Gemma Chan Biography

Gemma Chan is an English actress who rose to fame for starring in 4’s Humans from 2015 to 2018, Crazy Rich Asians, and Mary Queen of Scots. Next, she starred in the MCU, appearing in films like Captain Marvel as Minn-Erva and Eternals as Sersi. The Worcester College kickstarted her acting career in the late 2000s.

Gemma Chan Age

Chan was born on November 29, 1982, in London, England. She is 42 years old as of 2024. Chan celebrates her birthday on November 29th.

Gemma Chan Height

Chan stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 9 inches.

Gemma Chan Family

Chan was born at Guy’s Hospital in London, England. Her father hailed from Hong Kong and worked as an engineer. On the other hand, her mother hailed from mainland China and worked as a pharmacist. She left China before the Cultural Revolution, passing through Hong Kong, and ultimately settling in Greenock, Scotland. They raised her in Locksbottom in the London Borough of Bromley. It is not if Chan has any siblings.

Gemma Chan Boyfriend/Dating

Chan has been in a relationship with English actor, Dominic Cooper, since 2018. Dominic Cooper is an English actor famous for starring as Jesse Custer on AMC’s Preacher from 2016 to 2019 and the young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appearing in Captain America: The First Avenger and ABC’s Agent Carter from 2015 to 2016. He also appeared in Mamma Mia! in 2008 and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in 2018. He was born on r on June 2, 1978, and is 46 years old as of 2024. The couple lives in London.

Previously, she dated Jack Whitehall from 2011 to 2017. Jack is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality famous for his roles as JP in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and as Alfie Wickers in BBC Three’s Bad Education. He is also known for being the co-writer of Bad Education and its film adaptation, The Bad Education Movie.

Gemma Chan Net Worth

Chan has an estimated net worth ranging between $5 Million – $10 Million which she has earned through being an actress.

Gemma Chan Humans

From 2015 to 2018, she starred as Anita/Mia in AMC/Channel 4’s Humans. Anita/Mia is an anthropomorphic robot owned by the Hawkins family. A highly advanced synthetic being/synth, she is initially shown as a typical household assistant. Still, she is later revealed to be a conscious synth developed by David Elster to act as a babysitter for his son, Leo. After she is abducted, she gets reprogrammed with new software that alters her original functions. Her performance in the series won her the 2015 Broadcasting Press Guild Best Actress Award.

Gemma Chan Crazy Rich Asians

Chan starred as Astrid Leong-Teo in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Even though she was contacted to play the lead role, she turned it down and opted for the role of Astrid since she found it more intriguing. Lauded as “the Goddess” among her peers for her impeccable fashion sense, she is Nick Young’s cousin, Michael’s wife, and a member of the Leong family, one of the wealthiest families in Asia.

Chan’s performance in the film won her nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Award and the 2018 Music City Critics’ Association Best Supporting Actress Award. She won the National Board of Review Best Ensemble Award.

Gemma Chan Mary Queen of Scots

Chan starred as Elizabeth Cavendish Hardwick/Bess of Hardwick in Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots. Known for her ambitious nature and social climbing, Elizabeth gained immense wealth throughout her four marriages, making her one of the richest women in England. She used her wealth to build magnificent estates including Hardwick Hall, which became a symbol of her status. Additionally, she is a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth I and keeper of Mary. Her casting gained controversy among internet trolls since her character was originally a white woman. In response to this, she said that if John Wayne could play Genghis Khan, she could play Bess of Hardwick.

Gemma Chan Eternals

Chan starred as Sersi in MCU’s Eternals. Sersi is one of the superhumans created by the Celestials to protect humanity from their counterparts, the Deviants. An empathetic Eternal, she has strongly bonded with humanity and the Earth as opposed to Ikaris, a Deviant with whom she has been in love for centuries. Further, she can influence and change matters through physical contact. She presently works as a museum curator on Earth and dates Dane Whitman.

Gemma Chan Ethnicity

Chan is a British citizen of Chinese descent.

Gemma Chan Witness

Chan witnessed the murder of a homeless man in October 2013 outside the Putney Bridge Tube station in West London. She stayed with him until medics arrived but he passed away. In September 2013, she went to the Old Bailey in central London to testify in the trial of the defendant.

Gemma Chan Education

While growing up in Locksbottom, Chan studied at Newstead Wood School for Girls in Orpington, London. Next, she studied Law at  Worcester College, Oxford where she received her degree. After graduating, she received a training contract opportunity for Slaughter and May, a law firm, but rejected the offer to pursue her studies at the Drama Centre London and an acting career. Classically trained on the violin and piano, she obtained a Diploma from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music on the violin during her time in school.

Gemma Chan Career

Chan professionally debuted in 2006 with a role in Horror Channel’s When Evil Calls. She competed on  Project Catwalk SN 2. In 2008, she debuted on stage appearing in Bertolt Brecht’s Turandot at the Hampstead Theatre, London. The following year, she appeared in a special of BBC’s Doctor Who episode, The Waters of Mars as geologist Mia Bennett. That same year, she appeared in Exam.

In the 2010s, Chan kickstarted her career appearing in two episodes of Channel 4’s The IT Crowd. She attained her first big role in that year starring as a heavily accented Chinese migrant in The Blind Banker. Next, she starred in Pimp, Shanghai, and Submarine. She joined the cast of the final series of Secret Diary of a Call Girl as Charlotte in 2011. Later that year, she starred in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat.

In 2012, Chan starred in Bedlam, True Love, and  David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face at The Park Theatre, London. She rejoined the play’s 2014 revival at the Royal National Theatre. She talked about her struggles to secure non-Chinese-related productions and period dramas while promoting the play. In November 2013, she performed in the world premiere of Our Ajax by Timberlake Wertenbaker at the Southwark Playhouse, London. Later that year, she appeared in Shetland, The Double, Death in Paradise, and Dates.

2014 to 2018

Chan starred in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit in 2014. The following year, she played the role of Ruth in the West End revival of Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming. That same year, she starred as Chen-Lin, in Belles Familles. From 2015 to 2018, she starred as Anita/Mia in AMC/Channel 4’s Humans. In 2017, she served as the voiceover for Quintessa in Transformers: The Last Knight. That same year, she started as Aggie in Stratton. She gave a voice-over on BBC’s Watership Down in 2018. That same year, she joined the cast of ActionAid, persuading the British public to support girls at risk of sexual violence.

Chan starred as Astrid Leong-Teo in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018. Even though she was contacted to play the lead role, she turned it down and opted for the role of Astrid since she found it more intriguing. That same year, she appeared in Leading Lady Parts to support the Time’s Up movement. Further, she starred as Petronella in London Fields. She also starred as Elizabeth Hardwick in Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots.

In 2019, Chan starred as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel. For the role, she wore a lot of prosthetic makeup that took four hours to apply. That same year, she along other 14 women was chosen to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

2020 to present;

Chan starred in Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk opposite Meryl Streep. That same year, she was the fifteenth winner of the Women In Film Max Mara Face of the Future award. The following year, she served as the voice-over for warrior princess Namaari in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. In May of that year, she briefly worked as the producer of Hold Still, Vincent which follows the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin. However, the podcast was pulled from distribution by the producing team after they learned that the production company had not consulted with Chin’s estate during the project.

In November 2021, Chan starred as Sersi in Marvel Studios’ Eternals, marking her second role in the MCU after starring in Captain Marvel. Further, she starred in Apple TV+’s Extrapolations. In 2023, she gave the voiceover for the English dub version of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. That same year, she starred in Don’t Worry Darling and The Creator. She is scheduled to star in The Actor, Josephine, and TBS’ Affolter Brothers Junkyard Dogs.

Advocacy and Activism

Chan went to Lebanon alongside Save the Children to meet Syrian child refugees in 2017. The following year, she collaborated with Moet to help Help Refugees UK. Further, she was a volunteer with Cook-19 during the global pandemic, delivering meals to crucial workers. While responding to the xenophobic and racist assaults against people of East and Southeast Asian individuals during the global pandemic, she was an advocate for the #StopAAPIhate movement and fundraising campaign.

Since 2015, she has been a supporter of UNICEF UK. In this magnitude, she traveled to Jamaica with the organization to increase awareness of domestic violence. In 2019, She was involved with Soccer Aid to help collect funds for the charity. The following year, she partook in World Children’s Day celebrations. UNICEF UK chose her as a celebrity ambassador in 2021. In May of that year, she debuted the #StopESEAHate campaign, aimed at assisting East and Southeast Asian individuals who have experienced hate crimes.

Public Image and Fashion

Chan is seen as a fashion icon with a polished and flawless style. She gained significant media attention for her outfit at the 91st Academy Awards. At the time, she had adorned a fuchsia-pink Valentino dress. Moreover, she received critical praise from Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue’s Alice Birell, and Zara Wong. Publications like Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, and Vogue mentioned her in their best-dressed list.

In 2019, she attended the Met Gala wearing an outfit by Tom Ford. Besides receiving critical praise, she was also mentioned in Vogue‘s selection of the “best beauty moments from the 2019 Met Gala.” Her other significant appearances include the Captain Marvel premiere in 2019, the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar party, the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards, and the 2022 and 2023 Cannes Film Festivals.

Continuing her collaboration with Louis Vuitton, Chan wore a custom archival-inspired black dress from the 2022 In America-themed Met Gala, receiving praise as the best dressed of the night. Teen Vogue mentioned in their “24 Celebrities Who Nailed It” list. In 2023, she wore Louis Vuitton to the 2023 Vogue World event. The following year, she appeared in Edward Enninful’s final British Vogue cover dubbed 40 Megastars, One Magnificent Image.

Chan has received praise for endorsing Asian fashion designers. In this magnitude, she has worn Asian designers at public events including Miss Sohee’s couture chiffon gown and Anabela Chan’s jewellery at the Newport Beach Film Festival in February 2023. The previous year, she won a strapless pink gown by Jason Wu at an event by George and Amal Clooney. Additionally, she wore a flower-style Oscar de la Renta dress by Slaysian’s Laura Kim at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

Gemma Chan Movies and TV Shows

Chan has starred in several movies and TV shows during her career such as

• Submarine
• Project Catwalk
• Love Is a Four Letter Word: Worth Seven Points
• Everyday Performance Artists
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• London Fields
• Bedlam
• Secret Diary of a Call Girl
• Intrigo: Dear Agnes
• Death in Paradise
• The Game
• Brotherhood
• Watership Down
• I Am Hannah
• The Afterparty