Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan is an English actress. She is known for her role as Astrid in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians, in which she received widespread recognition, and as Anita/Mia on the television drama Humans.
Born in London and raised in Kent, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford. She gained a position in a law firm following graduation, but chose to pursue a career in acting instead, studying acting at the Drama Centre London. She has had supporting roles in television series: Doctor Who special "The Waters of Mars", Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Fresh Meat and Bedlam.
Chan continued to gain recognition for her roles in high-profile films including ', Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and '. She also starred in the leading role of Anita/Mia on the AMC/Channel 4 science fiction drama Humans from 2015 to 2018.
In 2018, Chan received recognition for portraying Astrid Leong-Teo in Jon M. Chu's romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians and also portrayed Bess of Hardwick in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots. She portrayed Minn-Erva in the Marvel Studios superhero film Captain Marvel in 2019 and will play Sersi in The Eternals in 2021.
Early life
Chan was born at Guy's Hospital in London, England. Her parents are ethnic Chinese. Her father grew up in Hong Kong and was an engineer. Her mother's parents emigrated from Mainland China to Scotland via Hong Kong. Her mother grew up in Greenock, Scotland. Chan describes herself, and has been reported in media, as British Asian.Chan was raised near Sevenoaks, a town in western Kent, in South East England. She attended Newstead Wood School for Girls in Orpington, London. She later went on to study jurisprudence at Worcester College, Oxford.
Following her graduation, Chan gained a training contract offer as a graduate at the law firm Slaughter and May, but instead she pursued an acting career and studied at the Drama Centre London. Spotted at her showcase by British film producer Damian Jones, she signed to acting agent Nicki van Gelder.
Career
Television
In 2006, she was a competitor on the first series of the reality series Project Catwalk. Chan appeared in the autumn 2009 special of the BBC's Doctor Who, 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. She has also appeared as Ruth in Channel 4's Fresh Meat, as Soo Lin in 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 and in True Love, a five-part semi-improvised television series produced by Working Title for BBC One,
In 2013, she starred in BBC One crime drama Shetland and guest starred in the BBC's Death in Paradise. She was a cast member of Channel 4 romantic drama Dates.
Chan played the anthropomorphic robot Anita/Mia in Humans, an AMC/Channel 4 science-fiction drama, from 2015 to 2018.
In July 2016, Chan provided the voice for the character of Dewdrop in BBC One's animated miniseries Watership Down.
Film
Chan made her acting debut in the independent horror serial When Evil Calls. 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. She appeared in the action-thriller . The Double, and London Fields. Chan starred in Belles familles, by French director and screenwriter Jean-Paul Rappeneau, which premiered in 2015. She also featured in the 2016 film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.In 2018, Chan co-starred as Astrid Leong-Teo in the film Crazy Rich Asians. She first heard about the novel Crazy Rich Asians from a text from her sister, read it on holiday, and "fell in love with Astrid". On 29 April 2019, CNBC reported that Chan is to reprise her role as Astrid in the back-to-back filming of two sequels to Crazy Rich Asians set for filming in 2020. She also featured in the short film titled Leading Lady Parts in support of the Time's Up movement.
In August 2019, she joined the cast of Marvel Studios' The Eternals, which is set to be released in February 2021. This is her second role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after previously appearing as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel.
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.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.
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 a film she loves.Honours
She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.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.In September 2017, Chan split from her boyfriend of six years, Jack Whitehall. In December 2018, Chan made her first public appearance with Dominic Cooper as a couple at the British Fashion Awards.