# Gemma Chan
**Gemma Chan** (born 1982) is a British film, television, and theater actress and former fashion model, known for playing Anita/Mia in the series *Humans* (2015), Astrid Young Teo in *Crazy Rich Asians* (2018), Minn-Erva in *Captain Marvel* (2019), and Sersi, the ostensible lead of Marvel's *Eternals* (2021).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/bio/) • [2](https://time.com/6112800/the-eternals-marvel-explained/) She trained as a lawyer at Oxford before turning to acting, and since the late 2010s she has moved between Hollywood blockbusters, independent film, and advocacy for East and Southeast Asian communities in Britain.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | London, England, 1982, to an engineer father from Hong Kong and a pharmacist mother born in China and raised in Scotland[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) |
| Education | Law at Worcester College, Oxford; left a training contract at a law firm and enrolled at Drama Centre London[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) |
| Early work | Model on season one of *Project Catwalk* (Sky One, 2006); stage debut in Brecht's *Turandot* at the Hampstead Theatre[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/) |
| Breakthrough television | Anita/Mia in *Humans* (2015), 24 episodes across three series[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40703/gemma-chan) |
| Film breakthrough | Astrid Young Teo in *Crazy Rich Asians* (2018)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) |
| Marvel roles | Minn-Erva in *Captain Marvel* (2019); Sersi, the ostensible protagonist of *Eternals* (2021)[6](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-cover-story/) • [2](https://time.com/6112800/the-eternals-marvel-explained/) |
| Recent work | Maya in *The Creator* (2023); Gigi Ling in *The Five Star Weekend* (2026); Claire and producer on *Josephine* (2026)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) • [7](https://thehollywoodear.com/gemma-chan-on-the-crazy-rich-asians-sequel-her-favorite-red-carpet-looks-and-more/) |
## Early life and training
Chan was born in London to an engineer father from Hong Kong and a pharmacist mother who was born in China and raised in Scotland.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) She describes her racial identity as "compound": fully Chinese by heritage, but "British, and European, and English, and Chinese, and Asian."[8](https://www.allure.com/story/gemma-chan-cover-story-2019) Her parents both valued education highly, and she studied law at [Worcester College, Oxford](https://www.edgepedia.org/worcester-college-oxford).[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gemma-chan-interview)
**From law to acting.** After Oxford she took a training contract at a prestigious law firm, having taken night classes in acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then walked away from the law and enrolled at [Drama Centre London](https://www.edgepedia.org/drama-centre-london).[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gemma-chan-interview) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) She told her parents she would not take up the law-firm job only after she had secretly applied to drama school and been accepted.[10](https://www.allure.com/story/allure-podcast-gemma-chan-interview-recording-transcript) Her professional stage debut came in the British premiere of [Bertolt Brecht](https://www.edgepedia.org/bertolt-brecht)'s last play, *Turandot*, at the Hampstead Theatre, and she began her screen career as a model, appearing in the first season of *Project Catwalk* on [Sky One](https://www.edgepedia.org/sky-one) and in advertising campaigns.[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/) • [11](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/gemma-chan/)
## British television and early film
An early screen role was the one-off part of geologist Mia Bennett in the *Doctor Who* special *The Waters of Mars*, broadcast on 15 November 2009 in the UK.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/bio/) She then built a career across British series and independent film: Charlotte in *Secret Diary of a Call Girl* (2007), Ruth in [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4)'s *Fresh Meat* (2011), and Soo Lin in the *Sherlock* episode *The Blind Banker* (2010), with film appearances in *Exam* (2009), *Submarine* (2010), and *Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit* (2014).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/bio/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan)
From 2015 she starred as the synthetic Anita, also known as Mia, in the series *Humans*, playing the role in 24 episodes over three series.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40703/gemma-chan) British Vogue later described her as best known for playing a robot in *Humans* as she moved toward film work aimed at busting cinematic stereotypes.[12](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/gemma-chan-crazy-rich-asians)
## Crazy Rich Asians and Hollywood
*Crazy Rich Asians* (2018), in which Chan played Astrid Young Teo, changed the trajectory of her career. She has recalled being asked whether her life changed after the film, and director [Jon M. Chu](https://www.edgepedia.org/jon-m-chu) later interviewed her about the "indie reinvention" that followed it.[13](https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2026/09/02/film-gemma-chan-movies-jon-m-chu/) The following year she appeared as the Kree warrior Minn-Erva in Marvel's *Captain Marvel*, a performance she counts as one of her most career-defining, and in [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh)'s comedy *Let Them All Talk* opposite [Meryl Streep](https://www.edgepedia.org/meryl-streep).[6](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-cover-story/) • [14](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/623a01fcc56edd4982b77a5b/t/6246240eabd10e1849f7c1a8/1648763921819/GemmaChan.pdf)
**Return to Marvel.** In *Eternals* (2021), directed by [Chloé Zhao](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-zhao), Chan played Sersi, an Eternal who can manipulate molecules and atoms, transforming inanimate objects into other materials with a touch. TIME described Sersi as the ostensible protagonist of the ensemble film, and Chan returned to the franchise as an entirely unrelated character from her *Captain Marvel* villain.[2](https://time.com/6112800/the-eternals-marvel-explained/)
## Recent work
In 2023 she played Maya, a woman missing for five years and believed dead, in Gareth Edwards' *The Creator*, and voiced Natsuko in the English version of [Hayao Miyazaki](https://www.edgepedia.org/hayao-miyazaki)'s *The Boy and the Heron*.[15](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/the_creator_final_production_notes_bios_7962bbd8.pdf) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan) In television, she appeared as Natasha Alper in the anthology series *Extrapolations* (2023) and plays Gigi Ling in Peacock's *The Five Star Weekend* (2026) opposite [Jennifer Garner](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-garner), a series reported to have shattered streaming records and been renewed for a second season.[5](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40703/gemma-chan) • [7](https://thehollywoodear.com/gemma-chan-on-the-crazy-rich-asians-sequel-her-favorite-red-carpet-looks-and-more/)
**Josephine and the art-house turn.** In the 2026 indie drama *Josephine*, from writer-director [Beth de Araújo](https://www.edgepedia.org/beth-de-araujo), Chan plays Claire, the fiercely protective mother of an eight-year-old girl who witnesses a crime in [Golden Gate Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-gate-park), opposite [Channing Tatum](https://www.edgepedia.org/channing-tatum); she also serves as a producer on the film.[16](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/sundance-2026) • [17](https://cinegraph.org/people/gemma-chan) The film premiered in the Sundance 2026 program and had a November 2026 theatrical release with reported awards buzz.[16](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/sundance-2026) • [7](https://thehollywoodear.com/gemma-chan-on-the-crazy-rich-asians-sequel-her-favorite-red-carpet-looks-and-more/)
## Advocacy
Chan has directed her public profile toward several causes: the East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) community, girls' education, male violence, and climate change.[18](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-vogue-singapore-cover-interview/) She helped launch the Stop ESEA Hate fundraising page, which has so far brought in close to £80,000 for grassroots organizations serving East and South-east Asian communities in the UK.[9](https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gemma-chan-interview) She has also spoken about Hollywood's glass ceiling and the importance of representation in film and in history books, and she is developing a biopic of the actress [Anna May Wong](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-may-wong).[8](https://www.allure.com/story/gemma-chan-cover-story-2019) • [19](https://www.weareresonate.com/tag/gemma-chan/)
## References
1. [Gemma Chan Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/bio/)
2. [How the Eternals Fit Into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, TIME](https://time.com/6112800/the-eternals-marvel-explained/)
3. [Gemma Chan Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gemma_chan)
4. [Gemma Chan, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2110418/)
5. [Gemma Chan, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/40703/gemma-chan)
6. [Gemma Chan on the magic of evolution and the treasures of a new chapter, Vogue Singapore](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-cover-story/)
7. [Gemma Chan on the 'Crazy Rich Asians' sequel, her favorite red carpet looks and more, The Hollywood Ear](https://thehollywoodear.com/gemma-chan-on-the-crazy-rich-asians-sequel-her-favorite-red-carpet-looks-and-more/)
8. [Gemma Chan Cover Story April 2019, Allure](https://www.allure.com/story/gemma-chan-cover-story-2019)
9. [Read Gemma Chan's British Vogue September Issue Interview In Full, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gemma-chan-interview)
10. [The Allure Podcast: Gemma Chan on Aging, Self-Acceptance, and Being a Kid of the '90s, Allure](https://www.allure.com/story/allure-podcast-gemma-chan-interview-recording-transcript)
11. [Gemma Chan – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/gemma-chan/)
12. [Gemma Chan: Crazy Rich Asians Interview, British Vogue](https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/gemma-chan-crazy-rich-asians)
13. [Gemma Chan Reunites with 'Crazy Rich Asians' Director Jon M. Chu, CULTURED](https://www.culturedmag.com/article/2026/09/02/film-gemma-chan-movies-jon-m-chu/)
14. [Gemma Chan profile interview (PDF)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/623a01fcc56edd4982b77a5b/t/6246240eabd10e1849f7c1a8/1648763921819/GemmaChan.pdf)
15. [The Creator production notes: Gemma Chan bio (PDF)](https://lumiere-a.akamaihd.net/v1/documents/the_creator_final_production_notes_bios_7962bbd8.pdf)
16. [Reporting From Sundance: The Buzzy Talent and Films to Have on Your Radar This Year, Who What Wear](https://www.whowhatwear.com/fashion/celebrity/sundance-2026)
17. [Gemma Chan, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/gemma-chan)
18. [Gemma Chan opens up about her upbringing, the place Asian values has in her life and the causes she most believes in, Vogue Singapore](https://vogue.sg/gemma-chan-vogue-singapore-cover-interview/)
19. [Gemma Chan Archives, Resonate Voices](https://www.weareresonate.com/tag/gemma-chan/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames C*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license