British
actress Gemma Chan was born in London and grew up in Kent. Her mother is of
Scottish-Chinese heritage and her father grew up in Hong Kong. She studied law at
Worcester College, Oxford University and upon graduating was offered a job with
a leading law firm. However she turned it down in order to pursue her acting
career, going on to train at the prestigious and notoriously tough Drama Centre
London, a drama school that has produced actors such as Paul Bettany, Michael Fassbender, Anne-Marie
Duff, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy and Pierce Brosnan. Spotted at her showcase by British film producer Damian Jones (The History Boys, Welcome to Sarajevo, The Iron Lady) she then signed to acting agent Nicki van Gelder, who has guided the careers of Helena Bonham Carter and Samantha Morton.
Gemma
has had a busy time since graduating from the Drama Centre in 2008, demonstrating her versatility in a career that has so far taken in both drama and comedy. She is currently filming as a new regular on the second series of Sky Living's supernatural drama BEDLAM with Lacey Turner and Hugo Speer, due to air in Spring 2012. She recently completed filming LOVE LIFE, a new five part drama exploring modern day relationships for BBC One from BAFTA-winning director Dominic Savage, also due to air in Spring 2012. The cast also includes David Morrissey, David Tennant, Jane Horrocks, Ashley Walters and Billie Piper. She can currently be seen as recurring character Ruth in Channel 4's FRESH MEAT, created by Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong (Peep Show, The Thick of It, Four Lions), alongside Joe Thomas (The Inbetweeners) and Jack Whitehall. The show recently won Best New Comedy at the British Comedy Awards 2011. She stars as Charlotte, the arch-nemesis of Belle (Billie Piper)
in the fourth and final series of SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL. The
show has also been a hit in the US and airs on Showtime. She can
also be seen in the BBC's SHERLOCK,
a contemporary adaptation of Sherlock
Holmes, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch Martin Freeman, which won Best Drama Series at the
BAFTA Television Awards 2011. She also appears in the fourth series of the
BAFTA and International
Emmy award-winning sitcom THE IT CROWD for Channel 4, directed by Graham Linehan. Last year she appeared on the big screen in the critically acclaimed comedy drama SUBMARINE , directed by Richard Ayoade (nominated for Oustanding Debut at the BAFTA Awards 2012), alongside Paddy Considine, Craig Roberts
and Sally Hawkins.
Gemma's previous
work includes guest starring in the BBC’s DOCTOR WHO
(THE WATERS OF MARS)
with David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan, the World War II drama SHANGHAI (dir. Mikael Hafstrom)
alongside John Cusack, Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li and the psychological thriller EXAM (dir. Stuart Hazeldine) alongside Jimi Mistry and Luke Mably. The film was nominated for Outstanding Debut at the BAFTA Awards 2010 and Best Feature at the Raindance Film Festival 2009. Gemma also travelled to Geneva and Barcelona to shoot a series of films for Reebok's SECRET LEWIS with former F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. On
stage Gemma appeared in the British Premiere of Bertolt Brecht’s final
play TURANDOT at the Hampstead Theatre, London,
directed by Anthony Clark. She recently performed a staged reading of HEY BROTHER by Bekah Brunstetter, as part of the VIBRANT new writing festival at the Finborough Theatre, directed by Oscar Toeman. In the last year she has also workshopped new plays for the National Theatre Studio, National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse Theatre Company. A passionate supporter of human rights, she has also made a film
for Amnesty International to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.
Gemma 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. She is also classically trained on the violin and
piano and performs regularly with a string quartet.
Photo: Daniel Sutka