mother, Gina. In 2009, she appeared as the character Bernice in the episode "Small Mercies" of the ITV mystery-crime series Midsomer Murders.
Colman had a lead role in 2010 as Alex Smallbone, the wife of an inner-city vicar, in the BBC sitcom Rev. starring Tom Hollander; the series ran from 2010 to 2014. She guest-starred that year in "The Eleventh Hour" episode of Doctor Who, Matt Smith's debut as the Eleventh Doctor. Colman appeared the following year in the BBC drama Exile, written by Danny Brocklehurst and starring John Simm and Jim Broadbent. From 2011 to 2012, she played Ian Fletcher's (Hugh Bonneville) lovelorn secretary Sally Owen in Twenty Twelve, a comedy series about planning for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Colman starred with Anthony Hopkins in Florian Zeller's 2020 film adaptation of his stage play, The Father, which focuses on an elderly man dealing with memory loss. The film premiered to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. It began a limited release on 26 February 2021, after originally being scheduled for release on 18 December 2020. Hopkins and Colman received widespread praise for their performances, as did the film for its accurate depiction of dementia. It received six Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and Colman received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In 2021, she had roles in the drama films Mothering Sunday and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and in the animated science fiction comedy films The Mitchells vs. the Machines and Ron's Gone Wrong. Colman was executive producer and starred with David Thewlis in the HBO true-crime miniseries Landscapers created by her husband, Ed Sinclair. The series and Colman's performance were critically praised.
Colman also starred that year in Maggie Gyllenhaal's psychological drama The Lost Daughter, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante. Her performance was critically praised and she earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role, in addition to her second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2022, Colman appeared as Sarah Nelson, the mother of Kit Connor's character Nick Nelson, in the Netflix coming-of-age series Heartstopper, and received the inaugural Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Performance for her performance in the first season.
Inspired by her research for the film Tyrannosaur, in 2014, Colman became the patron of the UK charity Tender, which uses theatre and the arts to educate young people about preventing violence and sexual abuse. Colman has said that domestic violence prevention can make a difference in the lives of young people. Other charity work included participating in the Alzheimer's Society's Holkham Hall Memory Walk in September 2013. Colman's great-grandmother suffered from dementia and her mother was involved in running a nursing home for patients. She has also supported charity campaigns for the Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal for the terminally ill.
For her portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in The Favourite (2018), she received the Academy Award for Best Actress, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. For her performance in The Father (2020), she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance in The Lost Daughter (2021), Colman was nominated for the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for her services to drama.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Ed Sinclair (m. 2001) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
Olivia Colman has an estimated net worth of $12 million as of 2025. Her annual salary is reported to be around $280,643, though this figure may vary depending on specific projects and endorsements. It is widely acknowledged that Colman has spoken publicly about gender pay disparity in the entertainment industry, expressing that she would earn significantly more if she were a man.
Career, Business, and Investments
Colman’s career spans stage, television, and film. She broke through with roles in Peep Show, Green Wing, and That Mitchell and Webb Look. Her dramatic performances in Broadchurch (2013–2017), The Night Manager (2016), and The Crown (2019–2020, as Queen Elizabeth II) solidified her reputation as one of Britain’s finest actresses.
She has received three Academy Award nominations, winning Best Actress for The Favourite (2018). Other notable film credits include The Father (2020) and The Lost Daughter (2021). Colman continues to be active in both mainstream and independent productions, and her business ventures primarily center on her acting career and related endorsements.
Colman presented two of the 2013 Mind Media Awards, which celebrate accurate, responsible and sensitive portrayals of mental health across the media. Colman believes that "the media industry has huge influence and with that comes a responsibility to contest the stigma that sadly still exists, through accurate representation". She has spoken openly to the Big Issue about her experience of postnatal depression after the birth of her first child.
Social Network
Olivia Colman maintains a relatively low profile on social media. She does not have an official Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook account under her own name.
Colman made her professional acting debut in 2000 at age 26 as part of the BBC Two comedy sketch show, Bruiser. She has appeared in a number of BBC, ITV and Channel 4 television series, such as People Like Us, Look Around You, Black Books, The Office and The Time of Your Life. Colman provided the voice-over for Channel 5's poll for Britain's Funniest Comedy Character.
Education
Olivia Colman studied acting at the prestigious Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, where she honed her craft and began building the foundation for her successful stage and screen career.
A graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Colman's breakthrough came in the Channel 4 sitcom Peep Show (2003–2015). Her other comedic roles on television include Green Wing (2004–2006), That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006–2008), Beautiful People (2008–2009), Rev. (2010–2014), Flowers (2016–2018), and Fleabag (2016–2019). Colman received the BAFTA Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for the comedy series Twenty Twelve (2011–2012) and Best Supporting Actress for the crime series Accused (2012).
Colman had to adopt a different stage name when she began working professionally because Equity (the UK actors' union) already had an actress named Sarah Colman. "One of my best friends at university was called Olivia and I always loved her name," Colman told The Independent in 2013. "I was never Sarah; I was always called by my nickname, Colly, so it didn't seem so awful not to be called Sarah."
While performing in a late-1990s Footlights production of Sir Alan Ayckbourn's Table Manners, Colman met Ed Sinclair, a third-year law student who had become disillusioned with law and preferred to write. Colman and Sinclair married in August 2001 and have three children. They live in Herne Hill, south London. Their professional collaborations include the 2021 miniseries Landscapers created and co-written by Sinclair, and the films Wicked Little Letters (2023) and The Roses (upcoming) which they produced together; Colman played the female lead in all of these works.
