Gemma Arterton Biography

Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in St Trinian's (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008), Clash of the Titans (2010), Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013). Arterton has upcoming roles in the crime thriller film Runner, Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake and Byzantium with Saoirse Ronan.

Early life

Arterton was born in Gravesend and North Kent Hospital, Gravesend, Kent, the daughter of Sally-Anne Heap, a cleaner, and Barry Arterton, a welder. Arterton was born with polydactyly, and at her birth a doctor tied off the boneless sixth digits to remove them. She attended Gravesend Grammar School for Girls, in Kent, and made her stage debut there in an amateur production of Alan Ayckbourn's The Boy Who Fell Into a Book; it was entered into a competition at a local festival, where she won the best actress prize. At the age of 16, Arterton left school to attend the Miskin Theatre School in Dartford. She then received a full government grant to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, although, she said in 2008, she "got up to my eyes in debt with a student loan". She graduated from RADA in 2008.

Career

Arterton won her first professional role in Stephen Poliakoff's Capturing Mary, while she was still at drama school. Similarly, she made her stage debut as Rosaline in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at the Globe Theatre, London in July 2007 before graduating later that year. She made her film debut in St Trinian's (2007) as Head Girl Kelly.

In 2008, she appeared in the James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. Chosen from around 1,500 candidates, Arterton plays Bond Girl Strawberry Fields, in what is described as a "nice-sized role". On her character, Arterton describes Strawberry Fields as "the thinking man's crumpet". In 2008, she played the eponymous protagonist in the BBC adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Also in 2008, she played the role of Elizabeth Bennet in the ITV serial Lost in Austen. Her most controversial role was in the 2009 film The Disappearance of Alice Creed in which Arterton's character is kidnapped and abused in several graphic nude scenes.

She is the face of Avon's Bond Girl 007 fragrance, which launched in October 2008. Having already started in a series of advertisements for Avon, Arterton in May 2008 requested a role opposite model Kate Moss for Rimmel, but was blocked on contractual terms under her Avon contract.

In 2010, she made her West End debut in the UK premiere of The Little Dog Laughed. She was originally attached to star in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights as Catherine Earnshaw, however, she later left the project. She is set to star in Burden of Desire.

Arterton was seen in the 2010 films Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and played the lead in Tamara Drewe. In 2011, Arterton was nominated twice by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for her performances in Tamara Drewe and The Disappearance of Alice Creed.

In November 2012 she was selected as a member of the main competition jury at the 2012 International Film Festival of Marrakech.

Arterton starred in the action horror film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters as Gretel opposite actor Jeremy Renner who played Hansel. The 3-D film was set 15 years after Hansel and Gretel killed the witch who kidnapped them. It was released on January 25, 2013.

Personal life

On 5 June 2010, Arterton married Stefano Catelli, a fashion consultant, at a private ceremony in Zuheros, Andalucia, Spain. By early 2013, Arterton had separated from her husband.

Filmography

Film and television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	St Trinian's	Kelly Jones
2007	Capturing Mary	Liza	TV film
2008	Lost in Austen	Elizabeth Bennet	TV series (2 episodes)
2008	Tess of the D'Urbervilles	Tess Durbeyfield	TV series (4 episodes)
2008	Three and Out	Frankie Cassidy
2008	RocknRolla	June
2008	Quantum of Solace	Strawberry Fields
2009	' a.k.a. Pirate Radio	Desiree
2009	St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold	Kelly Jones
2010	Clash of the Titans	Io
2010	'	Alice Creed
2010	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time	Princess Tamina
2010	Tamara Drewe	Tamara Drewe
2012	Song for Marion	Elizabeth
2013	Byzantium	Clara
2013	Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters	Gretel
2013	Runner, Runner	Rebecca Shafran	Post-production
2014	The Voices		Post-production

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Nominated work	Result
2008	Empire Award for Best Newcomer	St Trinian's
2008	National Movie Award for Best Actress	St Trinian's
2009	Empire Award for Best Newcomer	Quantum of Solace
2010	Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Female	Clash of the Titans
2010	Scream Award for Best Breakout Performance Female	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2010	Teen Choice Award for Choice Fantasy Actress	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
2011	BAFTA Rising Star Award
2011	Glamour Award for Woman of the Year - Film Actress