Anecdotes

Worked as a cleaner before becoming an actress.

Convinced director Susanne Bier to hire her for the role of Angela Burr on The Night Manager (2016) despite the fact she was heavily pregnant with her third child by making reference to how well Frances McDormand's pregnant character Marge Gunderson worked on the movie Fargo (1996). Coincidentally, it was McDormand who handed Olivia the Best Actress Oscar for her role in La Favorite (2018).

She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Drama. (2019)

She asked for her character on Peep Show (2003) to be characterized as less likable, after convincing the writers that her behavior and treatment of David Mitchell's character had been poor.

She felt so nervous singing the Portishead song "Glory Box", which she did for the album "BBC Children in Need: Got It Covered", that she requested Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her sister Isobel Waller-Bridge to be present and play ukulele to calm her down.

Olivia's three children, Finn (13), Hal (11) and baby daughter (3) all watched her win the Best Actress Academy Award for La Favorite (2018) at the home of her agent Lindy King in Los Angeles (February 24, 2019).

As of 2017, she is the only actress to have played both HM Queen Elizabeth II and her mother Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Colman played the latter in Week-end royal (2012) and the former in The Crown (2016).

The only person to win BAFTA TV awards in three different categories: Actress, Comedy Actress, and Supporting Actress.

Has three children with her husband Ed Sinclair: two sons, Finn Sinclair (b. August 2005) and Hal Joseph Sinclair (b. August 2007), and one daughter (b. August 2015).

Met future husband Ed Sinclair while at the University of Cambridge. They have been together since 1993.

Considers working on Confetti (2006) as a mistake and the worst acting experience she had of all the projects on which she has worked.

Returned to work jibe months after giving birth to her daughter to begin filming the final series of Broadchurch (2013).

Was Eight months pregnant with her daughter when she completed filming The Night Manager (2016).

Despite playing Helena Bonham Carter's older sister on The Crown (2016), Colman is actually eight years younger than her in real life.

August is her family month. She married in August 2001 and welcomed her three children in August of 2005, 2007, and 2015.

Is the daughter of Mary (Leakey), a nurse, and Keith Colman, a chartered surveyor.

Is just 16 years older than Josh O'Connor and 18 years older than Erin Doherty who play her children on The Crown (2016). They also all appeared in episodes of Les Misérables (2018), although Doherty did not have any scenes with Colman or O'Connor.

Called Glenn Close her idol when winning Oscar over her in 2019.

Born on the same date as Christian Bale. They both were nominated for Oscars in 2019 and she won.

Both she and Helena Bonham Carter have played Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in separate projects; Bonham Carter in Le Discours d'un roi (2010) and Colman in Week-end royal (2012). Together they played the Queen Mother's daughters on The Crown (2016). The actresses have also both played the role of Madame Thénardier; Bonham Carter in Les Misérables (2012) and Colman in Les Misérables (2018).

Has starred in four films with Paddy Considine and appeared in his first two directorial efforts.

Studied drama and graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS). (1999)

Has collaborated with Paddy Considine in five films. Three of these he appeared alongside her in such as Hot Fuzz (2007), Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee (2009) and The Murder in Angel Lane (2013) with him directing her in Dog Altogether (2007) and Tyrannosaur (2011).

Has the same agent as Tom Hardy. They have worked together in Locke (2013) and London Road (2015).

Olivia's very first role, at age 16, was as Jean Brodie in a school production of Muriel Spark's "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".

When she won the Oscar for her first acting nomination with La Favorite (2018), she joined the ranks of other winners for first nominations such as, Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse (1936)), Katina Paxinou (Pour qui sonne le glas (1943)), Harold Russell (Les Plus Belles Années de notre vie (1946)), Mercedes McCambridge (Les fous du roi (1949)), Shirley Booth (Reviens petite Sheba (1952)), Eva Marie Saint (Sur les quais... (1954)), Jo Van Fleet (À l'est d'Eden (1955)), Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins (1964)), Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl (1968)), Tatum O'Neal (La barbe à papa (1973)), Timothy Hutton (Des gens comme les autres (1980)), Haing S. Ngor (La déchirure (1984)), Marlee Matlin (Les enfants du silence (1986)), Anna Paquin (La Leçon de piano (1993)), Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls (2006)), Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave (2013)).

Has worked alongside Josh O'Connor on three separate projects: on Les Misérables (2018), The Crown (2016), and Entre les lignes (2021).