Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Love's Labour's Lost
''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...
'' at the
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...
(2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy ''
St Trinian's
''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...
'' (2007). She portrayed
Bond Girl
A Bond girl is a character who is a love interest or female companion of James Bond in a novel, film or video game. Bond girls occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, o ...
Strawberry Fields in the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''
Quantum of Solace
''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to Casino Royale (2006 film), ''Casino Royale'' (2006). Directed by Marc Forst ...
'' (2008), a performance which won her an
Empire Award for Best Newcomer
The Empire Award for Best Newcomer (formerly known as Best Debut) was an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine ''Empire'' to honor a director with a breakthrough film or an actor who has delivered a breakthrough performa ...
.
Arterton has since appeared in a number of films, including ''
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
''The Disappearance of Alice Creed '' is a 2009 British neo-noir film written and directed by J Blakeson. It is about the kidnapping of a young woman (Gemma Arterton) by two ex-convicts (Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan). The film was shot on th ...
'' (2009), ''
Tamara Drewe
''Tamara Drewe'' is a weekly comic strip serial by Posy Simmonds, which had a 13 month run in ''The Guardian''s Review section. The strip is based upon a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel '' Far from the Madding Crowd''.
The stor ...
'' (2010), ''
Clash of the Titans'' (2010), ''
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' (2010), ''
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters'' (2013), ''
The Escape The Escape may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Escape'' (1914 film), American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith
* ''The Escape'' (1926 film), American silent film
* ''The Escape'' (1928 film), American film
* ''The Escape'' (1939 f ...
'' (2017), and ''
Vita and Virginia
''Vita & Virginia'' is a 2018 biographical romantic drama film directed by Chanya Button. The screenplay, written by Button and Eileen Atkins, is adapted from the 1992 play ''Vita & Virginia'' by Atkins. The film stars Gemma Arterton, Elizabe ...
'' (2018). She received the
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
Woman of the Year Award for acting in and producing ''The Escape''. Her theatrical highlights have included starring in ''
The Duchess of Malfi
''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...
'' (2014), ''
Made in Dagenham
''Made in Dagenham'' is a 2010 British comedy-drama film directed by Nigel Cole and starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Daniel Mays and Richard Schiff. ...
'' (2014), ''
Nell Gwynn
Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...
'' (2016) and ''
Saint Joan'' (2017). Arterton was nominated for
Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for her work on both ''Nell Gwynn'' and ''Made in Dagenham'', and she won the
Evening Standard Theatre Award
The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...
for the latter.
Since 2016, Arterton has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions, which focuses on creating female-led content in front of and behind the camera. She has executive-produced four feature films and two short films. She is also on record as being a prominent supporter of the
Time's Up, ERA 50:50 and
MeToo
#MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...
movements. Arterton played an integral role in persuading actresses to wear black at the 2018
BAFTAs
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
in support of Time'sUp, and has been involved with ERA 50:50, an equal pay campaign in the UK, since its inception.
Early life and education
Arterton was born at North Kent Hospital in
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
with
polydactyly
Polydactyly or polydactylism (), also known as hyperdactyly, is an anomaly in humans and animals resulting in supernumerary fingers and/or toes. Polydactyly is the opposite of oligodactyly (fewer fingers or toes).
Signs and symptoms
In humans ...
, a condition resulting in extra fingers which a doctor removed shortly after her birth. Her mother, Sally-Anne Heap, runs a cleaning business, and her father, Barry J. Arterton, is a welder. They divorced during Arterton's early childhood, and she grew up on a council estate with her mother and younger sister,
Hannah Arterton
Hannah Jane Arterton (born 26 January 1989) is an English actress. She attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2011. She has most notably appeared in the television series '' The Five' ...
, who is also an actress. Her matrilineal great-grandmother was a
German-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
concert violinist.
Arterton attended
Gravesend Grammar School for Girls, a state grammar school in
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
(now Mayfield Grammar School) and made her amateur stage debut in a production of
Alan Ayckbourn
Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. He has written and produced as of 2021, more than eighty full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of ...
's ''The Boy Who Fell into a Book''. Her performance won her the best actress prize in a competition at a local festival.
At age 16, Arterton left Gravesend Grammar School to attend acting college at the Miskin Theatre at
North West Kent College in
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
. She later studied at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...
(RADA), graduating in 2008.
Career
![Gemma Arterton (8425715251)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Gemma_Arterton_%288425715251%29.jpg)
Arterton had her first professional role in Stephen Poliakoff's ''
Capturing Mary'' while she was still at drama school. She made her stage debut as Rosaline in
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
Love's Labour's Lost
''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...
'' at the
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...
in London in July 2007 before graduating later that year. She made her film debut in ''
St Trinian's
''St Trinian's'' is a British gag cartoon comic strip series, created and drawn by Ronald Searle from 1946 until 1952. The cartoons all centre on a boarding school for girls, where the teachers are sadists and the girls are juvenile delinquents ...
'' (2007) as
Head Girl
Head boy and head girl are student leadership roles in schools, representing the school's entire student body. They are normally the most senior prefects in the school. The terms are commonly used in the British education system as well as in Aus ...
Kelly.
In 2008, she appeared in the
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
film ''
Quantum of Solace
''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to Casino Royale (2006 film), ''Casino Royale'' (2006). Directed by Marc Forst ...
''. Chosen from around fifteen hundred candidates, Arterton plays Bond Girl
Strawberry Fields, in what is described as a "nice-sized role". Arterton describes her character as "the
thinking man's crumpet
In British English, the thinking man's crumpet or thinking woman's crumpet is a humorous term for a person who is popular with the opposite sex because of their intelligence and their physical attractiveness.
The expression is derived from the sl ...
". In the same year, she played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928) was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist in the tradition of George Eliot, he was influenced both in his novels and in his poetry by Romanticism, including the poetry of William Word ...
's ''
Tess of the d'Urbervilles''.
[ ] Also in 2008, she played
Elizabeth Bennet
Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the 1813 novel '' Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family. Elizabeth is the second child in a family of five daughters. Though the ci ...
in the ITV serial, ''
Lost in Austen
''Lost in Austen'' is a four-part 2008 British television series for the ITV network, written by Guy Andrews as a fantasy adaptation of the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. Amanda, a woman from modern London, enters the plot ...
''. Her most controversial role to date was in the 2009 film ''
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
''The Disappearance of Alice Creed '' is a 2009 British neo-noir film written and directed by J Blakeson. It is about the kidnapping of a young woman (Gemma Arterton) by two ex-convicts (Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan). The film was shot on th ...
'', in which her character is kidnapped and abused in several graphic nude scenes. The role required her to be handcuffed to a bed and wear a
ball gag in her mouth throughout. She requested that she be left tied to the bed even when the camera was not on her to help her performance. She joked that the crew would put the ball gag back in if she was chatting too much. The film was well received, with
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck is an American film critic. He is best known for his reviews in the ''New York Post'' and ''The Hollywood Reporter''. He formerly edited ''STAGES Magazine'' and worked as a theater critic for the ''Christian Science Monitor
Ch ...
for ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' noting, "Arterton… handles the rigorous physical and emotional demands of her role with great skill".
Arterton was the face of
Avon's Bond Girl 007 fragrance, when it was launched in October 2008. In 2010, Arterton made her West End debut in the UK premiere of ''
The Little Dog Laughed
''The Little Dog Laughed'' is a 2006 comedy play by Douglas Carter Beane.
The four characters are an actor, Mitchell, his acerbic agent Diane, a hustler named Alex, and Alex's girlfriend Ellen. When Mitchell and Alex become involved in a physica ...
''. She was originally attached to star in a new adaptation of ''Wuthering Heights''
as Catherine Earnshaw; however, she later left the project.
Arterton appeared in pivotal roles in the 2010 films ''
Clash of the Titans'' and ''
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'', and played the lead in ''
Tamara Drewe
''Tamara Drewe'' is a weekly comic strip serial by Posy Simmonds, which had a 13 month run in ''The Guardian''s Review section. The strip is based upon a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel '' Far from the Madding Crowd''.
The stor ...
''. In 2010 Arterton also starred in the
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...
's production of ''
The Master Builder
''The Master Builder'' ( no, Bygmester Solness) is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.
It was first published in December 1892 and is regarded as one of Ibsen's more significant and revealing works.
Performance
The play was published ...
'' directed by
Travis Preston, where she was widely praised for her performance as Hilde Wangel. In 2011, Arterton was nominated for the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
Rising Star Award
and was under consideration for
Leading Actress
A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typic ...
for her performances in ''Tamara Drewe'' and ''The Disappearance of Alice Creed''.
In November 2012, she was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2012
International Film Festival of Marrakech
The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) ( ar, المهرجان الدولي للفيلم بمراكش, Amazigh ⴰⵏⵎⵓⴳⴳⴰⵔ ⴰⴳⵔⴰⵖⵍⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵍⴼⵉⵍⵎ ⴳ ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ ) is an international film festi ...
.
Arterton starred in the action horror film ''
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters'' as Gretel, opposite
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Lee Renner (born January 7, 1971) is an American actor and musician. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as '' Dahmer'' (2002) and ''Neo Ned'' (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as ''S.W.A.T.'' (2 ...
who played Hansel. The 3-D film was set 15 years after
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister.
Hansel ...
killed the witch who kidnapped them. It was released on 25 January 2013. In January 2014, she took the title role in
John Webster
John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and ''The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and car ...
's ''
The Duchess of Malfi
''The Duchess of Malfi'' (originally published as ''The Tragedy of the Dutchesse of Malfy'') is a Jacobean revenge tragedy written by English dramatist John Webster in 1612–1613. It was first performed privately at the Blackfriars Theatre, ...
'', the inaugural production at the
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse is an indoor theatre forming part of Shakespeare's Globe, along with the Globe Theatre on Bankside, London. Built making use of 17th-century plans for an indoor theatre, the playhouse recalls the layout and style of th ...
, the new indoor theatre at
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
. Both the play and Arterton herself received positive reviews, with Paul Taylor for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' reporting. "The luminous Gemma Arterton beautifully captures the multi-faceted quality of the Duchess". In the same year, she starred with
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian-American actor. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, with a worldwide box-office gross of over billion.
He began his career starring in the Canadian teen ...
,
Anna Kendrick
Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Satellite Award, five Teen Choice Awards, three MTV Movie Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award a ...
and
Jacki Weaver
Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...
in the psychological thriller film, ''
The Voices
''The Voices'' is a 2014 comedy horror film directed by Marjane Satrapi, written by Michael R. Perry, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Gabriel Bateman, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick and Jacki Weaver. It had its world premiere at 2014 Sundance Film ...
''.
In 2015, Arterton starred as the titular lead in ''
Gemma Bovery
''Gemma Bovery'' () is a graphic novel written by Posy Simmonds. Originally published as a serial in ''The Guardian'', it was published in book form in 1999. It is the tragicomic story of the life and death of an English expatriate in Normandy, ...
'.'' The film is a re-imagining of
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
's 19th century classic ''
Madame Bovary
''Madame Bovary'' (; ), originally published as ''Madame Bovary: Provincial Manners'' ( ), is a novel by France, French writer Gustave Flaubert, published in 1856. The eponymous character lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities ...
'' directed by
Anne Fontaine
Anne Fontaine (born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc; 15 July 1959) is a Luxembourger film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France.
Life and career
Born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc in Luxembourg, sister of actor Je ...
. Arterton learnt to speak French for the role, never having spoken the language previously.
![Gemma Bovary (15253769642) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Gemma_Bovary_%2815253769642%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
In 2014–2015, Arterton starred in ''
Made in Dagenham
''Made in Dagenham'' is a 2010 British comedy-drama film directed by Nigel Cole and starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, Daniel Mays and Richard Schiff. ...
'', a stage musical about the
Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968
The Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 was a landmark labour-relations dispute in the United Kingdom in England. It was a trigger cause of the passing of the Equal Pay Act 1970.
Strike action
The strike, led by Rose Boland, Eileen Pullen, V ...
concerning equal pay for women. Since its premiere on 5 November 2014 at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
in London, she has publicly expressed her support for their cause. She played a fictional character named Rita O'Grady and her performance received mixed reviews from critics. Simon Edge, for the ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
'', complained of an "underpowered central performance from Gemma Arterton as Rita". However, Matt Trueman for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' praised Arterton for her "all-out star turn" and Paul Taylor, for ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', praised how "Arterton holds the show together beautifully". Despite the show closing after only five months, Arterton was nevertheless nominated for an
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
for best actress in a musical, and went on to win the
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format.
In October 2009, after be ...
award for Newcomer in a Musical.
In a 2015 interview with the ''
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
'' newspaper, Arterton stated that she was the director
Jonathan Glazer
Jonathan Glazer (born 26 March 1965) is an English film director and screenwriter. Born in London, Glazer began his career in theatre before transitioning into film. Over the course of a career spanning nearly three decades, Glazer's directing ...
's choice for the lead role in his movie ''
Under the Skin''. Glazer, however, was forced to recast because Arterton was not famous enough for the film to secure financing.
In February 2016, Arterton started a run playing the title role in the
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse for which William Shakespeare wrote his plays, in the London Borough of Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames. The original theatre was built in ...
transfer of ''
Nell Gwynn
Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...
'', at the
West End's
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London. . Arterton was praised by critics, with Michael Billington for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' citing her "natural sparkle". For her performance she was nominated for an
Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play. In July 2016, she was named as a member of the main competition jury for the
73rd Venice International Film Festival
The 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2016. English director Sam Mendes was the President of the Jury for the main competition. The opening night film was Damien Chazelle's musical ''La La ...
. Also in this year, Arterton was nominated for a
BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress
The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an annual award given by the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) to recognize the best supporting performance by an actress in a British independent film.
From 2003 to 2007, onl ...
for her role as the teacher Helen Justineau in ''
The Girl with All the Gifts
''The Girl with All the Gifts'' is a science-fiction novel by M. R. Carey, published in June 2014 by Orbit Books. It is based on his 2013 Edgar Award-nominated short story ''Iphigenia In Aulis'' and was written concurrently with the screenplay ...
''. Her performance, a story set in a dystopian future world ravaged by a zombie pathogen, was generally well reviewed.
In 2016, Arterton set up Rebel Park Productions to create female-lead and female-centric film and TV projects. She produced the well-received short film ''
Leading Lady Parts
''Leading Lady Parts'' is a 2018 short film directed by Jessica Swale. Inspired by the Time's Up movement, the film stars several A-list actresses auditioning for a leading lady role, offering a critique of the casting process. It premiered ...
'' in support of
Time's Up. The film starred
Emilia Clarke
Emilia Isobel Euphemia Rose Clarke (born 23 October 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal as Daenerys Targaryen in '' Game of Thrones''. She has received various accolades, including an Empire Award, a Saturn Award, ...
,
Tom Hiddleston
Thomas William Hiddleston (born 9 February 1981) is an English actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), starting with ''Thor'' in 2011 and most recently in the Disney+ series ''Loki'' in 2021 ...
and
Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. Born and raised in London, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied law at Worcester College, Oxford before choosing to pursue a career in acting instead, enrolling at t ...
and helped to raise awareness for the UK Justice and Equality Fund. In the same year, she played one of four lead roles in
Arnaud des Pallières
Arnaud des Pallières (born 1 December 1961) is a French film director and screenwriter. His film ''Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas'' was screened in the main competition section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmography
R ...
' French language film ''
Orpheline'' (''Orphan''), a role in which she exercised the French language skills she had acquired for her role in ''Gemma Bovery''.
In 2017, Arterton took on the role of Joan in
Josie Rourke
Josie Rourke (born 3 September 1976) is an English theatre and film director. She is a Vice-President of the London Library and was the artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse theatre from 2012 to 2019. In 2018, she made her feature film debut ...
's interpretation of
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
's classic story ''
Saint Joan''. While the play itself received mixed reviews, Arterton's performance was widely praised as the highlight of the show. In the same year, she appeared as the fictional young screenwriter Catrin Cole in ''
Their Finest
''Their Finest'' is a 2016 British war comedy-drama film, directed by Lone Scherfig, written by Gaby Chiappe, and based on the 2009 novel ''Their Finest Hour and a Half'' by Lissa Evans. The film stars Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, ...
'', a wartime romcom about a propaganda film crew working during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Arterton's performance amongst the impressive ensemble of supporting actors (
Bill Nighy
William Francis Nighy (; born 12 December 1949) is an English actor. Nighy started his career with the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool and made his London debut with the Royal National Theatre starting with ''The Illuminatus! Trilogy, The Illuminatu ...
,
Sam Claflin
Samuel George Claflin (born 27 June 1986) is an English actor. After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role as Philip Swift in '' Pirates of t ...
and
Eddie Marsan
Edward Maurice Charles Marsan (born 9 June 1968) is an English actor. He won the London Film Critics Circle Award and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008).
He has feature ...
) was generally well received.
In 2018, Arterton produced and co-created ''
The Escape The Escape may refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Escape'' (1914 film), American silent film directed by D. W. Griffith
* ''The Escape'' (1926 film), American silent film
* ''The Escape'' (1928 film), American film
* ''The Escape'' (1939 f ...
'', a largely improvised film about a mother struggling with the breakdown of her marriage. The film received excellent reviews and Arterton was nominated for a
BIFA award for
Best Actress in a British Independent Film. She was awarded Woman of the Year by ''
Harper's Bazaar
''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
'' magazine for her work on the film. Also in 2018, Arterton was one of 928 new members invited to join the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
, 49% of whom were female as part of the Academy's ongoing attempt to increase representation.
In 2018, it was announced that Arterton would play late singer
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...
in a film about her life. However, no further news about the project has been released since.
In 2019, Arterton appeared in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
comedy ''
Murder Mystery
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
'' (which stars
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9, 1966) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer and singer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1995, before going on to star in numerous Hollywood films, those of wh ...
,
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
and
Luke Evans
Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979) is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, performing in many of London's West End productions such as ''Rent'', ''Miss Saigon'', and '' Piaf'' before making his film breakthrough in ...
). Despite the film's largely negative reviews, it was watched by 30.9 million Netflix account-holders in its first three days of release, then a record for the streaming service. In the same year, Arterton played the socialite and author
Vita Sackville-West
Victoria Mary, Lady Nicolson, CH (née Sackville-West; 9 March 1892 – 2 June 1962), usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer.
Sackville-West was a successful novelist, poet and journalist, as wel ...
in ''
Vita and Virginia
''Vita & Virginia'' is a 2018 biographical romantic drama film directed by Chanya Button. The screenplay, written by Button and Eileen Atkins, is adapted from the 1992 play ''Vita & Virginia'' by Atkins. The film stars Gemma Arterton, Elizabe ...
'', a film about the romantic relationship between Arterton's character and
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.
Woolf was born i ...
which was the inspiration for Woolf's novel ''
Orlando: A Biography''. Arterton is credited as executive producer of the film. She also produced and starred in the short film ''Hayley Alien'', which was written and directed by her sister and co-star,
Hannah Arterton
Hannah Jane Arterton (born 26 January 1989) is an English actress. She attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2011. She has most notably appeared in the television series '' The Five' ...
.
Arterton was an executive producer and starred in the Second World War film, ''
Summerland'', directed by
Jessica Swale
Jessica Swale is a British playwright, theatre director and screenwriter. Her first play, ''Blue Stockings,'' premiered at Shakespeare's Globe in 2013. It is widely performed by UK amateur companies and is also studied on the Drama GCSE syllabus ...
. Arterton had previously worked with Swale on the stage show ''
Nell Gwynn
Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...
''.
Personal life
Arterton met production assistant John Nolan on the set of ''
Quantum of Solace
''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to Casino Royale (2006 film), ''Casino Royale'' (2006). Directed by Marc Forst ...
'' and they lived together in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In 2008, she had a relationship with the Spanish stuntman Eduardo Muñoz, whom she met on the set of ''
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time''. They lived together in a London flat, but they split up after six months.
Arterton married Stefano Catelli in 2010; however, they separated in 2013,
and, in August 2015, their divorce was finalised "by consent" at the Central Family Court in High Holborn. Arterton said she "never really believed in exchanging vows" and that she was not sure she would "want to walk down the aisle again".
In 2013, Arterton stated that she wanted to wait until she has accomplished something in the acting world before having children.
In 2019, she married actor Rory Keenan
Rory Keenan (born 9 June 1980) is an Irish actor.
Career
Primarily a stage actor, Keenan has worked extensively in theatre in London. He has worked in film and TV from a young age. Most has performed in the National Theatre's acclaimed produc ...
.
On 4 November 2022, she confirmed that she is expecting her first child with Keenan.
Filmography
Film
Television
Music videos
* "Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
" (2016) by Bonobo
The bonobo (; ''Pan paniscus''), also historically called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often the dwarf chimpanzee or gracile chimpanzee, is an endangered great ape and one of the two species making up the genus '' Pan,'' the other being the comm ...
* "Remember Where You Are
"Remember Where You Are" is a song by English singer and songwriter Jessie Ware. It was released on 5 February 2021 as the seventh & final single from her fourth studio album, '' What's Your Pleasure?'' The song was written by Ware and its producer ...
" (2021) by Jessie Ware
Jessica Lois Ware (born 15 October 1984) is an English singer, songwriter and broadcaster. Ware came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album, ''Devotion'' (2012), which peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart, produce ...
"Jessie Ware - Remember Where You Are (Short Film)"
''YouTube''26 February 2021
Theatre credits
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arterton, Gemma
1986 births
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from Kent
Alumni of North West Kent College
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
English film actresses
English people of Scottish descent
English people of German-Jewish descent
English stage actresses
English television actresses
Living people
People educated at Mayfield Grammar School
People from Gravesend, Kent
English Shakespearean actresses
People with polydactyly
English voice actresses