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
Relatives	Hannah Arterton (sister) Wreckless Eric (cousin)

Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is a British actress. She started her acting journey 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 Bond Girl Strawberry Fields in the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace (2008). This role earned her an Empire Award for Best Newcomer. She also played Agent Polly in the action war film The King's Man (2021).

She has starred in many other films like Tamara Drewe (2010), Clash of the Titans (2010), and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010). Her stage work includes Made in Dagenham (2014) and Nell Gwynn (2016). Gemma was nominated for Olivier Awards for these plays. She won an Evening Standard Theatre Award for Made in Dagenham.

Since 2016, Gemma has run her own company, Rebel Park Productions. This company focuses on making movies and TV shows that feature women in leading roles and behind the scenes.

Early Life and Education

Gemma Christina Arterton was born on 2 February 1986 in Gravesend, England. She was born with an extra finger on each hand, a condition called polydactyly. These extra fingers were removed soon after her birth.

Her mother, Sally-Anne Heap, ran a cleaning business. 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 in Kent. She first acted on stage in a school play called The Boy Who Fell into a Book. Her performance won her an award for best actress at a local festival.

At 16, Gemma left grammar school to study Performing Arts. She attended the Miskin Theatre at North Kent College. Later, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a famous drama school. She graduated from there in 2008.

Acting Career

Arterton in 2010

Gemma Arterton got her first professional acting job while still in drama school. It was in a TV film called Capturing Mary. In July 2007, she made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost. This play was performed at the Globe Theatre in London.

Her first movie role was in St Trinian's (2007). She played Kelly, the Head Girl. In 2008, she starred with Daniel Craig in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace. She was chosen from many actors to play Bond Girl Strawberry Fields.

In the same year, Gemma played the main character in the BBC show Tess of the d'Urbervilles. She also played Elizabeth Bennet in the ITV series Lost in Austen.

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

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

She had important roles in several 2010 films. These included Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. She also played the lead in Tamara Drewe. In 2010, Gemma also performed in The Master Builder at the Almeida Theatre. She received praise for her role as Hilde Wangel.

In 2011, Gemma was nominated for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Rising Star Award. This was for her work in Tamara Drewe.

Gemma starred as Gretel in the action horror film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. She acted alongside Jeremy Renner, who played Hansel. The movie was released in 2013. In 2014, she played the main role in The Duchess of Malfi. This play was the first production at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Critics praised her performance in the play. That same year, she appeared in the film The Voices.

In 2015, Gemma starred in Gemma Bovery. This film was a new version of the classic story Madame Bovary. Gemma learned to speak French for this role, 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. This was a musical about the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968. The strike was about equal pay for women. Gemma played a character named Rita O'Grady. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for her performance. She also won the Evening Standard award for Newcomer in a Musical.

In 2016, Gemma played the main role in Nell Gwynn at the Apollo Theatre. Critics praised her performance. She was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Play. Also in 2016, she was a judge for the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. She was also nominated for a BIFA for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Girl with All the Gifts.

Gemma's company, Rebel Park Productions, created the short film Leading Lady Parts. This film supported the Time's Up movement. It featured actors like Emilia Clarke and Tom Hiddleston. In the same year, she acted in the French film Orpheline. She used her French language skills for this role.

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

In 2017, Gemma played Joan in Saint Joan. Her performance was highly praised. That year, she also appeared in Their Finest. This was a wartime romantic comedy about a film crew during the Second World War.

In 2018, Gemma produced and co-created The Escape. This film was about a mother dealing with challenges in her marriage. She was nominated for a BIFA for Best Actress for this film. Harper's Bazaar awarded her Woman of the Year for her work on The Escape. In 2018, Gemma was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2019, Gemma appeared in the Netflix comedy Murder Mystery. It starred Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. She also played Vita Sackville-West in Vita and Virginia, a film about the lives of Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf. Gemma was an executive producer for this film. She also produced and starred in the short film Hayley Alien, written by her sister, Hannah Arterton.

Gemma was an executive producer and starred in the Second World War film Summerland (2020). In 2021, she appeared in the First World War film The King's Man. She played secret agent Pollyana "Polly" Wilkins / Agent Galahad. She will play this role again in the sequel The Traitor King. In 2024, she joined the cast of Sweet Dreams.

Other Activities

Gemma Arterton supports Time's Up movement. She helped convince actresses to wear black at the 2018 BAFTAs to support Time's Up. She has also been involved with ERA 50:50, a campaign in the UK that works for equal pay.

Personal Life

Gemma Arterton married Stefano Catelli in 2010. They separated in 2013, and their divorce was finalized in 2015. In 2019, Gemma married actor Rory Keenan. Their first 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 Roles

Music Videos

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

Theatre Performances

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gemma Arterton para niños