Olivia Colman Age, Husband, Net Worth & Biography

Olivia Colman is an English actress who spent years as one of British television’s best-loved comedy performers before becoming one of the most decorated dramatic actresses in the world. Born on 30 January 1974 in Norwich, England, the 52-year-old won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Favourite (2018) and has since added an Emmy, a shelf of BAFTAs and three Golden Globes to a career that spans comedy, crime drama, period film and the stage.

Olivia Colman Quick Facts

Full Name	Sarah Caroline Colman
Date of Birth	30 January 1974
Age	52 years old (as of 2026)
Birthplace	Norwich, Norfolk, England
Occupation	Actress
Years Active	2000–present
Spouse	Ed Sinclair (m. 2001)
Children	3
Known For	The Favourite; Broadchurch; The Crown
Net Worth	Approx. $12 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2026)

Who Is Olivia Colman?

Olivia Colman is an Academy Award-winning English actress whose career is a masterclass in slow, steady ascent. For her first decade on screen she was a fixture of British comedy, best known as Sophie Chapman in the cult sitcom Peep Show (2003–2015). Then, in her late thirties, she turned to drama and revealed herself as one of the finest actors of her generation, winning a BAFTA for Broadchurch, a Golden Globe for The Night Manager and, in 2019, the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite.

What makes Colman remarkable is her range. She has played a dowdy detective, a glamorous monarch, a grieving mother, a spy chief and a foul-mouthed schoolteacher, and she is equally convincing in each. She has won an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards, and in 2019 she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to drama. She is also president of UNICEF UK, a role she has held since 2020. Like Keira Knightley, she is one of the British actresses whose work defines contemporary screen acting on both sides of the Atlantic.

Olivia Colman’s Early Life & Background

Sarah Caroline Colman was born on 30 January 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, the daughter of Mary, a nurse, and Keith Colman, a chartered surveyor. She was educated at Norwich High School for Girls and at Gresham’s School, where she took her first acting role at 16, playing Jean Brodie in a school production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. After leaving school she spent a term studying primary education at Homerton College, Cambridge, before deciding to train as an actor.

Colman studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating in 1999. It was during a 1997 production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Table Manners that she met Ed Sinclair, an actor and writer who would become her husband. They married in August 2001 and have three children. Her first television appearance came in 2000, in the BBC sketch show Bruiser, and from there she began the steady climb through British comedy that would make her a household name.

Olivia Colman’s Career

Colman’s breakthrough came in comedy. She played Sophie Chapman, the long-suffering girlfriend and later wife of Mark Corrigan, in Channel 4’s Peep Show from 2003 to 2015, and she was a regular in the surreal hospital comedy Green Wing (2004–2006) and the sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006–2008). She won her first BAFTA, for Best Female Comedy Performance, for the BBC Olympics satire Twenty Twelve (2011–2012), and a second BAFTA, for Best Supporting Actress, for the Jimmy McGovern drama Accused (2012). Film roles followed, including Hot Fuzz (2007), Tyrannosaur (2011) and The Iron Lady (2011), in which she played Carol Thatcher.

The turning point came in 2013, when Colman took the role of Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller in ITV’s crime drama Broadchurch. The series was a phenomenon, and her performance won her the BAFTA for Best Actress. She followed it with a Golden Globe-winning turn as intelligence officer Angela Burr in The Night Manager (2016) and then, in 2018, with the role that changed everything: Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite. Her portrayal of the frail, volatile monarch won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. She went on to play Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix’s The Crown (2019–2020), winning a Golden Globe and a Primetime Emmy, and earned two further Oscar nominations, for The Father (2020) and The Lost Daughter (2021), the latter of which she also executive-produced. Like Emilia Clarke, she has played queens on screen, but Colman’s range runs from monarchs to murder suspects and back again.

In recent years Colman has kept up a remarkable pace. She starred in and executive-produced the true-crime drama Landscapers (2021), which was created by her husband Ed Sinclair, played Sarah Nelson in the hit series Heartstopper (2022–2023), winning a Children’s and Family Emmy, and appeared as Chef Andrea Terry in the acclaimed series The Bear (2023–2025). She played Miss Havisham in the BBC’s Great Expectations (2023), Sonya Falsworth in Marvel’s Secret Invasion (2023), and starred in the films Wonka (2023), Wicked Little Letters (2023), Paddington in Peru (2024), The Roses (2025) and Jimpa (2025). In 2026 she is set to play Mrs Bennet in a new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and she has the film Wicker and the thriller Cry Wolf in the works.

Facts About Olivia Colman

• Colman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018).
• She has won an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
• She played Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix’s The Crown (2019–2020).
• She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 Birthday Honours for services to drama.
• She has been president of UNICEF UK since 2020, having served as an ambassador for the charity since 2015.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Olivia Colman?

Olivia Colman is 52 years old. She was born on 30 January 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England.

What is Olivia Colman’s net worth?

Olivia Colman’s net worth is approximately $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth (2026).

Who is Olivia Colman’s husband?

Olivia Colman’s husband is Ed Sinclair, an actor and writer. They met during a 1997 stage production, married in August 2001 and have three children.

What is Olivia Colman best known for?

Olivia Colman is best known for winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Favourite (2018), for playing DS Ellie Miller in Broadchurch and for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown.

What is Olivia Colman doing now?

Olivia Colman starred in the films The Roses and Jimpa in 2025. In 2026 she is set to play Mrs Bennet in a new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and she continues to serve as president of UNICEF UK.

More Trending Profiles: Keira Knightley | Emilia Clarke | Sophie Turner | Jodie Comer