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The 16 Best Olivia Colman Movies And TV Shows That Prove She's Got The Range
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Vote up the Olivia Colman movies and TV shows that really showcase her talent.
Some actors effortlessly steal every scene they’re in, and Olivia Colman happens to be one of them. The English actress and producer didn’t just appear in The Crown as the fascinating Queen Elizabeth II out of nowhere; she's been active in the entertainment field since 2000, piling up fans and accolades as seamlessly while portraying a wide range of compelling characters on TV, the big screen, and the stage.
Her big break came in the dark sitcom Peep Show, in which she played Sophia Chapman, the main character’s love interest who spirals down into drug and alcohol abuse. Since then, she's had a steady climb toward international fame playing every kind of character, from bitter wives to misandrist advisors and strong and composed rulers.
Colman has an impressive number of awards to her name, and she definitely deserves the recognition each one of her roles gets. Look below at some of her wide-ranging projects and vote for the ones where she truly impresses.
- 112 VOTES
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Premise: Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, this psychological drama centers on Leda Caruso (Colman), a divorced mother of two who is an English teacher. While vacationing alone at the beach in Greece, she meets another family and is then flooded by unpleasant thoughts and troubling memories, mainly in relation to her daughters. It’s introspective and disturbing, but it ends on a hopeful note that will speak to women in general and overwhelmed mothers in particular.
How Does She Shine? Leda is a flawed and troubled person who has made controversial decisions, yet she gives off a composed vibe. Plagued by her past (she did the unthinkable act of leaving her infant children for years to pursue an affair), she eventually comes to terms with it and picks herself up again. Not many performers would have been able to elevate someone as seemingly banal as Leda to a moving and relatable woman and mother, but Colman excels at it.
More The Lost Daughter
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- 219 VOTES
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Premise: Based on a screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favorite is a joint American, Irish, and British production. The story begins in 1705 and follows the ambitious Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz), who exerts influence on the troubled Queen Anne (Colman) and becomes her advisor and companion (while also subtly manipulating her).
Enter Abigail Hill (Emma Stone), Sarah’s penniless cousin, who ousts her and takes her place as the Queen’s confidante and lover. Will it be Sarah or Abigail who eventually tricks her way into securing this position for the long run?
How Does She Shine? It’s no wonder this triumphant role earned Colman an Oscar; she masterfully toys with the court (and the audience) as the unpredictable and temperamental Queen Anne. She easily transitions between her character’s many facets - eccentric, frail, sensual, vulnerable, intimidating, chilling - all while she takes pains to juggle personal drama and political threats.
More The Favourite- #259 of 704 onThe All-Time Greatest Comedy Films
- #72 of 80 onThe Best Period Romance Movies
- #144 of 149 onMovies That Should Never Be Remade
- 313 VOTES
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Premise: The Father is an award-winning psychological drama starring Anthony Hopkins as a confused Welsh man who refuses to accept that he has dementia, as he slowly loses his grasp on reality. Colman plays his daughter, Anne, who threatens to send him to a nursing home if he keeps driving his caregivers away. This wrenching, powerful, and well-directed movie earned 37 awards and secured Hopkins his second Oscar.
How Does She Shine? Colman is very convincing as the equally concerned and frustrated daughter who finds herself in the role of a caregiver and parent to her octogenarian father. She effortlessly manages to gain the audience’s empathy, helped by her ability to draw inspiration from her mother’s experience as a district nurse for the NHS. Fittingly, she received plenty of awards and nominations for this turn.
More The Father- Dig Deeper...Every Oscar Winning Film Ever
- #40 of 85 onThe 80+ Best Father-Daughter Movies
- #4 of 77 onThe Best Father's Day Movies
- 411 VOTES
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Premise: Agatha Christie's classic whodunnit, Murder on the Orient Express, has been adapted multiple times. The 2017 cinematic version, co-produced, directed by, and starring Kenneth Branagh, sees the world-renowned Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot (Branagh), return aboard the titular train from Istanbul to London. When another passenger, is found dead from multiple stab wounds, Poirot decides to conduct an unofficial investigation; he discovers a connection to the old case of Daisy Armstrong, a little rich girl who was kidnapped and killed years ago.
How Does She Shine? Colman plays another passenger named Hildegarde Schmidt, a lady’s maid who used to work in the Armstrong household as a cook. Viewers can’t help being drawn to her aura of mystery and class, which makes sense: she exudes intelligence, poise, and patience, as she has to put up with her employer’s constant nagging and efficiently tend to her needs while keeping to herself.
- #40 of 114 onThe Greatest Movie Remakes Of All Time
- #60 of 156 onThe Best Ensemble Movies Of All Time
- #22 of 48 onThe Best Train Movies
- 514 VOTES
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Premise: The biographical drama film The Iron Lady explores the personal and professional successes and failures of Britain's longest-serving Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep). Additionally, the film examines how this willful and influential politician struggles to deal with her husband’s passing.
How Does She Shine? Under her prosthetic makeup and blonde wig, Colman is practically unrecognizable as Carol Thatcher, Margaret's daughter. She perfectly captures the pressure Carol feels in being constantly overshadowed by her mother, a controversial public figure.
More The Iron Lady- #64 of 99 onThe Best Period Movies Set in the '80s
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- 63 VOTES
Wicked Little Letters
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Premise: Wicked Little Letters is a British dark comedy mystery film based on true events. Set in the 1920s, the plot centers on a proper seaside town resident with a spotless reputation, Edith Swan (Colman), who suddenly starts receiving extremely improper anonymous letters. Her foul-mouthed Irish neighbor, Rose (Jessie BUckley), is charged with this crime, but is she really guilty? The town’s women then resolutely take it upon themselves to investigate.
How Does She Shine? Not only does Colman wonderfully play the conservative and outraged Swan, but she also produced the movie, alongside her husband Ed Sinclair. Her character is a kind and homely spinster who still lives with her parents, plays the whist, and takes her church duties very seriously. But she’s also very repressed and not as one-dimensional as she first seems, and that nuanced role prompted Rolling Stone to dub the actress a “national treasure.”
- 73 VOTES
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Seasons: Seasons 1-7 and 9 (33 episodes)
Premise: Peep Show is a beloved British satire sitcom that won Best TV Comedy at the British Comedy Awards. The two dysfunctional leads, Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb), share a South London flat - and life’s misfortunes. While the former is an intellectual loan manager with a petty, opportunistic, and bleak side, the latter is a selfish freeloader with musical aspirations.
How Does She Shine? Colman plays Sophie, Mark’s on-and-off love interest, then pregnant girlfriend, wife, and divorcée (she is almost left at the altar, and her short-lived marriage is unbearable). This role scored her wide acclaim, because she does a convincing job portraying Sophie’s many facets: from the ambitious, playful, and sarcastic girlfriend and employee to a heavy drinker and an unfulfilled wife. Her character development is also reflected in her appearance, as she changes hair colors and styles through the seasons.
More Peep Show- #21 of 29 onCurrent British TV Shows You've Been Missing This Whole Time
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- 83 VOTES
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Seasons: 1 - 3 (24 episodes)
Premise: ITV’s British crime and mystery drama series, Broadchurch, is set in a tight-knit fictional coastal town where nothing much happens… except for the day the bloodied body of an 11-year-old boy is found on the beach. Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) then arrives to investigate, with reluctant help from local Detective Sgt. Ellie Miller.
How Does She Shine? Colman is absolutely relatable and believable as the temperamental, foul-mouthed, but well-meaning and honorable Detective Miller, who goes through a lot of character development over the seasons. Her BAFTA-winning performance definitely cemented her as one of Britain’s most beloved actors.
More Broadchurch- #175 of 302 onThe Best TV Shows Of The Past 20 Years
- #22 of 202 onThe TV Shows With The Best Writing
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- 93 VOTES
Fleabag
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Seasons: Season 1 and 2 (9 episodes)
Premise: Fleabag is an award-winning dramedy following Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), a 33-year-old Londoner with a snarky streak, a heart of gold, and quite a tumultuous love life. She has a tense relationship with her sister, Claire (Sian Clifford), but is very protective and supportive of her.
How Does She Shine? The show earned Colman several nominations and a win for Best Supporting Actress at the Satellite Awards. Audiences can tell she’s having a blast portraying Fleabag and Claire’s antagonistic Godmother, who dates their father and eventually marries him, not long after their mother’s death. Behind her charismatic façade and affinity for hair accessories and headdresses, the character is a sarcastic, manipulative, dominant, and conceited artist more than she is truly “motherly."
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- #17 of 120 onThe 100+ Best Dramedy TV Series, Ranked
- #106 of 110 onThe Best British Sitcoms of All Time, Ranked
- 103 VOTES
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Premise: Starring Timothée Chalamet in the titular role, the whimsical musical fantasy Wonka depicts the struggles of a bold young man with ambitions of establishing himself as a confectionery expert. Inventive and determined, Wonka gets help from his new allies in order to overcome all the obstacles thrown at him by the city’s greedy and corrupt chocolatiers.
How Does She Shine? The actress is irresistibly outrageous as one of the antagonists, Mrs. Scrubitt. She is a corrupt, manipulative, and verbally abusive hotel owner and launderette with ridiculous bangs, piercing eyes, and prominent teeth. Colman certainly steals scenes as she's not afraid to get silly, fully committing to the role.
More Wonka- Dig Deeper...Hugh Grant Is Finally An Oompa-Loompa And Timothée Chalamet Is A Dancing Fool In The 'Wonka' Prequel
- #235 of 375 onThe Best Movies Based On Books
- #178 of 188 onThe 180+ Top Kids Movies
- 114 VOTES
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Seasons: Seasons 3, 4, and 6 (21 episodes)
Premise: Netflix’s widely acclaimed historical drama The Crown follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II and her political successes and struggles, as well as her interactions with other members of the royal family. It has attracted plenty of awards over its run, including several for Colman.
How Does She Shine? Colman plays the composed and dutiful monarch herself in the following time periods: from 1964 to 1977, then again from 1979 to 1990. Undoubtedly, it’s a challenging role that must be carried out with tact and dignity, and the actress definitely rises to the occasion as she expresses the famous figure’s melancholy, internal dilemmas, and wavering confidence. She definitely succeeds in making a queen look more human and relatable.
- 121 VOTES
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Seasons: Season 1 (5 episodes)
Premise: One of the many TV installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Secret Invasion was adapted for Disney+ by Kyle Bradstreet, who had previously worked on Mr. Robot. The story follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., as he works closely with the shapeshifting Skrull alien, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), to stop a gang of rebel Skrulls from taking control of Earth.
How Does She Shine? With that much range and a stellar reputation, it was only a matter of time before Colman finally made her way into the MCU. In this miniseries, she plays Sonya Falsworth, a prominent MI6 agent who only has the United Kingdom’s interests at heart. She serves as a sort of frenemy to Fury, and Colman's chemistry with Jackson is on-point, on and off screen. Colman described her character as “a villainous hero,” and Jackson called her “totally gangster.”
More Secret Invasion- #138 of 687 onThe 600+ Best TV Shows Of The Last 5 Years
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- 130 VOTES
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Seasons: Season 1 (6 episodes)
Premise: The BBC One/FX on Hulu adaptation of the famous 1861 novel by Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, may have received mixed reviews for having taken excessive liberties, but Colman certainly is worth watching. The main story follows Pip (Fionn Whitehead), an orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice who pines for the elusive Estella and later finds his way into high society.
How Does She Shine? The actress makes a chilling Miss Havisham, an eccentric spinster living in a decaying mansion with Estella, her adopted daughter. Her lifelong bitterness stems from being left at the altar, and she attempts to turn Estella into an instrument of revenge. Critics called her turn “mesmerizingly sinister,” with a “creepier, more predatory vibe than we are used to seeing.”
More Great Expectations- #244 of 687 onThe 600+ Best TV Shows Of The Last 5 Years
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- 140 VOTES
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Seasons: Season 1 (4 episodes)
Premise: This 2018 TV series is yet another star-studded screen adaptation of Victor Hugo’s famous novel Les Misérables. The story, in a nutshell, explores the struggles of several characters navigating ostracism, greed, injustice, and corruption in war-torn France. One of them, Jean Valjean (Dominic West), is a former convict who becomes a rich factory owner and then takes the young orphan child, Cosette (Ellie Bamber), under his wing after saving her from the abusive Thénardier couple.
How Does She Shine? Colman plays Madame Rosalie Thénardier, one of the main villains. She sports red curls and a perpetually dissatisfied expression while she runs an inn with her thief of a husband (Adeel Akhtar). Although she’s a fairly good mother to her own children, she treats Cosette horribly. Unsurprisingly, Colman is very convincing in her role of the greedy, cruel, and bitter “caregiver" - the only downside is that she doesn't have much screen time.
- 150 VOTES
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Seasons: Season 1 (6 episodes)
Premise: The Night Manager is a BBC/AMC British spy series adapted from a novel by John le Carré that nabbed 26 awards, namely two Primetime Emmys and three Golden Globes. The plot of the first season centers on Jonathan Pine (Tom Hiddleston), a soldier who has become a high-end hotel manager, as he's recruited for an infiltration mission involving illegal arms dealers.
How Does She Shine? The actress portrays Angela Burr, the manager of the Foreign Office task force who hires Pine. Burr is expecting a child with her husband, whom she is clearly not in love with. She is an honorable person who relentlessly sees the mission through despite a brief moral conundrum, all the while dealing with the discomfort and emotional toll of an advanced pregnancy.
More The Night Manager- #177 of 657 onThe 500+ Best Drama Shows
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- 160 VOTES
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Seasons: Seasons 1 and 2 (10 episodes)
Premise: Adapted from a hit graphic novel by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper is a critically praised coming-of-age LGBTQ+ dramedy on Netflix. The main plot follows the budding romance between two teenage boys, Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), but there are other storylines involving their friends.
How Does She Shine? Colman plays Sarah Nelson, Nick’s mother. She perfectly captures the character’s modesty, kindness, open-mindedness, and warmth as she embraces her son after he comes out. She also supports him through his emotional struggles, quickly becoming a favorite among the show’s fans.
More Heartstopper- #60 of 687 onThe 600+ Best TV Shows Of The Last 5 Years
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