Born:
January 12, 1986
in
Gravesend, Kent
Best Known For:
Being the head girl of St Trinian's
Early-life:
Born in 1986, in Gravesend, Kent. Her mother is a cleaner, her dad is a welder and she has a younger sister named Hannah. She attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls, and then took a performing arts course, before winning a place at the Royal Acadamy of Dramatic Art. Gemma admits that while her parents were supportive, they did worry she wouldn't be able to make a living as an actress, and says she wouldn't have been able to complete her studies if she hadn't received a grant. She also took a job on a make-up counter to support herself.
Career:
Gemma was still at drama school when she won her first professional role in Stephen Poliakoff's drama Capturing Mary. By the time she graduated in summer 2007, she had also won the part of Rosaline in a production of Love's Labours Lost at the Globe Theatre in London, and had been cast as head girl Kelly in St Trinian's. Her star has continued to rise as she appeared in RocknRolla, BBC drama Tess of the D'Urbervilles and ITV's Lost in Austen. More recently, she has starred in Quantum of Solace, Clash of the Titans, Tamara Drewe, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and Runner Runner.
Quote:
On her overnight success: "I feel that someone is going to come up to me and say: 'Excuse me, who do you think you are, and why do you think you deserve this?'"
Trivia:
In 2014, she starred in the stage musical Made in Dagenham.