Gemma Chan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gemma Chan
Chan in 2019
Born	(1982-11-29) 29 November 1982 (age 42) London, England
Education	Worcester College, Oxford (BA) Drama Centre London
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Partner(s)	Jack Whitehall (2011–2017) Dominic Cooper (2018–present)
Awards	Full list
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	陳靜
Simplified Chinese	陈静
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chén Jìng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Chàhn Jihng

Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is an English actress. She is known for starring in popular movies and television shows. After graduating from Worcester College, Oxford, one of the world's top universities, she decided to become an actress.

Chan became well-known for playing a robot in the science fiction TV series Humans (2015–2018). She gained more fame from her roles in the hit movie Crazy Rich Asians and the historical film Mary Queen of Scots (both 2018).

She is also famous for her roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She played Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel (2019) and the superhero Sersi in Eternals (2021). She also voiced a character in the Disney animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon (2021). Besides acting, Chan is also seen as a fashion icon.

Early Life and School

Gemma Chan was born in London, England. Her father was an engineer from Hong Kong, and her mother was a pharmacist who grew up in Scotland.

Chan grew up in a part of London called Locksbottom. She was a very good student and went to Newstead Wood School for Girls. Later, she studied law at Worcester College, Oxford. After finishing her law studies, she was offered a job at a top law firm. However, she turned it down to follow her dream of acting. She went to the Drama Centre London to study acting instead.

Acting Career

First Roles

Chan's first TV role was in a 2006 miniseries called When Evil Calls. In 2008, she acted in her first play, Turandot, in London. A year later, she appeared in a special episode of the popular BBC show Doctor Who called "The Waters of Mars".

In 2010, Chan appeared in an episode of the BBC series Sherlock. She also acted in movies like Submarine. In 2012, she acted in a play called Yellow Face. While promoting the play, she talked about how it was sometimes hard for her to get roles that were not specifically for Chinese characters.

Chan at the 2013 BAFTA Awards

In 2013, she starred in the crime drama Shetland and guest-starred in Death in Paradise. She also appeared in the movie The Double.

Becoming Famous

Chan at the British Independent Film Awards 2014

Chan's career grew in the mid-2010s. She acted in the action movie Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014). In 2015, she starred in a famous play by Harold Pinter called The Homecoming. Critics loved her performance.

From 2015 to 2018, Chan had a leading role in the science fiction show Humans. She played Anita/Mia, a robot with human-like feelings. Her performance was praised for showing the character's emotions in a powerful way.

In 2018, Chan starred as the stylish and wealthy Astrid Leong-Teo in the movie Crazy Rich Asians. The movie was a huge success and was praised for its talented cast. Many critics said Chan was a standout star in the film.

Chan at the 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards

That same year, she played Bess of Hardwick in the historical movie Mary Queen of Scots. Some people online were upset because a real-life white person was being played by an actress of Asian descent. Chan responded by saying that acting allows for different people to play different roles.

Major Movie Roles

Chan at the premiere of Don't Worry Darling in 2022

In 2019, Chan joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain Marvel. She played Minn-Erva, a blue-skinned alien sniper. The role required her to wear a lot of makeup, which took four hours to put on every day.

In 2020, she acted with the famous actress Meryl Streep in the comedy Let Them All Talk. In 2021, she voiced the warrior princess Namaari in the Disney animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon.

Later in 2021, she returned to the Marvel universe with a leading role in Eternals. She played Sersi, an ancient and powerful superhero who loves humanity. This was her second, and much bigger, role in a Marvel movie.

More recently, Chan has appeared in the thriller Don't Worry Darling (2022) and the science fiction film The Creator (2023). She also has a voice role in the English version of the Japanese animated film The Boy and the Heron (2023).

Helping Others

Chan (third from left) at Edwards Air Force Base with her Captain Marvel co-stars

Gemma Chan uses her fame to help people in need. In 2017, she traveled to Lebanon with the charity Save the Children to meet child refugees from Syria. She has supported UNICEF UK since 2015 and became an official ambassador for them in 2021. She has helped raise money and awareness for children's rights and safety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people of Asian descent faced racist attacks. Chan spoke out against this hate and helped start the #StopAAPIhate and #StopESEAHate campaigns to support victims.

Personal Life

From 2011 to 2017, Chan was in a relationship with English comedian Jack Whitehall. Since 2018, she has been with English actor Dominic Cooper. They live together in London. Chan is also a fan of the Arsenal football club.

In 2018, Chan took part in a large public march in London. She showed her support for having a second vote on Brexit, which was the United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union.

Filmography

Key

Denotes projects that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2006	When Evil Calls	Molly Nelson
2009	Exam	Chinese woman
2010	Shanghai	Shin Shin
	Submarine	Kim-Lin
2013	The Double	Glamorous Judge
2014	Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit	Amy Chang
2015	Love Is a Four Letter Word: Worth Seven Points	Wife	Short film
	Families	Chen-Lin
2016	Everyday Performance Artists	Melody	Short film
	Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	Madam Ya Zhou
2017	Transformers: The Last Knight	Quintessa (voice and motion capture)
	Stratton	Aggy
2018	Crazy Rich Asians	Astrid Leong-Teo
	London Fields	Petronella
	Mary Queen of Scots	Elizabeth Hardwick
	Intrigo: Dear Agnes	Henny
	Leading Lady Parts	Herself	Short film
2019	Captain Marvel	Minn-Erva
2020	Let Them All Talk	Karen
2021	Raya and the Last Dragon	Namaari (voice)
	Eternals	Sersi
2022	Don't Worry Darling	Shelley
2023	The Creator	Maya Fey / Nirmata
	The Boy and the Heron	Natsuko (voice)	English dub
2025	The Actor	Edna
TBA	Josephine	TBA	Post-production

Television

Theatre

Video games

Awards and nominations