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{{real world}}
{{real world}}
'''Karen Gillan''' born (1987/1988) is a Scottish actress, who played the [[Soothsayer]] in ''[[The Fires of Pompeii]]'', and will play the first companion of the [[Eleventh Doctor]], [[Matt Smith]], in [[Series 5 (Doctor Who)|Series 5]].<ref name="ref1">http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8073734.stm</ref>
{{Infobox Person
|image      = Karengillanpic.JPG
|birth date = [[28 November (people)|28 November]] [[1987 (people)|1987]]
|role      = [[Amy Pond]]
|job title  = [[Actor]]
|story      = [[#Credits|See Credits Section]]
|time      = 2008, 2010-13, 2020
|non dwu    = ''We'll Take Manhattan'', ''Not Another Happy Ending'', ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' movies, ''Selfie'', ''Conventional'', ''Jumanji'' movies, ''The Secret Garden'', ''The Party's Just Beginning'', ''Gunpowder Milkshake''
|imdb      = 2394794
|twitter    = karengillan
}}{{you may|Karen Gillan (in-universe)|n1=her DWU counterpart}}
'''Karen Sheila Gillan''' (born [[28 November (people)|28 November]] [[1987 (people)|1987]]<ref>[[DWDVDF 127]]</ref><ref>[[REF]]: ''[[Who-ology: The Official Miscellany]]''</ref> in [[Inverness]], [[Scotland]]) played [[Mira (The Fires of Pompeii)|Mira the Soothsayer]] in the ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'' television story ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'' and [[Amy Pond]] between [[Series 5 (Doctor Who 2005)|series five]] and [[Series 7 (Doctor Who 2005)|seven]] of ''Doctor Who''.


[[File:Karen_gillan.jpg|frame|right|Karen Gillan as the first companion of the Eleventh Doctor (Series 5)]]
She was the first [[companion]] actress since [[Billie Piper]] to appear as a regular in two consecutive seasons and the first since [[Sophie Aldred]] to appear with the same [[The Doctor|Doctor]] for more than one season.


Gillan's role as companion to the Doctor was announced on 29 May 2009 by the BBC. Writer and executive producer [[Steven Moffat]] described her as being "funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy". No further details of her character have been released so far.
== Biography ==
Gillan said she won the audition hands down. She said she is thrilled to have been cast for the part.<ref name="ref1"/><ref>http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1697274/actress_gillan_tabbed_for_doctor_role/</ref>
=== Early life ===
Gillan was born and raised in [[Inverness]], [[Scotland]]. Her father, Raymond John, a day centre manager, and mother, Marie, lived in Kinmylies. She attended school at Charleston Academy, formally known as Inverness High School. When she was sixteen, Karen decided to pursue her acting career. She studied acting 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.


She is one of only a handful of actors to return to the series as a companion after having previously appeared in a different role. Others have included
=== Career ===
*[[Peter Purves]]
==== Before ''Doctor Who'' ====
*[[Jean Marsh]]
Gillan gained her first television role in Rebus while still studying at Italia Conti, and has since had parts in ''The Kevin Bishop Show'', [[Channel 4]]'s ''Stacked'' and James Nesbitt's forthcoming film ''Outcast''. On ''The Kevin Bishop Show'', Gillan played several roles in skits, including one in which she parodied both [[Angelina Jolie]] and Jolie's interpretation of video game heroine Lara Croft. She has also lampooned Julia Roberts' role in ''Pretty Woman'' and pop singer Katy Perry.
*[[Nicholas Courtney]]
*[[Ian Marter]]
*[[Freema Agyeman]]


Additionally, [[Colin Baker]] played [[Maxil]] before playing the Doctor, and [[David Tennant]] appeared as a caretaker in [[Scream of the Shalka]] before playing the Doctor.
Standing 5'10, Gillan is the tallest actress to be cast in the companion role. When not acting, she has taken advantage of her height to take on occasional modelling roles, including 2007 London Fashion Week for designer Allegra Hicks' autumn/winter catwalk show.


==External links==
==== ''The Well'' ====
{{imdb name|id=2394794|name=Karen Gillan}}
Gillan also starred in the BBC's interactive digital thriller ''[http://www.bbc.co.uk/thewell The Well]'' in 2009 as Coll with Jo Woodcock, (Beth) Issac Ssebandeke, (Ivan) and Greg Foreman (Luis).
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8073734.stm BBC News report on Gillan's casting].
*[http://www.karengillanonline.co.uk Karen Gillan Fan site]


==References==
==== ''Doctor Who'' ====
In 2008, Gillan had her first direct involvement with the ''Doctor Who'' franchise when she portrayed [[Mira (The Fires of Pompeii)|Mira the Soothsayer]] in the [[Series 4 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 4]] episode ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]''.
 
Following the departure of [[Catherine Tate]] from the series and the announcement that [[David Tennant]] was leaving the programme in 2009, speculation ran rampant as to who might play the [[Eleventh Doctor]]'s companion. This speculation increased when young actor [[Matt Smith]] was cast as the Doctor.
 
[[File:Karen gillan.jpg|thumb|left|Early ''Doctor Who'' promotional image]]
Gillan's casting as companion [[Amy Pond]] was announced on 29 May 2009 by the BBC. Writer and executive producer [[Steven Moffat]] described her as being "funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy".<ref>http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1697274/actress_gillan_tabbed_for_doctor_role/</ref> No further details of her character were released and, in fact, for several weeks only a first name was known until the BBC later indicated the character's last name.
 
She is one of only a handful of actors to return to televised ''Doctor Who'' in an ongoing role after having previously appeared in a guest role. Others have included [[Colin Baker]], [[Peter Purves]], [[Jean Marsh]], [[Nicholas Courtney]], [[Ian Marter]], [[Lalla Ward]], [[Freema Agyeman]], and [[Peter Capaldi]] (plus [[David Tennant]], who provided voice acting for [[Big Finish Productions]] audio dramas).
 
Gillan shares some similarities with her predecessor, [[Catherine Tate]]. Aside from both being redheads, Gillan is also known for her comedy impersonations and had appeared on comedy TV series before joining the cast of ''Doctor Who''.
 
Gillan is not the only member of her family appearing on ''Doctor Who'' as her nine-year-old cousin, [[Caitlin Blackwood]], portrayed Amy Pond as a child in ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'', ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'', and ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]''. Gillan and Blackwood had never met before ''Doctor Who''; Blackwood grew up in Ireland and Gillan in Scotland. They first met at the first readthrough of series 5.
 
Gillan left ''Doctor Who'' along with her co-star [[Arthur Darvill]] at the end of the [[Series 7 (Doctor Who 2005)|series 7]] episode ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan (TV story)|The Angels Take Manhattan]]'', although the last episode she filmed was ''[[The Power of Three (TV story)|The Power of Three]]''. She stated that she wanted Amy's departure to be "final", thereby ruling out a return appearance.
 
However, this turned out to be wrong as she did briefly return for a cameo in the 2013 Christmas special ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'' to say goodbye to her co-star Matt Smith.
 
==== After ''Doctor Who'' ====
Gillan's next big role was in ''Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy'', released in 2014, playing Nebula. This required her to shave her hair off, causing a dramatic moment at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con when she removed her wig to reveal her bald head.<ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/10193516/Doctor-Who-star-Karen-Gillan-shaves-all-her-hair-off.html</ref> She has since played Nebula in the direct sequel to 2017's ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' ''Vol. 2'' , two other Marvel films, ''Avengers: Infinity War'' and ''Avengers: Endgame ''in 2018 and 2019 respectively and 2022's ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special''.
 
In 2014, she starred in a pilot for American network ABC called ''Selfie'', a modernised version of the [[George Bernard Shaw]] play ''Pygmalion.''<ref>http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-05-09/karen-gillans-us-comedy-selfie-gets-a-full-series</ref> The series premiered on 30 September 2014, but was cancelled on 7 November of that year after only part of the season had been broadcast. The remaining episodes were made available on VOD services.
 
Beginning in 2017, she starred as Ruby Roundhouse in both sequels to ''Jumanji'', titled ''Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'' and 2019's ''Jumanji: The Next Level'', alongside Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Hart.
 
== Credits ==
As [[Amy Pond]]
=== Television ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]''
* ''[[The Beast Below (TV story)|The Beast Below]]''
* ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[The Time of Angels (TV story)|The Time of the Angels]]'' / ''[[Flesh and Stone (TV story)|Flesh and Stone]]''
* ''[[The Vampires of Venice (TV story)|The Vampires of Venice]]''
* ''[[Amy's Choice (TV story)|Amy's Choice]]''
* ''[[The Hungry Earth (TV story)|The Hungry Earth]]'' / ''[[Cold Blood (TV story)|Cold Blood]]''
* ''[[Vincent and the Doctor (TV story)|Vincent and the Doctor]]''
* ''[[The Lodger (TV story)|The Lodger]]''
* ''[[The Pandorica Opens (TV story)|The Pandorica Opens]]'' / ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]''
* ''[[A Christmas Carol (TV story)|A Christmas Carol]]''
* ''[[The Impossible Astronaut (TV story)|The Impossible Astronaut]]'' / ''[[Day of the Moon (TV story)|Day of the Moon]]''
* ''[[The Curse of the Black Spot (TV story)|The Curse of the Black Spot]]''
* ''[[The Doctor's Wife (TV story)|The Doctor's Wife]]''
* ''[[The Rebel Flesh (TV story)|The Rebel Flesh]]'' / ''[[The Almost People (TV story)|The Almost People]]''
* ''[[A Good Man Goes to War (TV story)|A Good Man Goes to War]]''
* ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]''
* ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Thoughts]]''
* ''[[The Girl Who Waited (TV story)|The Girl Who Waited]]'' (also [[Amy Pond (The Girl Who Waited)|Amy Pond]])
* ''[[The God Complex (TV story)|The God Complex]]''
* ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]''
* ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]''
* ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]''
* ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Dinosaurs on a Spaceship (TV story)|Dinosaurs on a Spaceship]]''
* ''[[A Town Called Mercy (TV story)|A Town Called Mercy]]''
* ''[[The Power of Three (TV story)|The Power of Three]]''
* ''[[The Angels Take Manhattan (TV story)|The Angels Take Manhattan]]''
* ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]''
 
==== Mini-episodes ====
* ''[[Meanwhile in the TARDIS (home video)|Meanwhile in the TARDIS]]''
* ''[[Prequel (Let's Kill Hitler)|Prequel: Let's Kill Hitler]]''
* ''[[Pond Life (TV story)|Pond Life]]''
* ''[[Rory's Story (webcast)|Rory's Story]]''
 
=== Webcasts ===
==== Doctor Who: Lockdown ====
* ''[[Rory's Story (webcast)|Rory's Story]]'' - voice only
 
=== Video Games ===
==== The Adventure Games ====
* ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]''
* ''[[Blood of the Cybermen (video game)|Blood of the Cybermen]]''
* ''[[TARDIS (video game)|TARDIS]]''
* ''[[Shadows of the Vashta Nerada (video game)|Shadows of the Vashta Nerada]]''
* ''[[The Gunpowder Plot (video game)|The Gunpowder Plot]]''
 
==== Console ====
* ''[[Evacuation Earth (video game)|Evacuation Earth]]''
* ''[[Return to Earth (video game)|Return to Earth]]''
 
Other Roles
=== Television ===
==== Doctor Who ====
* ''[[The Fires of Pompeii (TV story)|The Fires of Pompeii]]'' - [[Mira (The Fires of Pompeii)|Mira the Soothsayer]]
 
==== Other ====
* ''[[Doctor Who at the Proms (2010)]]'' - Presenter
 
== External links ==
{{imdb name|id=2394794}}
{{twitter|karengillan}}
{{Instagram|karengillan}}
{{YouTube|channel/UCc7efO2AtDwfCJHy18uSPUg}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8073734.stm BBC News report on Gillan's casting].
* [http://www.karengillanonline.co.uk Karen Gillan Fan site]
* [http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/bbc-plans-web-push-for-burgess-thriller/5003765.article Karen Gillan in BBC The Well]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/webnemesis/ Images of Karen Gillan in The Well]
* [https://www.triviatribute.com/karengillan.html Karen Gillan at TriviaTribute.com]
 
== Footnotes ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast|Gillan, Karen]]
{{NameSort}}
 
 
[[fr:Karen Gillan]]
[[ru:Карен Гиллан]]
[[Category:Doctor Who regular cast]]
[[Category:Doctor Who voice actors]]
[[Category:Video game actors]]
[[Category:Actors who were credited in the Doctor Who opening titles]]
[[Category:National Television Award winners]]
[[Category:Doctor Who at the Proms presenters]]
[[Category:Actors interviewed on Doctor Who Confidential]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed companions of the Doctor]]
[[Category:BAFTA Scotland award nominees]]
[[Category:Saturn Award nominees]]
[[Category:Doctor Who webcast actors]]
[[Category:Doctor Who cast reprising their roles]]
[[Category:Actors who portrayed relatives of the Doctor]]

Latest revision as of 00:56, 15 October 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for her DWU counterpart.

Karen Sheila Gillan (born 28 November 1987[1][2] in Inverness, Scotland) played Mira the Soothsayer in the Doctor Who television story The Fires of Pompeii and Amy Pond between series five and seven of Doctor Who.

She was the first companion actress since Billie Piper to appear as a regular in two consecutive seasons and the first since Sophie Aldred to appear with the same Doctor for more than one season.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early life[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gillan was born and raised in Inverness, Scotland. Her father, Raymond John, a day centre manager, and mother, Marie, lived in Kinmylies. She attended school at Charleston Academy, formally known as Inverness High School. When she was sixteen, Karen decided to pursue her acting career. She studied acting 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.

Career[[edit] | [edit source]]

Before Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gillan gained her first television role in Rebus while still studying at Italia Conti, and has since had parts in The Kevin Bishop Show, Channel 4's Stacked and James Nesbitt's forthcoming film Outcast. On The Kevin Bishop Show, Gillan played several roles in skits, including one in which she parodied both Angelina Jolie and Jolie's interpretation of video game heroine Lara Croft. She has also lampooned Julia Roberts' role in Pretty Woman and pop singer Katy Perry.

Standing 5'10, Gillan is the tallest actress to be cast in the companion role. When not acting, she has taken advantage of her height to take on occasional modelling roles, including 2007 London Fashion Week for designer Allegra Hicks' autumn/winter catwalk show.

The Well[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gillan also starred in the BBC's interactive digital thriller The Well in 2009 as Coll with Jo Woodcock, (Beth) Issac Ssebandeke, (Ivan) and Greg Foreman (Luis).

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

In 2008, Gillan had her first direct involvement with the Doctor Who franchise when she portrayed Mira the Soothsayer in the series 4 episode The Fires of Pompeii.

Following the departure of Catherine Tate from the series and the announcement that David Tennant was leaving the programme in 2009, speculation ran rampant as to who might play the Eleventh Doctor's companion. This speculation increased when young actor Matt Smith was cast as the Doctor.

Early Doctor Who promotional image

Gillan's casting as companion Amy Pond was announced on 29 May 2009 by the BBC. Writer and executive producer Steven Moffat described her as being "funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy".[3] No further details of her character were released and, in fact, for several weeks only a first name was known until the BBC later indicated the character's last name.

She is one of only a handful of actors to return to televised Doctor Who in an ongoing role after having previously appeared in a guest role. Others have included Colin Baker, Peter Purves, Jean Marsh, Nicholas Courtney, Ian Marter, Lalla Ward, Freema Agyeman, and Peter Capaldi (plus David Tennant, who provided voice acting for Big Finish Productions audio dramas).

Gillan shares some similarities with her predecessor, Catherine Tate. Aside from both being redheads, Gillan is also known for her comedy impersonations and had appeared on comedy TV series before joining the cast of Doctor Who.

Gillan is not the only member of her family appearing on Doctor Who as her nine-year-old cousin, Caitlin Blackwood, portrayed Amy Pond as a child in The Eleventh Hour, The Big Bang, and Let's Kill Hitler. Gillan and Blackwood had never met before Doctor Who; Blackwood grew up in Ireland and Gillan in Scotland. They first met at the first readthrough of series 5.

Gillan left Doctor Who along with her co-star Arthur Darvill at the end of the series 7 episode The Angels Take Manhattan, although the last episode she filmed was The Power of Three. She stated that she wanted Amy's departure to be "final", thereby ruling out a return appearance.

However, this turned out to be wrong as she did briefly return for a cameo in the 2013 Christmas special The Time of the Doctor to say goodbye to her co-star Matt Smith.

After Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Gillan's next big role was in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, released in 2014, playing Nebula. This required her to shave her hair off, causing a dramatic moment at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con when she removed her wig to reveal her bald head.[4] She has since played Nebula in the direct sequel to 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 , two other Marvel films, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame in 2018 and 2019 respectively and 2022's The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

In 2014, she starred in a pilot for American network ABC called Selfie, a modernised version of the George Bernard Shaw play Pygmalion.[5] The series premiered on 30 September 2014, but was cancelled on 7 November of that year after only part of the season had been broadcast. The remaining episodes were made available on VOD services.

Beginning in 2017, she starred as Ruby Roundhouse in both sequels to Jumanji, titled Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and 2019's Jumanji: The Next Level, alongside Jack Black, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Hart.

Credits[[edit] | [edit source]]

As Amy Pond

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Mini-episodes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Webcasts[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who: Lockdown[[edit] | [edit source]]

Video Games[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Adventure Games[[edit] | [edit source]]

Console[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other Roles

Television[[edit] | [edit source]]

Doctor Who[[edit] | [edit source]]

Other[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ DWDVDF 127
  2. ↑ REF: Who-ology: The Official Miscellany
  3. ↑ http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/1697274/actress_gillan_tabbed_for_doctor_role/
  4. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/10193516/Doctor-Who-star-Karen-Gillan-shaves-all-her-hair-off.html
  5. ↑ http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-05-09/karen-gillans-us-comedy-selfie-gets-a-full-series
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