Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan | |
---|---|
![]() Chan at the British Independent Film Awards 2014 | |
Born | London, England | 29 November 1982
Alma mater | University of Oxford |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2006–present |
Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982)[1] is an English film, television, and theatre actress and former fashion model. She portrays Charlotte in season four of the Showtime and ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl; Ruth in Channel 4's Fresh Meat; Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" and Soo Lin in Sherlock. She also appeared in Exam and Paramount Pictures' action-thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. She stars in Humans, an AMC/Channel 4 science-fiction drama, which premiered in June 2015. Series Two aired in 2016 and Series Three in 2018. She will portray Minn-Erva in the 2019 Marvel Studios film Captain Marvel.
Early life and education
Chan was born at Guy's Hospital in London, England.[2] Her father grew up in Hong Kong and was an engineer. Her Chinese-Scottish mother, a pharmacist at Guy's Hospital, emigrated from pre-Cultural Revolution Communist China via Hong Kong with her parents (Chan's maternal grandparents) and younger sister, growing up in Greenock, Scotland.[2][3] Chan was raised near Sevenoaks, a town in west Kent, in South East England[4] and attended Newstead Wood School for Girls in Orpington in the London borough of Bromley. She later went on to read law at Worcester College, Oxford.[5]
Following graduation, Chan gained a training contract offer as a graduate at the law firm Slaughter and May,[4][5] but instead pursued an acting career and studied at the Drama Centre London.[2] Spotted at her showcase by British film producer Damian Jones, she signed to acting agent Nicki van Gelder.[citation needed]
Career
Modelling
In 2006, Chan was one of the models in series one of Project Catwalk, the UK version of Project Runway. She has been photographed by Rankin for a campaign for Nivea Visage, having previously worked as a model in order to fund her studies and drama school training, appearing in campaigns for Nokia and Selfridges and numerous magazines including Elle, Cosmopolitan and The Sunday Times Style.
Television
Chan appeared in the autumn 2009 special of the BBC's Doctor Who ("The Waters of Mars") with David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan, which aired 15 November 2009 in the UK, playing geologist Mia Bennett. She was cast as a series regular in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the fourth and final series airing on ITV2 in the UK and Showtime in the US in 2011.[6] She has also appeared in Fresh Meat, BBC One's Sherlock, and the fourth series of The IT Crowd for Channel 4.
In 2012, Chan was a regular in series two of Sky Living's supernatural drama Bedlam[7] and in True Love, a five-part semi-improvised television series produced by Working Title for BBC One,[8][9]
In 2013, she starred in BBC One crime drama Shetland alongside Douglas Henshall and Steven Robertson[10] and guest starred in the BBC's Death in Paradise. She was a cast member of Channel 4 romantic drama Dates.[11]
Chan played the synthetic Anita/Mia in Humans, an AMC/Channel 4 eight-part science-fiction drama.[12] Filming commenced in autumn 2014 with a June 2015 premiere.[13] The second series premiered on 30 October. For her portrayal of Anita/Mia, Chan has been nominated for numerous awards.
In July 2016, Chan provided the voice for the character of Dewdrop in BBC One's animated television series Watership Down.
Film
In 2010, she appeared in the World War II drama film Shanghai, the psychological thriller Exam, and the 2011 comedy-drama Submarine. A supporter of human rights, she has made a film for Amnesty International to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.[5] She appeared in the action-thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.[14] The Double, and London Fields. Chan starred in Belles familles, by French director and screenwriter Jean-Paul Rappeneau, which premiered in 2015.[15] She is scheduled to appear in film Crazy Rich Asians, alongside Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh.[16]
Theatre
Chan made her professional stage debut in the British Premiere of Bertolt Brecht's last play Turandot at the Hampstead Theatre, London, directed by Anthony Clark. In November 2012, she performed in The Sugar-Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie, a play by Anders Lustgarten at the Finborough Theatre. In June 2013, she performed in the UK premiere of Yellow Face by American playwright David Henry Hwang at The Park Theatre, London, directed by Alex Sims. It was revived in 2014 at the Royal National Theatre with the original London cast returning.[17]
In November 2013, Chan performed in the world premiere of Our Ajax by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Southwark Playhouse, London. Wertenbaker chose her to play the war goddess Athena after she saw her performance in Yellow Face.[18]
Radio
On 6 August 2013, Chan appeared as a guest on the "Cultural Exchange" feature of the BBC Radio 4 series Front Row, where she nominated the film The Princess Bride as an art work she loves.[19]
Personal life
In September 2013, Chan appeared at the Old Bailey in central London as a witness to a fatal stabbing outside Putney Bridge tube station.[20]
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | When Evil Calls | Molly Nelson | |
2009 | Exam | Chinese woman | |
2010 | Pimp | Bo | |
2010 | Shanghai | Shin Shin | |
2010 | Submarine | Kim-Lin | |
2013 | The Double | Glamorous Judge | |
2014 | Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit | Amy Chang | |
2014 | London Fields | Petronella | |
2015 | Families | Chen-Lin | |
2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Madam Ya Zhou | |
2017 | Transformers: The Last Knight | Quintessa | |
2017 | Stratton | Aggy | |
2018 | Crazy Rich Asians | Astrid Leong-Teo | Post-production |
2018 | Mary Queen of Scots | Elizabeth Hardwick | Post-production |
2019 | Captain Marvel | Minn-Erva | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Project Catwalk | Herself | 10 episodes (was finalist) |
2009 | Doctor Who | Mia Bennett | Episode: Autumn 2009 Special "The Waters of Mars" |
2010 | The IT Crowd | Ivana / Female Sulu | Episodes: "The Final Countdown", "Reynholm vs. Reynholm" |
2010 | Sherlock | Soo Lin Yao | Episode: "The Blind Banker" |
2011 | Secret Diary of a Call Girl | Charlotte | Regular (Season 4) |
2011 | Fresh Meat | Ruth | Recurring |
2012 | Bedlam | Kiera | Regular (Season 2) |
2012 | True Love | Kathy | Television miniseries |
2013 | Shetland | Hattie James | Television series |
2013 | Death in Paradise | Jennifer Cheung | Series two, episode 7 |
2013 | Dates | Erica | Episodes: "Erica and Kate", "Erica and Callum" |
2014 | The Game | Chen Mei | Television miniseries |
2015–present | Humans | Anita/Mia | Lead role |
2015 | Brotherhood | Miss Pemberton | Recurring role |
2016 | Revolting Rhymes | Snow White (voice) | |
2017 | Watership Down | Dewdrop (voice) | One episode |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Theatre |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Turandot | Hampstead Theatre | |
2012 | The Sugar-Coated Bullets of the Bourgeoisie | Finborough Theatre[21] | |
2013 | Yellow Face (UK premiere) | The Park Theatre | |
2013 | Our Ajax (World premiere) | Athena | Southwark Playhouse |
2014 | Yellow Face | Royal National Theatre | |
2015 | The Homecoming | Ruth | Trafalgar Studios[22] |
References
- ^ "Gemma Chan". Flixster.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Randall, Lee (27 May 2012). "Interview: Gemma Chan, star of True Love". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Chinese, Visible. "Gemma Chan on Visible Chinese". www.visiblechinese.com. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ a b Johnson, Lucy Hunter (10 May 2013). "Gemma Chan: the bombshell actress who tamed Jack Whitehall". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "Actress – Bio". Gemma Chan official site. 7 April 2011. Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ Fienberg, Daniel (18 June 2010). "Showtime Picks Up Final Secret Diary of a Call Girl Season". Hitfix.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Lacey Turner to Join Supernatural Drama Bedlam". Radio Times. 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "True Love". Working Title Films. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Starlet fever: We're ready for our close-up". Daily Mail. UK: Associated Newspapers Ltd. 4 March 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Walker-Arnott, Ellie (7 March 2013). "Douglas Henshall, Steven Robertson and Gemma Chan in BBC1's Shetland". Radio Times.
- ^ Jeffrey, Morgan (5 February 2013). "Sherlock, Merlin, Fresh Meat stars for new Channel 4 drama Dates". DigitalSpy.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "William Hurt Heads Cast of AMC-Channel 4-Kudos Co-production 'Humans'". Variety. 15 October 2014.
- ^ "Deadline casting for Humans". Deadline.com. 13 October 2014.
- ^ Harman, Harout (31 January 2013). "Jack Ryan Photos with Chris Pine and Kevin Costner". MovieWeb.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Food for thought for the picnicking set". London Evening Standard. 12 August 2014.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (4 April 2017). "Gemma Chan to Star With Constance Wu in 'Crazy Rich Asians' (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
- ^ Singh, Anita (20 March 2014). "Sir Tom Stoppard play to open at the National Theatre". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Jury, Louise (12 September 2013). "Classical role in theatre for Fresh Meat and Sherlock star Gemma Chan". London Evening Standard.
- ^ "Front Row's Cultural Exchange - Gemma Chan - BBC Radio 4".
- ^ Cheston, Paul (17 September 2013). "Sherlock star Gemma Chan reveals how she 'stared into eyes of calm killer'". London Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Vibrant 2012: A Festival of Finborough Playwrights". Finborough Theatre. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "The Homecoming - Official London tickets - ATG Tickets".
External links
- Gemma Chan at IMDb
- Gemma Chan on X
- 1982 births
- Actresses from London
- Alumni of the Drama Centre London
- Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford
- British female models
- British film actresses
- British television actresses
- British people of Chinese descent
- Living people
- People educated at Newstead Wood School
- People from Sevenoaks
- Actresses from Kent
- 21st-century British actresses
- British people of Hong Kong descent