Gemma Arterton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gemma Arterton
Arterton in 2017
Born	Gemma Christina Arterton (1986-02-02) 2 February 1986 (age 39) Gravesend, Kent, England
Alma mater	Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actress producer
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Stefano Catelli ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2015)​ Rory Keenan ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	1
Family	Hannah Arterton (sister)

Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress. She began her acting career on stage in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost in 2007. Later that year, she made her first movie appearance in the comedy St Trinian's.

Gemma became widely known for playing Strawberry Fields, a "Bond Girl," in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace (2008). This role earned her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. She also played a spy named Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad in the action film The King's Man (2021).

Her other notable films include Clash of the Titans (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010), and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). Gemma has also starred in many plays, earning nominations for Olivier Awards for her work in Nell Gwynn and Made in Dagenham.

Since 2016, Gemma has run her own production company, Rebel Park Productions. This company focuses on creating movies and TV shows that feature strong female characters and stories.

Early life and education

Gemma Arterton was born in Gravesend, England. When she was born, she had extra fingers, a condition called polydactyly. Doctors removed them shortly after her birth. Her mother, Sally-Anne Heap, ran a cleaning business, and her father, Barry J. Arterton, was a welder.

Her parents divorced when Gemma was young. She grew up with her mother and younger sister, Hannah Arterton, who is also an actress. Gemma went to Gravesend Grammar School for Girls. There, she performed in a play called The Boy Who Fell into a Book and won a "best actress" award at a local festival.

At 16, Gemma left her grammar school to study acting at the Miskin Theatre in Dartford. She later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), a famous acting school, and graduated in 2008.

Career highlights

Arterton in 2010

Gemma Arterton got her first professional acting job in the TV film Capturing Mary while she was still in drama school. Her first stage role was in Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre in London in July 2007. She made her film debut as Kelly in St Trinian's (2007).

In 2008, Gemma appeared in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. She was chosen from about 1,500 people to play the Bond Girl Strawberry Fields. She also starred in TV shows like Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Lost in Austen.

Gemma was the face of Avon's Bond Girl 007 perfume, which launched in 2008. In 2010, she performed in her first West End play, The Little Dog Laughed.

She had big roles in the 2010 movies Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. She also played the main character in Tamara Drewe. In 2011, Gemma was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award. This award recognizes talented new actors.

Arterton at the Australian premiere for Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters in 2013

Gemma starred as Gretel in the action horror film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013), alongside Jeremy Renner. The movie was set 15 years after Hansel and Gretel killed the witch who kidnapped them. In 2014, she played the main role in the play The Duchess of Malfi at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Critics praised her performance.

In 2015, Gemma starred in Gemma Bovery. For this role, she learned to speak French, even though she had never spoken it before.

Arterton at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

From 2014 to 2015, Gemma starred in Made in Dagenham, a musical about a real strike by women factory workers in 1968 who fought for equal pay. Gemma played a fictional character named Rita O'Grady. Her performance earned her an Olivier Award nomination and an Evening Standard Theatre Award.

In 2016, Gemma played the main role in the play Nell Gwynn at the Apollo Theatre. Critics loved her performance, and she was nominated for another Olivier Award. That same year, she was nominated for a BIFA for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Girl with All the Gifts, a movie about a dystopian future.

Gemma started Rebel Park Productions in 2016 to create films and TV shows with female leads and female-focused stories. She produced the short film Leading Lady Parts to support the Time's Up movement. The film featured famous actors like Emilia Clarke and Tom Hiddleston.

Arterton at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, for the premiere of Their Finest

In 2017, Gemma played Joan in the play Saint Joan. Her performance was highly praised. She also appeared in Their Finest, a wartime romantic comedy about a film crew during World War II.

In 2018, Gemma produced and co-created The Escape, a film about a mother struggling with her marriage. The film received excellent reviews, and Gemma was nominated for a BIFA for Best Actress. Harper's Bazaar magazine named her "Woman of the Year" for her work on the film.

In 2019, Gemma appeared in the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. She also played Vita Sackville-West in Vita and Virginia, a film about the romantic relationship between Vita and Virginia Woolf. Gemma was also an executive producer for this film.

Gemma was an executive producer and starred in the 2020 World War II film Summerland. In 2021, she appeared as a secret agent in the World War I film The King's Man. She will play this role again in the sequel, The Traitor King.

Other activities

Gemma Arterton is a strong supporter of the Time's Up movement and ERA 50:50. Time's Up works to fight against harassment and inequality. ERA 50:50 is a campaign in the UK that pushes for equal pay for women. Gemma helped convince actresses to wear black at the 2018 BAFTAs to support Time's Up.

Personal life

Gemma Arterton married Stefano Catelli in 2010. They separated in 2013 and divorced in 2015. She later said she was not sure if she would want to get married again. In 2013, Gemma mentioned that she wanted to achieve more in her acting career before having children.

In 2019, she married actor Rory Keenan. Their first child, a son, was born in December 2022.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	St Trinian's	Kelly Jones
2008	Three and Out	Frankie Cassidy
	RocknRolla	June
	Quantum of Solace	Strawberry Fields
2009	The Boat That Rocked	Desiree
	The Disappearance of Alice Creed	Alice Creed
	St Trinian's 2: The Legend of Fritton's Gold	Kelly Jones
2010	Clash of the Titans	Io
	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Tamina
	Tamara Drewe	Tamara Drewe
	A Turtle's Tale: Sammy's Adventures	Shelly	Voice role, UK version
2012	Byzantium	Clara Webb
	Song for Marion	Elizabeth
2013	Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters	Gretel
	Runner Runner	Rebecca Shafran
2014	The Voices	Fiona
	Gemma Bovery	Gemma Bovery
2016	100 Streets	Emily
	The Girl with All the Gifts	Helen Justineau
	The History of Love	Alma Mereminski
	Orpheline	Tara
	Their Finest	Catrin Cole
2017	The Escape	Tara	Also executive producer
2018	Vita & Virginia	Vita Sackville-West
2019	Murder Mystery	Grace Ballard
	My Zoe	Laura Fischer
	How to Build a Girl	Maria von Trapp
2020	StarDog and TurboCat	Cassidy	Voice role
	Summerland	Alice Lamb	Also executive producer
2021	The King's Man	Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad
2022	The Amazing Maurice	Peaches	Voice role
	Rogue Agent	Alice Archer
2023	The Critic	Nina Land
2024	Buffalo Kids	Eleanor	Voice role
2025	Grand Prix of Europe	Edda	Voice role

Television

Music videos

• "Kerala" (2016) by Bonobo
• "Remember Where You Are" (2021) by Jessie Ware

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gemma Arterton para niños