Karen Gillan

Karen Sheila Gillan wis born in Innerness on 28 November 1987,^[1] the dochtor o Marie an Raymond John Gillan. Her faither is frae Sunderland in North East Ingland.^[2] Awtho she comes frae a Catholic backgrund, she says that she wisnae baptised an disnae practise a releegion.^[3]

Whan she turnt 16, she muived tae Edinburgh an daed a HNC Acting and Performance coorse at Telford College.^[4] She muived tae Lunnon at 18 year auld tae study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.^[5][6] While there, she wis scoutit bi a modellin agency.^[7] Afore her actin career, she wirked as a model, premierin at London Fashion Week in 2007. Gillan haes said she wadnae gie up her actin career tae gang back tae modellin, sayin thit while she enjoyed modellin, actin haed aye been her main interest an goal.^[8]

2006–2012: British film and television

Gillan's early television actig career included guest appearances on twa-three telly programs, wi her first role bein in an episode of ITV crime drama Rebus, thit she haed tae drap oot o schuil tae dae.^[9][10]

Gillan teuk a two-year stint as a memmer o the ensemble cast o the sketch comedy series The Kevin Bishop Show, whaur she played multiple characters includin celebrities sic as Katy Perry an Angelina Jolie. Gillan appeared on TV in a leadin role in a horror project an aw, cried The Well, thit wis braidcast as a series o episodic short films on BBC Two an later on as a wab series on BBC.co.uk. Pairt o the BBC's multimedia "switch" programmin, the short episodes interconnect wi online games thit explore mair the environs shawn in the series.^[11] In 2008, she starred in the Channel 4 television film Stacked. 

Gillan went on tae play as Amy Pond, companion tae the Eleventh Doctor (played bi Matt Smith), on the Welsh sci-fi series Doctor Who. Afore bein gien in the role in Mey 2009, she had previously appeared on Doctor Who in Series 4 episode "The Fires of Pompeii" in the role of a soothsayer.^[7] She haed her first on-screen appearance as Amy in "The Eleventh Hour" wi her cousin Caitlin Blackwood portrayin a yunger version o the same character.^[12][13][14] In 2010, she won in the Entertainment category at the Young Scot Awards. She appeared in the sixt series in 2011 and the first five episode of the sevent series in 2012,^[15] efter that, her chairacter an Rory Williams (played bi Arthur Darvill) lea'd the series.^[16] Gillan reprised her role in the 2013 Christmas special "The Time of the Doctor", to gang wi Smith's departure as the Doctor.^[17]

In 2011, Gillan haed her first theatre appearance playin the role o Shirley in John Osborne's play Inadmissible Evidence alang wi Douglas Hodge.^[18] The play debuted at the Donmar Warehouse on 16 October 2011.^[18] Efter daein an appearance in Outcast, it wis announced thit Gillan wad star in an indie Scots romantic comedy croed Not Another Happy Ending alangside Emun Elliott in August 2011.^[19] She was selectit bi director John McKay acause he came tae ken her while We'll Take Manhattan wis bein producit, thit he directed an aw, as "a very bubbly, vibrant, energetic, funny, slightly clumsy body" thit was a perfect fit for the chairacter.^[20] Filmin haed taen place in Julie 2012,^[19] tho Elliott wis replaced bi Stanley Weber.^[21] Gillan telt jurnalists thit she wis happy tae be involved in a Scottish production thit "isnae aboot drug uise or fechtin the Inglis".^[22] The film premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in Juin 2013.^[23][24][25]

In 2012, Gillan appeared in the television film We'll Take Manhattan playin the pairt o the supermodel Jean Shrimpton, thit telt the story of Shrimpton's relationship wi the photographer David Bailey.^[26]

2013–present: Breakthrou in Hollywood

In November 2013, Gillan appeared on Broadway in a play cried Time to Act, ae o the plays includit in "The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway" tae benefit the non-profit Urban Arts Partnership.^[27] She wis cast in the third season of A Touch of Cloth an aw, a programme thit wis co-creutit bi Charlie Brooker.^[28] Gillan jynt the regular cast o Adult Swim's NTSF:SD:SUV:: for the show's third series in 2013.^[29][30] Gillan starred in the heid role in the supernatural horror movie Oculus, thit was filmed in Alabama an premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.^[31] Her performance haed gotten her praise, an she wis gien a Fright Meter Award nomination for Best Actress.^[32]

In Februar 2014, Gillan wis cast as the heid in Selfie, an American single-camera sitcom for ABC producit bi Warner Bros. Television which wis greenlit for the 2014–15 US television series. Gillan played as a socialite cawed Eliza Dooley, a modern-day take on Eliza Doolittle, this is obsessed wi social media. This wis Gillan's first time in the lead role o an American telly programme.^[33][34][35] The series wis cancelled by ABC on 7 November 2014 efter seven episodes;^[36] the remeenin sax episodes war made available on Hulu stairtin 25 November 2014.^[37] Selfie still haes a dedicated following of fans years efter its braidcastt^[38] especially in China.^[39][40][41] In Mey 2013, Gillan wis cast as Nebula in the Marvel superhero science fiction film Guardians of the Galaxy,^[42] thit wis pit oot in August 2014.^[43] Gillan had her heid shaved bald fur the role. Marvel turnit the hair shaved aff intae the wig fur Gillan tae wear durin the production o Selfie.^[44] In May 2014, Gillan wis cast in the Western film In a Valley of Violence directit bi Ti West, alang wi John Travolta, Ethan Hawke an Taissa Farmiga. Gillan portrayed Ellen, the aulder sister tae Farmiga's chairacter.^[45]

In 2015, Gillan haed a muckle pairt in the drama film The Big Short directit bi Adam McKay, alangside Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell an Melissa Leo.^[46] She wrote an directit her first short film, Coward, thit wis screened at the 2015 Edinburgh Film Festival, an wis nominatit for twa-three awaird.^[47][48] Later on in the year she wrote, directed, an starred in anither short film cried Conventional.^[49] She won in the Best Female Newcomer category at the 20t Empire Awards for Guardians of the Galaxy an Oculus.^[50] In the same year, she wis cast in a HBO pilot cried The Devil You Know.^[51][52]

On 2 November 2016, it wis announcit thit Gillan wad write, direct an star in her directorial feature film debut wi Burbank-based development an production company Mt. Hollywood Films' indie drama project cried Tupperware Party. Set in her hame ceety in Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, filmin stairtit in Januar 2017 and wrapped in that month comin.^[53][54] The title o the film was later on chynged tae The Party's Just Beginning.^[55] The film was nominatit for Best Feature Film at the British Academy Scotland Awards.^[56]

In 2017, Gillan reprised her role as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this time becomin a member of the film's eponymous team,^[57] an co-starred in The Circle, alangside Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, an John Boyega. The latter film, pit oot in Apryle, wis directit an written bi James Ponsoldt, an wis based on the novel bi Dave Eggers.^[58] Forby in that year, Gillan played the heid female role, Ruby Roundhouse, in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the third instawment of the <i id="mwAWI">Jumanji</i> franchise, starrin alangside Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black an Nick Jonas.^[59] She reprised her role as Nebula in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) an Avengers: Endgame (2019), baith films bein filmed back-tae-back. Filmin for the twa films stairtit in Januar 2017 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia and endit in Januar 2018.^[60][61]

In 2019, aside frae her leadin role in Avengers: Endgame, she co-starred in the films Stuber an Spies in Disguise, an starred in All Creatures Here Below. Forby in 2019, she reprised her role as Ruby Roundhouse in Jumanji: The Next Level an appeared in a short film cried Neurotica.^[62][63]

In 2020, Gillan appeared in the adventure drama The Call of the Wild, based on the Jack London novel.^[64] That year comin, she starred in the action film Gunpowder Milkshake alangside Lena Headey, Angela Bassett, Carla Gugino, Michelle Yeoh an Paul Giamatti.^{[65][66][67][68]} For the role, she was nominatit for Best Actress in an Action Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards.^[69]

In 2022, she starred in the sci-fi thriller Dual alangside Aaron Paul,^[70] halely filmed in Tampere, Finland.^[71][72] She played a double role, an wis gien acclaim for her performance.^[73] Critic consensus frae review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes descrieve the movie as "weel-led", an John DeFore for The Hollywood Reporter said thit "Gillan, thit has spent a lot o her post-Doctor Who decade playin cyborgs, computer avatars an a thinly imagined assassin, haes a barely mair human role tae play here; tae the stent thit she makes either Sarah wirth rooting for, it's an achievement."^[74] At the 3rd Critics' Choice Super Awards, she wis nominatit for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy film.^[75]

In 2023 she appeared in Late Bloomers,^[76] Damon Wise of Deadline Hollywood praised her in that for "engaging an refreshingly vanity-free performance".^[77] Forby in 2023, she stairted filming Sleeping Dogs in Australia wi Russell Crowe.^[78]

In 2011, Gillan gied a haun tae promuive Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC)^[79] an the appenin o Squirrel Ward at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in Lunnon.^[80] Gillan haes duin vyces for advertisements for eHarmony an The Royal Bank of Scotland an aw. She appeared in TV on the Radio's "Happy Idiot" music video an aw, pit oot on 3 October 2014.^[81]

In 2018, she gied the Mikeysline crisis support centre in Inverness a veesit, efter presentin her film The Party's Just Beginning. The film is aboot the heich suicide rate in the Scots Hielands, an Gillan haed a public pledge tae support the mental health charity.^[82] In September 2020, the Inverness Courier reportit thit a student frae Inverness wis selectit in a competition inspirt bi The Party's Just Beginning tae gang tae New York Fashion Week, haud bi Mikeysline an Fashion Week Online, in a contest meant tae howk up awareness for World Suicide Prevention Day.^[83][84]

Durin a 2012 interview on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Gillan said thit she had permanently muived tae the U.S. aboot the time she wis shuitin fur the film Oculus (2013).^[9]

In May 2022, Gillan mairied Nick Kocher, an American comedian frae the sketch duo BriTANicK, in a ceremony at Castle Toward, in Dunoon, Scotland.^[85]

• Karen Gillan on IMDb (in Inglis)