Who played the character of Dana Scully?

Who played the character of Dana Scully? The answer is Gillian Anderson.

Gillian Anderson portrayed FBI Special Agent and physician Dana Katherine Scully throughout The X-Files. Scully was assigned to work with Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, in the FBI's basement-based X-Files unit. Her skeptical, evidence-focused approach balanced Mulder's willingness to believe in paranormal explanations.

Anderson was 24 when she auditioned, and creator Chris Carter strongly supported her casting despite Fox executives initially wanting a different type of performer. Her performance made Scully one of television's defining science-fiction characters. Anderson won a Primetime Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards for the role, among other nominations and honors.

Viewers sometimes confuse the actor with the character or remember Scully primarily as a medical examiner. She is both an FBI agent and a medical doctor, while Gillian Anderson is the actor who played her in the television series and its two feature films.