Olivia Williams

Olivia Haigh Williams, born 26 July 1968, is a distinguished British actress recognized for her roles in both British and American films and television. Her journey into acting began with two years of drama studies at the esteemed Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, after which she spent three significant years at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her first substantial screen role was as Jane Fairfax in the British television film Emma (1996), adapted from Jane Austen's novel. Williams further ventured into film with her debut in The Postman (1997) and then appeared in classics such as Rushmore (1998) and The Sixth Sense (1999). Other appearances include the British films Lucky Break (2001), The Heart of Me (2002), and An Education (2009), as well as leading roles in the Ghost Writer (2010), Hanna (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), Sabotage (2014), Maps to the Stars (2014), Victoria & Abdul (2017), and The Father (2020).

From 2017 to 2019, she played Emily Silk in the science fiction television series Counterpart. Williams has recently taken on the role of Camilla Parker Bowles in Netflix's historical drama The Crown in its final two seasons airing from 2022 to 2023. With a career spanning across theatre, film, and television, Williams has showcased her versatility and skills as an actress. Her personal life is equally interesting. After a seven-year relationship with actor Jonathan Cake that ended abruptly, in 2003, she married actor and playwright Rhashan Stone, with whom she has two daughters. Williams is also an ambassador for Pancreatic Cancer UK after she was diagnosed with VIPoma in 2018.