Olivia Colman, Ed Sinclair and children - family facts

How did Olivia Colman meet Ed Sinclair?

The Favourite and The Crown actress (and 2019 Oscar nominee!) Olivia first met her longtime love Ed Sinclair at Cambridge University, where they both studied in the 1990s.

Ed, also an actor, became a writer after initially studying law, and it's thought the couple met during a performance of the play Table Manners.

Olivia, originally from Norwich, has said in a previous interview that they were barely adults when they met, though she knew that she would end up marrying him.

"My husband and I were very lucky. We met when we had nothing and we loved each other then. So we were all right," she said, according to The Sun.

"We were 20 and he was also an actor. If you meet at that age then you are fine. For me, it was thunderbolts straight away. I still feel like I'm punching above my weight."

The rest, as they say, is history - because Ed and Olivia have been together ever since.

Olivia Colman's wedding

In August 2001, Olivia's prediction came true, and she married her university sweetheart Ed.

Not much is known about her wedding, or the dress she chose... but we have no doubt it was lovely!

Olivia stars in Peep Show

In 2003, Olivia began her starring role in Peep Show, alongside Robert Webb and David Mitchell.

Finn Sinclair

2 years later, in 2005, Olivia and Ed welcomed their 1st child, a son named Finn.

As of 2019, Finn in 14 years old. We don't know much about him, as it seems Olivia and Ed are keen to protect his privacy, as is their right.

Hall Sinclair

2 more years passed, and baby no 2 came along for Olivia and Ed! In 2007, their 2nd son Hall was born.

As of 2019, Hall is 12 years old. We don't know much about him, as it seems Olivia and Ed are keen to protect his privacy, as is their right.

Olivia's 3rd pregnancy

Olivia spent the 1st half of 2015 pregnant - as she and Ed revealed they were expecting for a 3rd time. Apparently, she craved Smarties the whole time.

Olivia worked throughout much of her pregnancy, notably pregnant as Angela Burr in the BBC spy thriller series The Night Manager.

Indeed, when she spoke to our sister site Radio Times in April about telling director Susanne Bier she would be with bump for filming, she was 5 months along.

“I went to see Susanne thinking, ‘Oh God, should I mention it in the first meeting?’ And I thought: ‘I can’t lie.’ Which is why I’d be a rubbish spy," she told the TV title - admitting Susanne didn't look best pleased.

“But then she said, ‘You know, just go with it for a minute. Remember the film Fargo and Frances McDormand? The pregnancy added to the drama: the domesticity versus the extraordinary nature of her job. And I think it adds a weird power to this part, too.’”

Then 41-year-old Olivia found a few more chairs were added to the set as her pregnancy progressed, and confessed that expecting did impact her acting... as she had SERIOUS baby brain.

“I just can’t retain my lines like I normally would," she continued. "I’ve got a bit of nappy brain going on. There are an awful lot of script changes that happen. It can change the day before, on the day.

"It fills me with fear: ‘Oh Christ, I’ve barely got the script in my head and now I’ve got to change it.’ So it is a little bit hanging by my fingernails.”

Interestingly, Olivia's character Angela was originally meant to be played by a man, as the character in the original book was male.

Co-star Tom Hiddleston also reflected on this, and Olivia's pregnancy during the shoot, in a piece he wrote for Harper's Bazaar Magazine, in early 2016:

"The first thing Susanne said to me was: 'I think Burr should be a woman.' 'That changes things,' I thought (rather obviously)," he began.

"'I think it should be Olivia Colman,' she said. 'The only thing is, Olivia is pregnant.' It was an incredible idea.

"Still more incredible that Olivia was not only willing, but keen to do this during her second trimester.

"It was going to be a gruelling shoot, spanning 4 locations – Switzerland, London, Morocco and Majorca – cramming 6 hours of story into 75 days. But all she wanted to do was to be on her feet.

"Thus Angela Burr was born, and the part was rewritten to incorporate Olivia's pregnancy, which I believe adds to the story because it makes her courage even more extraordinary."

Baby Girl Sinclair

In August 2015, Olivia gave birth to her 3rd child, a baby girl. We don't know what her little one is called, as she and Ed have chosen to keep their daughter's name under wraps.

We'll let you know if Olivia and Ed do decide to share her name, any time soon.

Olivia Colman's Golden Globe wins - and upcoming 2019 roles

Olivia's star has risen in a big way over the past few years, since her Peep Show and Broadchurch days.

She received her 1st Golden Globe win (plus an Emmy nod) in 2015 for her performance in The Night Manager, and went on to star in movies like The Lobster and Murder On The Orient Express.

As of 2019, you can see Olivia starring in The Favourite alongside Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, as Queen Anne - for which she won a Golden Globe.

She also picked up a nomination in the Best Actress category at the 91st Academy Awards, too. Amazing!

Olivia will next be seen as Queen Elizabeth II in the 3rd series of The Crown on Netflix, and currently stars in the limited series Les Miserables, alongside Dominic West.

Olivia's often touted as one of Britain's finest actors, and we couldn't agree more! We bet Ed, Finn, Hall and their little sis are absolutely delighted for their mum's hard-earned success.

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Images: Getty Images

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