Jul 26, 1968

Camden Town, London, England, UK

Olivia Haigh Williams was born on 26 July 1968 in Camden Town, London, England. Both her parents are barristers. She graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge with a degree in English literature, then studied drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years.<br/><br/>

After graduation, Williams worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London and in 1995 toured the United States in a production of Shakespeare's Richard III starring Ian McKellen. Her firs... ... (read more...) t significant appearance before the cameras was as Jane Fairfax in the British TV film Emma (1996), based on Jane Austen's 1816 book, which aired in the US on the A&E Network.<br/><br/>

Williams' début on the silver screen was in 1997, after doing a screen test for the Kevin Costner film The Postman. She later beat four well-known actresses for the lead role of Rosemary Cross in Wes Anderson's Rushmore (1998). She then starred as Bruce Willis's wife in the blockbuster The Sixth Sense (1999). Since then, Williams has appeared in several British films, including Lucky Break (2001) and The Heart of Me (2002), for which she won the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress. Most recently, she appeared, uncredited, as Dr. Moira MacTaggert in the 2006 film X-Men: The Last Stand.<br/><br/>

On 2 November 2003, Williams married American stage actor and playwright Rhashan Stone. The couple have two children, Esme Ruby (born 6 April 2004)and another child.<br/><br/>

Williams practices Bikram Yoga and rides a bicycle to sets when working on films. After filming The Postman, she spent time in Bolivia studying bears in the rainforest. Since 2006, she has written occasional travel reports for the "Independent Traveller" section of the British newspaper The Independent on Sunday.