Portrait of Olivia Colman

Birthday profile

Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman, English actress

Born
January 30, 1974
Age in 2026
52
Zodiac sign
Aquarius
Birth year
1974

About Olivia Colman

Sarah Caroline Sinclair (née Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress noted for her versatility across both comedic and dramatic roles in film and television. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, four BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. 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 earned acclaim for her performance in the ITV crime-drama series Broadchurch (2013–2017), for which she received the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress, and in the BBC One thriller series The Night Manager (2016–2026), for which she received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She played Queen Elizabeth II from 2019 to 2020 in the Netflix period drama series The Crown, for which she received the Golden Globe Award and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. Her other television credits include Les Misérables (2019), Landscapers (2021), Heartstopper (2022–2023), and The Bear (2023–2025). Colman achieved wider recognition for her portrayal of Anne, Queen of Great Britain in the period black-comedy film The Favourite (2018), which won her 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), Paddington in Peru (2024), and The Roses (2025). Colman's first role was Jean Brodie in a school production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at age 16. Although Colman expected that her family tree would mainly relate to Norfolk, it was discovered that her fourth great-grandfather Richard Campbell Bazett had been born on St. She won the London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actress of the Year for both roles. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

The world when Olivia Colman was born

Olivia Colman was born in 1974. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1974

  • #1 song"The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand
  • Top movieThe Godfather Part II
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookJaws – Peter Benchley

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentHank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's all-time home run record (715)
  • Top headlinePresident Nixon resigns from office
  • Technology milestoneUniversal Product Code (UPC barcode) scanned for the first time
  • Defining fadStreaking
  • Notable inventionPost-it Note bookmark prototype
  • World population4.01 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRichard Nixon / Gerald Ford
  • Sports championOakland Athletics (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population213.9M

1974 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Olivia Colman's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19742026
Gas$0.53$3.45/gal
Average home$25,200$435,000
Average income$14,200$67,500
Minimum wage$2.00$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$1.87$11.95
Postage stamp$0.10$0.73
Population213.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.