Karen Gillan
Karen Gillan | |
|---|---|
 Karen Gillan signing autographs @ HMV Oxford St, London 8/11/10 | |
| Born | Karen Sheila Gillan 28 November 1987 |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Karen Sheila Gillan (born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress and former model who is best known for her current portrayal of Amy Pond in the British science fiction series Doctor Who.
Early life
Gillan was born and brought up in Inverness, Scotland.[1] Her father, Raymond John, a Day Centre Manager, and mother, Marie, live in Kinmylies. At age 16, she decided to pursue her interest in acting, studying the craft at Edinburgh's Telford College. Later, she secured a place at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts drama school in London on the BA (Hons) Acting degree course.[2] Her cousin Caitlin Blackwood has portrayed the young Amy Pond in three episodes of Doctor Who.[3][4][5]
Career
Gillan has taken part in numerous modelling events including 2007's London Fashion Week for designer Allegra Hicks' autumn/winter catwalk show.[6] She has also modelled for the launch party of Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll Make-Up Range. This was shown in Nicola's episode of the documentary, The Passions of Girls Aloud[citation needed] which premiered on the 4 April 2008.
Gillan's early TV acting career included guest appearances on several TV drama series, with her first ongoing role being a two-year stint as a member of the ensemble cast of the sketch comedy series The Kevin Bishop Show in which she played multiple characters, as well as celebrities such as Katy Perry and Angelina Jolie. Gillan also appeared on TV in a leading role in a horror project entitled The Well, which was broadcast as episodic short films on BBC Two, and then later also as a web series on BBC.co.uk. Part of the BBC's multimedia "switch" programming, the short episodes interconnect with online games that further explore the environments presented in the series.[7]
She was cast for the role of the Eleventh Doctor's first companion, Amy Pond, on the British sci-fi series Doctor Who in early 2009. She made her first on-screen appearance as Amy Pond in "The Eleventh Hour", which first aired on 3 April 2010. She was confirmed in Issue 420 of the Doctor Who Magazine to be appearing in the 2011 series. Gillan had appeared in Doctor Who once before in the episode "The Fires of Pompeii" in the role of a Soothsayer.
She will be playing the iconic Jean Shrimpton in 'We'll Take Manhattan' next year as well as playing Juliet in a re-working of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet penned by David Baddiel.
Personal life
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Karen currently lives in Cardiff, Wales where she films Doctor Who. When she isn't filming she lives in London (where she moved to when she was 17). Gillan is currently dating photographer Patrick Green. She is also close friends with her Doctor Who co-stars Matt Smith and Arthur Darvill.
Television
| Year | Title | Format | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Rebus[6] | Detective drama series | Terry Cotter[8] |
| 2007–2009 | The Kevin Bishop Show | Sketch show series | Various |
| 2008 | Coming Up | Drama | Anna |
| 2008 | Doctor Who - "The Fires of Pompeii" | Science fiction series | Soothsayer |
| 2008 | Harley Street[6] | Medical drama series | Holly |
| 2010 | The Well (TV Series) | Horror series | Coll |
| 2010–present | Doctor Who | Science fiction series | Amy Pond |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Format | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Stacked (TV film) [9] | Drama film-for TV | Ginny Turner |
| 2008 | New Town Killers | Drama | Girl at Bus Station |
| 2010 | Outcast | Horror film | Ally |
| 2011 | We'll Take Manhattan | Drama/Film | Jean Shrimpton |
Video games
| Year | Title | Format | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Adventure Games : City of the Daleks | Episodic video game | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Adventure Games : Blood of the Cybermen | Episodic video game | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Adventure Games : TARDIS | Episodic video game | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Adventure Games : Shadows of the Vashta Nerada | Episodic video game | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth | Video game for Nintendo DS | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: Return to Earth | Video game for Nintendo Wii | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
| 2010 | Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time | Video game for Iphone/Ipod Touch and Ipad | Amy Pond (voice and likeness) |
References
- ^ "Who's that girl? The Doctor's new sidekick Karen Gillan stars in a glamorous photoshoot ahead of the forthcoming series". Daily Mail. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
- ^ Calum Macleod (2010-03-26). "Who's that girl?". Retrieved 2010-04-03.
- ^ Karen Gillan bags relative role. 31 March 2010. STV.com
- ^ Gillan never watched Dr Who until landing leading role.The Scotsman. 22 July 2010, Stuart MacDonald
- ^ Morgan, Susan (24 April 2011). "sport - Reader Holidays Cities Direct Interview: Karen Gillan, Doctor Who actor". The Scotsman.
- ^ a b c Liz Thomas (29 May 2009). "Unknown Scottish actress Karen Gillan cast as new Doctor Who Matt Smith's companion". TV&Showbiz. Mail Online. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ "BBC Switch presents "The Well"".
- ^ ""Rebus" Question of Blood (2006)". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 13 April 2010.
- ^ Stacked information page, from Internet Movie Database
External links
- Karen Gillan at IMDb