Biography
Date of Birth
2 December 1986, Gravesend, Kent, England, UK
Birth Name
Gemma Christina Arterton
Height
5' 7" (1.7 m)
Mini Biography
Gemma Christina Arterton was born in Gravesend, Kent, England, where she was raised. She is the daughter of Sally-Anne (Heap), a cleaner, and Barry J. Arterton, a welder. Her mother's cousin is singer-songwriter Eric Goulden.
Her parents divorced when she was age five, and Gemma subsequently lived with her younger sister and her mother. Her parents encouraged their children to explore their creative abilities. Gemma's sister, Hannah, liked to sing, whereas Gemma chose acting. During her teenage years, she was part of the Masquerade and Miskin theater companies, appearing in productions of The Massacre of Civitella and Guiding Star. In 2004, she won an award for Best Supporting Actress, which helped her to win a grant to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Whilst studying at RADA, she landed her first professional role in Capturing Mary (2007), directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Maggie Smith. Gemma graduated from RADA in 2007 and won her first film role in St. Trinian's (2007). Her breakthrough role came in 2008, when she appeared in the James Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008). In 2009, she was the winner of Empire's Best Newcomer Award.
Trivia
Graduated from RADA in 2007.
Raised by a single mother.
She has a younger sister Hannah Arterton (b. 1989).
Featured in Empire Magazine's "The Hot List" as one of the biggest upcoming stars in the 2010's. Other people on the list were Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Marion Cotillard, Mia Wasikowska and Clash of the Titans (2010) co-star Sam Worthington.
Were filming her last scene for A Deal Is a Deal (2008) when she was told, she had won the part in Quantum of Solace (2008).
Beat out 1500 other actresses for her role in Quantum of Solace (2008).
The first scene she shot for Quantum of Solace (2008) was the love scene with Daniel Craig.
Clash of the Titans (1981) was one of her childhood favorites, and even though the script was very different from the original, she was eager to star in the remake.
Was in consideration for the role of Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (2010) after Emily Blunt dropped out of the project, but Scarlett Johansson was cast instead. She also auditioned for the role of Maya Hansen in Iron Man Three (2013), but Rebecca Hall was cast instead.
Replaced Natalie Portman as Catherine Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights (2011), but later dropped out of the project. Kaya Scodelario was then cast instead.
(2007-2008) Had an 18-month relationship with British animator John Nolan.They met on the set of Quantum of Solace (2008) and lived together in London.
During her time as a student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London she worked as a make-up salesgirl.
Her parents are Barry J. Arterton, a welder, and Sally-Ann Heap, a cleaner.
Announced her engagement to Italian businessman Stefano Catelli, who works for a British fashion marketing company, having been in a relationship with him since March 2009. [July 2009]
Was in a relationship with Spanish stuntman Eduardo Ivan Munoz, having met him on the set of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010). [June 2008]
Her grandmother, Helen Sarfas (b. 1939), died at her home in Kent after stabbing herself in the chest with a knife on 8 January 2010. She had battled years of depression and bipolar disorder.
Was in consideration for the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady after Keira Knightley dropped out of the project, but Carey Mulligan was cast instead.
Beat Sienna Miller to the role of Kelly Jones in St. Trinian's (2007).
Married Stefano Catelli in a secret hilltop ceremony in the village of Zuheros in Spain before family and close friends. Arterton wore a cream-colored gown and held a bouquet of white roses (6 June 2010). The photos of her wedding were published by British newspaper Daily Mail.
Auditioned for the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), but Anne Hathaway was cast instead.
A lifelong fan of karaoke, Gemma once worked as a singer in a south London 'gangster bar' where she was frequently instructed to sing "My Heart Will Go On" whenever things got out of hand with the rowdy patrons.
Was born with an extra finger on each hand, a benign condition known as polydactyly, and had the extra digits removed as an infant. The scars from the surgery are virtually unnoticeable today.
Gemma's matrilineal great-grandmother, born Jean Specterman, was Jewish (of Polish Jewish descent). The rest of Gemma's ancestry is English, with more distant German and Scottish.
In early 2013 she separated from Stefano Catelli, her husband of two years and later divorced.
She is a big fan of Kate Bush. She went to the first night of her comeback series of concerts at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014, then was interviewed about it on Newsnight (1980).
Learned French while shooting Gemma Bovery.
Lost to Hayley Atwell for the role of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
Played the title role in two film adaptations of Posy Simmonds' graphic novels: Tamara Drewe (2010) (a modern re-imagining of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd) and Gemma Bovery (2014) (a modern re-imagining of Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary).
Her West End theatre credits: the title role in Nell Gwynn (Apollo Theatre, 2016), Rita in Made in Dagenham (Adelphi Theatre, 2015), the title role in The Duchess of Malfi (Shakespeare's Globe, 2014), Ellen in The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick, 2010), Hilde Wangel in The Master Builder (Almeida, 2010) and Rosaline in Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespeare's Globe, 2007).
She was in a relationship with French assistant director Franklin Ohannessian from 2013 to 2016, having met him on the set of The Voices (2014), in April 2013. They worked together again on Gemma Bovery (2014), her first film in France. She didn't speak a word of French when she cast in the film.
Stated that she won't have kids before she wins an Oscar.
Stated that Gemma Bovery is the character who is more close to how she is in real life.
(September 15, 2019) Married her boyfriend of 2 years Rory Keenan at exclusive Ballybeg House in Co Wicklow, a fortnight ago.
Won the London Evening Standard Theatre Best Newcomer award for her performance in the musical version of Made in Dagenham.
Trademarks:
Her unique speaking voice
Quotes
The minute anyone says, "Oh my God! You're so amazing!" I just have to go, "Shut up! Please!". I am normal. I have just one rule--don't believe the hype!
[on the set of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)] When [director Mike Newell] first met me for the film he said, "Oh dear. Can't you do posh?" I thought, "I can't believe he's asked me that!". So I said--firmly, through gritted teeth--"Of course I can, I went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Fucking Art!".
As soon as I say, "I can't go out in that dress, I've already worn it before!" my dad will say, "Listen to yourself! Stop being stupid!".
[on making The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009)] I wanted something that was getting down and dirty, and really not about how you look. I wanted to be, like, fucking hair and make-up everywhere, just not giving a fuck! And yes, I get tied up, beaten, and there's nudity. All the things that made people go, "You should not do this!". But I put my foot down.
When you put yourself in these huge popcorn movies you get out there, in the public arena, more than anyone else. But that also means that you're out there to be criticised more than anyone else. With Keira Knightley, she's brave to do her play. Because, for some reason, if you're successful in Britain, people tend not to like you. But if you're a successful woman, and beautiful, in Britain, you're even more disliked.
On one of the [2009] movies, I'd just done this big comedy scene, and all they said was, "You need to work on your arms!". Hey, when you've had 12 fingers, everything else looks OK from here. And I said, "But what about the acting?". And they said, "Don't worry about the acting, worry about your arms!". I just wanted to say, "Screw you all! I'd rather do a play!".
I'd really like the type of career Rachel Weisz has. I have a lot of respect for her: brilliant, intelligent, a witty sort of woman . . . You know, she'll do a rom-com--not that I ever want to do a rom-com--but then she'll go off and do The Constant Gardener (2005), have a family, and live a quite normal life, it seems. I respect that.
[on pressure from studio executives on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)] They sent me to a personal trainer, wanted to get my teeth done, hair extensions, make me look like somebody else. And that's fine I had the tan, I had the hair, I went to the gym. I became the thing they wanted me to be for the part. But I don't agree with what they think is beautiful because it's not me. Unless you're really famous and successful then they're going to bully you into going to the gym. It's a side of the industry that I find uncomfortable.
In comparison to many actresses I think I'm really average--when I got the Bond film Quantum of Solace (2008) there was this big hoo-ha about me not being hot enough, I have to say I agree--I don't think I'm in that realm.
Sometimes it's hard to make action and adventure movies real, because obviously you have limitations with the writing. In Clash of the Titans (2010), I have this line: "I imagine you are sympathetic to this plight." I walked around [on set] going: "Are YOU sympathetic to the plight . . . ?" [laughs] You have to work yourself up to it, a bit like [William Shakespere (I)]--you really have to BELIEVE your character says that. In The Disappearance of Alice Creed (2009) I'm shouting, "Fuck off, you c*nt!" a lot. It was nice. I can imagine myself saying that more!
[on her skincare routine] I really have to make myself take off my make-up. I really hate doing that, and brushing my teeth! At the end of the day, when you decide you're ready to go to bed, it's yet another thing to do . . .
Actors are so bloody annoying! We are the most erratic, self-centered people and I am amazed how two actors can live together. It is hard enough when there is just one!
[2008] [What are your favourite late-night hangouts?] The Bethnal Green Working Men's Club has burlesque and circus nights every month that have a homemade feel I love. And the Pigalle Club in Piccadilly is a great, glam night out.
[2008] [What are your home comforts?] Breakfast in a random cafe on a Sunday.
[2008] [What are your extravagances?] Shoes and food. I feel guilty about the shoe bit but not for indulging in good food.
[2008] [Where is the most romantic spot in London?] Hampstead Heath (you can tell I love that place). Just lying on the grass looking up at the sky. There's something so quintessentially London about it.
[2008] [Which London shops do you rely on?] I love Vivienne Westwood. Selfridges, because it has everything. Foyles on Charing Cross Road is the best bookshop for plays. Budgens in Crouch End for great organic fruit and veg.
[2008] [What are your current projects?] I'm working at Pinewood Studios on Disney's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with Jake Gyllenhaal, Sir Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
[2008] [What is your life philosophy?] A line from a Kate Bush song: 'I just know that something good is going to happen; I don't know when, but just saying it could even make it happen.'
[2008] [Which perfume do you wear?] At the moment I'm wearing the Bond Girl 007 perfume by Avon or For Her by Narciso Rodriguez. They're gorgeous.
[2008] [What are your most memorable London meals?] I was at drama school next to the best sit-down fish and chip restaurant in London, Gig's, just off Charlotte Street. The fish is fresh and tastes gorgeous. It's a bit more pricey than a normal chippy but it's worth it. I have only happy memories of that place.
[2008] [What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?] A black tassel dress I bought for £5 when I was a student. I bought it in Bang Bang on Goodge Street. I always have fun in it because it makes me want to shimmy.
[2008] [What is your earliest London memory?] Visiting my aunt in Stockwell. I remember going on picnics to Greenwich Park and the random music festivals there in the summer. I knew even at that very young age that I wanted to live in London.
[2008] [Which is your favourite London shopping street?] Conduit Street, because it has Vivienne Westwood and Ashley's Boutique.
[2008] [What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?] I would make the buses cheaper: 50p for a ticket feels reasonable to me.
[2008] [Which books are you reading?] I have just finished For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway and I'm about to start The Traveller by John Twelve Hawks. A friend said it was one of the best books he's read and that I should play the lead if it's made into a film, which was lovely.
[2008] [What is your favourite London view?] The view from Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath. Or sitting outside the Globe theatre on the South Bank and looking at St Paul's cathedral at night.
