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.
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 2006–2010
2.2 2011
3 Filmography
4 References
5 External links

Early life

Gillan was born and brought up in Inverness, Scotland. Her father, Raymond John, a Day Centre Manager, and mother, Marie, live in Kinmylies. She learned to play the piano when she was seven. She has no brothers or sisters and was raised as an only child.[3] At a young age she developed a love for acting joining several local youth theatre groups and taking part in a wide range of productions at her school Charleston Academy.[2] When she was sixteen, Gillan decided to pursue her interest in acting, studying 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.[4] Her cousin Caitlin Blackwood has portrayed the young Amy Pond in three episodes of Doctor Who.[5][6][7] Gillan moved to London when she was 18 years old to study at drama school [8]

Career

2006–2010


Gillan as Amy Pond with The Doctor (Matt Smith)
Before Gillan appeared on television, she was working in a London pub at 18 after she dropped out of Italia Conti for a tv show - and was scouted by a modeling agency.[9] Gillan has taken part in numerous modelling events including 2007's London Fashion Week for designer Allegra Hicks' autumn/winter catwalk show.[9] She has also modelled for the launch party of Nicola Roberts' Dainty Doll Make-Up Range. This was shown in Robert's episode of the documentary, The Passions of Girls Aloud[citation needed] which premiered on the 4 April 2008.
Gillan's early television acting career included guest appearances on several 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. She appeared in Channel 4's 'Stacked'; she had the role of Ginny. [2] 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.[10]
She was cast for the role of the Eleventh Doctor's first companion, Amy Pond, on the British sci-fi series Doctor Who in May 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[9].

2011
Gillan will play model and actress Jean Shrimpton in We'll Take Manhattan, as well as Juliet in a re-working of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet penned by David Baddiel.[11][12] In August 2011, it was announced Gillan will star in an indie comedy called Not Another Happy Ending along with Emun Elliott.[13] Filming will take place at the end of 2011 into early 2012.[13]
Gillan will make her first theatre appearance in John Osborne's play Inadmissable Evidence along with Douglas Hodge.[14] The play will debut at the Donmar Warehouse in October 2011.[14]
During an interview at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Gillan revealed she will be returning to Doctor Who for the seventh series.[15]

Filmography

Television
Year Title Format Role Notes
2006 Rebus[9] Detective drama series Terry Cotter[16]
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[9] Medical drama series Holly
2010 The Well (TV Series) Horror series Coll aired on BBC 2, then later a web series on the BBC website
2010–present Doctor Who Science fiction series Amy Pond Series 5 (2010), Series 6 (2011) & Series 7 (2012)
Feature films
Year Title Format Role
2008 Stacked (TV film) [17] 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
2011 Not Another Happy Ending Indie comedy Novelist
Theatre
Year Title Format Role Notes
2011 Inadmissable Evidence Play secretary this is Gillan's first theatre appearance
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)
2011 Doctor Who: The Adventure Games: The Gunpowder Plot 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 (Likeness)

References