Gillian Anderson is ageless: good genes or a good surgeon?

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Am I a dork for admitting that I used to really like The X-Files? I used to love the series in the first three or four seasons. And then it got bad and I stopped paying attention, but because of my affection for those first seasons, I will probably always like Gillian Anderson. Gillian’s appearance has gone back and forth from “meh” to “bad” to “bombshell” over the years, but she’s looked like this for a while now. These are photos of Gillian in London (her current home), where she was attending the London Film Festival Awards last night. Gillian basically just works in the UK now, right? Pretty much.

Anyway, I keep seeing photos of Gillian promoting this, that and the other in England and I keep meaning to write about how great she looks these days, at the age of 43. I think she’s just one of those ladies who lost their “baby fat” from their face late in life (I’m still waiting for my baby fat to fall from my face), and suddenly they have cheekbones in their 40s. Or is that naïve? Is Gillian being helped out by some magical English surgeons? I’ve included some close-ups of her animated face on the red carpet, and… I have to say, she doesn’t really look tweaked to me. Her face moves with seeming normalcy, she’s not puffy or waxy, so I’m not detecting Botox or Restylane. She could have had her eyes done, but I’m kind of doubting that. They don’t look pulled or tight. I don’t even think she’s getting lip injections. Could it be that there’s a 43-year-old woman in the film and TV industry who hasn’t tweaked her face? Who just takes care of her skin? GASP. *clutches pearls*

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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65 Responses to “Gillian Anderson is ageless: good genes or a good surgeon?”

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  1. Mrs. Darcy says:

    She looks natural and good to me, apart from the crazy eyed stare.Her fake English accent is worse than Madonna’s though (this coming from an American who has lived in the U.K. for ten years and only has a slight little lilt); this woman sounds Merchant Ivory 24/7, ridiculous.

    • Brandi says:

      Her accent isn’t fake. She grew up in London (from age 2 to 11). The American accent was the “fake” one that she adopted upon moving back to the United States. Free speech is beautiful; educated speech is superior.

  2. neelyo says:

    She’s a really great actress. Loved her in BLEAK HOUSE. Her Lily Bart in HOUSE OF MIRTH was great too, though the movie let her down.

    She’s even more British than Madonna now.

  3. LittleDeadGrrl says:

    I wouldn’t put it past her to have some stuff done. I just think if she has it’s very minimal and done by someone very skilled. We’ve all seen good plastic surgery … we’re just more used to bad plastic surgery.

  4. truthSF says:

    Lol @kaiser clutching pearls. I am an X-file fan of the first four season as well, before they castrated the show, and she looks damn good no matter her age.

    There’s a recent blind out about 2 former costars, one married but estranged and the other single, having an affair, and it really sounds like it could be about her and Moulder, or atleast I hope so.

  5. Mrs. Darcy says:

    I agree she was amazing in Bleak House, Just to add that seeing as she works over here I get that she needs to be able to do an English accent, it just makes me cringe when she goes on talk shows and whatnot.

  6. Poison Ivy says:

    Always had a little thing for her and I was a big X-Files loony. I don’t see tweaking either, she is light skinned and definitely avoids sun exposure. That helps A LOT.

  7. Seal Team 6 says:

    Good genes and bone structure. She is aging great. You can see her face has lines, etc.

    Looking good, Scully.

  8. Seal Team 6 says:

    Anderson lived in the UK for quite a while as a child (I think from about birth to about 12 or 13), and came to America having an English accent.

  9. gee says:

    Shes gorgeous. She looks like a healthy (less foot-like) version of SJP.

  10. Eve says:

    Gillian Anderson is ageless: good genes or a good surgeon?

    Probably both. Good genes usually lead to good plastic surgery results (see Sharon Stone and Michelle Pfeiffer).

  11. mary simon says:

    she looks great, better than ever, actually.

  12. Quinnie88 says:

    She looks gorgeous i have to say I as well was a HUGE xfiles fan!! if she has had work its VERY minimal. she looks natural and i think she has beautiful green eyes.

  13. L says:

    She’s not a fake brit like Madonna. She was born in England. Lived in England til she was 11 or 12. If anything-she has a wonky American accent.

    I feel like her nose looks slightly tweaked from her x-files days, but other than that I can’t spot any fillers. Maybe a really light face lift.

  14. Eleonor says:

    She might have something done in the eye area, I find the shape slightly different from the XFiles days; but if she has done something was very very subtle,plus she has always avoided the sun, and this is paying her off.

  15. Green_Eyes says:

    As a huge X-Files Fan, can say British accent is Not fake. Love how beautifully she is aging… Think if she has had work done it is minimal and by a great surgeon. Hmm. Scully & Mulder in possible hook up?? Could it be all those yrs of not getting along behind the scenes could have been chalked up to sexual tension (been known to do that before). I hope it’s true! Go Scully…43 and fabulous)!!

  16. Lucinda says:

    She’s lost some weight and the baby fat. My face has done the same thing. I’m 40 and my cheekbones are much more prominent now than they were when I was younger. I also weigh about 10 lbs. less. It does make a different. She has about as many wrinkles as I do. Sometimes you just get good genes. Also, she probably has a great skin care regimen. With her fair skin, she probably has stayed out of the sun over the years (like me). And if she doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink much and exercises regularly (which I’m sure she does), you can look really good. I also think that many younger stars are aging prematurely so when someone looks more natural, we think they look young.

  17. Kaye says:

    She looks great. And I loved the X-Files so admit me to Dorkville.

  18. lin234 says:

    You guys should do a post on Madeleine Stowe who plays Victoria on Revenge. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found out she’s 53 years old! She’s flawless still.

    Gillian is looking great. I doubt she even has botox. She can move her forehead! She’s also really thin compared to her x-files days. Just look at her shoulders!

  19. bros says:

    botox, but otherwise she’s looking good. she might have had some stuff done to her eyes as she looks different there than she used to.

  20. inthekitchen says:

    I’m still waiting to lose my baby fat from my ass…yeah, that’s it.

    Seriously though, I agree with the others – I think she’s just lost weight since the X-Files days. I don’t remember her being so skinny back then. She looks really good, wrinkles and all!

  21. N.D. says:

    she looks natural to me and not ageless at all meaning she looks her age and it becomes her.

  22. Elizabeth says:

    @ Kaye
    It will be plenty crowded in Dorkville. Move over and make space for me!

  23. rtms says:

    I barely recongnized her in Johnny English reborn, she looked so different.She has lost a lot of weight and I think done something to her face, she looked gaunt in the film and tired.

  24. theaPie says:

    Maybe some botox between the eyes? Other than that, she’s thinner than the x-files days, so that would account for the bones showing in her face now. I vote pretty much natural aging going on here – looking good Gillian!

  25. Anguishedcorn says:

    She’s beautiful, and looks completely natural. And her arms are making me think about getting back into a push-up routine. Perfect definition, but not over-done.

  26. Darlene says:

    FLAWLESS.

    This is a woman who doesn’t spend time in the sun.

  27. Pyewacket says:

    I loved all seasons of the X-Files.

    As for Gillian, she is not a Madonna, faking an accent, that is her.

    She looks good. Definitely NO Botox. Her face moves and is not all puffy like Botoxed women. She just has taken care of herself.

  28. Adrien says:

    She looks great, but girl doesn’t know how to pose. She’s slightly awkward.

  29. Alphabitch says:

    the most horrid dress, EVER!!!! did she try to come as a a Snow White’s step-mother?!?!? C’mon, Gill! You can do better!!!

  30. lucy2 says:

    She looks fabulous!
    I loved the first few seasons of the X Files too. I always think of her as so much older, because I had no idea she was so young when she did that show.

  31. Mani says:

    What are you guys talking about?
    Gillian looks great and doesn’t look at if she had anything done. 43 its old and I don’t exactly understand what you expect her to look like.

    Rock on Gillian 40 is the new 20 and you didn’t look 30 when you were, more like 20.

    p.s. if you watch her interviews she has explained her accent 100s of time, better yet WIKi or imbd her info.

  32. mln76 says:

    I heart Agent Scully she’s such a beautiful woman, and her face looks natural to me I am sure that her make-up is helping.

  33. Gwen says:

    She looks amazing! My cheekbones are also making an appearance finally at 35, so I think most of her looks could be natural.

  34. Lindy says:

    This is how aging gracefully is done. She looks amazing–and if she has had work done, it can’t be much, because there are no telltale signs. And I love the Xfiles!

  35. Princess Lizabeth says:

    She looks much better than she did in “X-Files” days.

  36. bokchoi says:

    totally natural i think – and i LOVE the dress!

  37. Jen34 says:

    As other people have noted, Gillian is English.

    She looks beautiful and natural. I’m a huge fan as well. Perhaps living in England instead of sunny LA contributed to her aging well. (side-eye at Kate Winslet)

  38. Katherine says:

    I’m another one whose cheekbones “appeared” when my face “settled.” Aging has many blessings. Who knew? LOL!

    Anderson is only 43. What do people expect a 43 year old to look like? People with good genes look good well into their 50s. Gaining too much weight, however, can age you faster than any lines on your face can.

  39. original kate says:

    gorgeous.

  40. Mika says:

    I`m going to say she doesn`t have anything done. My Mum was never super attractive in her thirties, but after 40 the fat started to fall from her face and her skin, which had always been super oily, didn`t wrinkle that much and now has a really nice glow. She`s 55 now and still looks like she`s in her early forties. Yes, all my friends ask me if she`s had a face lift, but as far as I know, the worst thing she puts in her face is eye cream. Some women just get lucky.

  41. Bad Fairy says:

    I cringed when I heard her speak also. It may not be “fake” but it certainly became full blown real fast. I met her while she still lived here once. She certainly didn’t sound like the Queen’s handmaid like she does now.

  42. Mouse says:

    Loooooved the X-files! Love Gillian too, she looks fantastic and natural. If she’s had any work done, it was very minimal. She’s aging gracefully and it shows.

  43. Suzy from Ontario says:

    She looks amazing and it’s so nice not to see duck lips. I can’t stand when women get their lips all puffed up and think it looks good. Plus she has wrinkles when she raises her eyebrows. I like it! She looks real and beautiful! I heard she and David Duchovny might be together, does anyone know if that’s true?

  44. Katija says:

    I would say not plastic surgery per se, but good dermatology. I think she is crazy under rated – the Scully character could have been the biggest cardboard character in the history of TV, but Gillian always brought a ton of depth and soul. She deserves to have more great roles.

  45. Zzzzzzzzz says:

    The X-Files was the best show of all time. For me anyway. That show still rocks my socks off. And Gillian looks fantastic. She’s ageing oh so gracefully.

  46. Happy21 says:

    I’m still a dork. I have all seasons and all movies of X-Files. I enjoyed it even when it changed for the worse.

    Love Gillian Anderson. She is a beauty. She may have had something done but she still looks incredibly natural.

  47. Original Tiffany says:

    I loved the X-files! I’m 42 and I think she looks amazing. I haven’t had a thing done and if you take care of yourself and have good genes, this is a totally believable look. Us ol’ gals are looking great these days:)

  48. The Bobster says:

    Am I a dork for admitting that I used to really like The X-Files? I used to love the series in the first three or four seasons. And then it got bad and I stopped paying attention

    __________

    The same thing has happened to “Fringe”. Did they recently hire a batch of bad writers or did the old ones just run out of storylines?

  49. MissyA says:

    I was too young to realize X-Files went down the toilet (until the glaringly obvious John Dogget), so I loved Mulder and Scully
    unabashedly.

    Gillian looks radiant and *gasp* age appropriate. If she had work done, it’s subtle and understated. Beautiful woman who knows when to say “when”.

  50. Faye says:

    Beautiful!! I think she’s just taken really good care of her skin because she looks pretty natural. If she’s had a tweak, it must have been minor because she looks very untweaked.

  51. midnightmoon says:

    the skin on her neck, shoulders, and upper arms is FLAWLESS. i’d say that gives us a hint that she just knows how to take good care of herself. her facial expressions and poses are really really bad, though. she looks so amazing in that dress, and if she tried to tone herself down, i’d be thrilled with her look. but i gotta say, i see not a single sign of surgery anywhere. good job, Jillian! (i was never a huge fan, but think she was stunning from the get-go.)

  52. KatScorp says:

    *GASP* @Missy A!

    Leave my Doggett aloooooone!!! He saved the last two seasons for me – no lie. I didn’t want Mulder back. It was Annabeth Gish’s character I could have done without.

    Gillian Anderson smokes, or at least she used to. Also, she had two pregnancies close together in her late 30s (Oscar and Felix). But staying out of the sun and eating well (and her strict pilates regime) goes a long way. And her British accent isn’t fake, it’s just a little omni because she lived in America from 14-34.

  53. Strawberrygirl says:

    43 isn’t even old and I’m 26! I think she looks great either way.

    I know a lot of people guessed on that blind that DD and GA were now together, but I don’t think it’s true. Unless there’s a picture or someone has seen them with their own two eyes, I call BS.

  54. Whiny Dancer says:

    I love that Gillian and David Duchovny had such good chemistry on the show that 15-odd years later, people are still speculating that they might be together.

    Gillian is gorgeous. At 15 I wanted to be her when I grow up; at 31, I still do. 🙂

  55. JT says:

    She clearly has gotten nothing done. It becomes very obvious when someone has gotten botox when they move their face. Reese got botox for “Water for Elephants”. When she frowned only the very top portion of her forehead would crease. It looked so bizarre.

  56. runswithscissors says:

    wow, have we really forgotten what a normally aging caucasian woman looks like? I’d like to see photos of 40-something celebs in the 70’s compared with photos of 40-something celebs now. We need a benchmark for what 40 yr old caucasians are supposed to look like before the comments can bear any weight…

  57. murt says:

    She looks gorgeous!

    Watched a few recent interviews with her and her accent is hilarious – she only speaks in an English accent with other English people – with anyone else, she still speaks in an American accent. It’s similar to John barrowman and his on and off Scottish accent. They both say they can’t help the accent – that speaking with others who have similar accents triggers it – and that it’s genuine – both lived in the uk as kids but moved to the USA when they were very young.

    I recently had an experience which makes me think these types of stop/start accents are genuine. I was speaking to my mom on the phone at work, and when i finished my coworker started laughing – he said that i was speaking in a strong Indian English accent with my mom (my mom is Indian and speaks English kind of like frieda pinto). I was born and raised in north America and didn’t even realize I was speaking like that to my mom!

    So I suppose it is possible to change accents subconsciously!

  58. murt says:

    I should also say that I also have a friend who was born and raised in north America but has Indian parents. She speaks English with an American accent normally, but when she speaks to her parents she starts speaking automatically with an Indian accent! She never realized it until other people told her.

    It’s kind of weird! Funny how our brains work…

  59. MB says:

    Wow. What a hottie.

    Love her.

  60. English rose says:

    Gillian Anderson is English which explains her “fake’ accent and her complexion !

  61. Lisa says:

    All those trips aboard the UFO were for Botox. Still hot.

  62. Egbert says:

    Honestly, how can anyone whinge about actresses looking “starved” in one post, and then applaud Gillian’s appearance in this one? She’s 43, coated in makeup, and about 2 stone lighter than she used to be on X-Files. Also, let’s not forget that 43 doesn’t mean ‘elderly’… she looks as she should, given the time and money she has to spend on herself, even without botox.

  63. Violet says:

    Gillian looks great, but I don’t think she’s had any work done. She’s only 43, plus she stays out of the sun.

  64. yako says:

    Gillian Anderson is NOT English, she lived there for a few years when she was a child and her accent is quite fake!