Gemma Whelan

Gemma Whelan began her career far from the spotlight of major international productions. Before becoming an actress, she was a ballet and tap dancer with advanced technical training. In 2010, she won the Funny Women Variety Award for her work on the London stand-up comedy circuit. Her character at the time was named Chastity Butterworth and was a parody of the most stuffy British aristocracy.

Television was not her absolute priority.

But the casting call for the second season of Game of Thrones in 2012 changed her career. The show's producers were looking for a woman who could lead ships in the Iron Islands, and Whelan won over the team with her physical presence. She played Yara Greyjoy until 2019 without having read George R.R. Martin's books before landing the role. That decision not to study the original material allowed her to build a character from scratch.

The Mud of the Iron Islands

During the years of filming in Northern Ireland, the actress had to learn to handle swords and navigate extreme weather. The North Sea cold was no set piece. Still, Whelan always kept one foot in traditional British comedy. In 2016, she began working on Upstart Crow, playing Kate. This BBC series about the life of William Shakespeare gave her the chance to showcase her more theatrical side, while the world saw her as a ruthless warrior.

Nothing was easy at the start.

In 2017, she appeared in The End of the F***ing World, playing DC Eunice Noon. It was a brief but crucial role that showed UK casting directors her range went beyond fantasy. That led to her joining Gentleman Jack as Marian Lister in 2019. In this BBC and HBO period drama, she shared the screen with Suranne Jones and moved away from physical action to focus on fast-paced dialogue drama.

The Discipline of Crime Drama

Whelan often says she prefers roles where she doesn't have to worry about her looks on camera. In 2021, she took the lead in The Tower as detective Sarah Collins. This police drama, based on the novels by Kate London, demanded total restraint. The series was renewed for a third season in 2024, which cemented her as a leading figure in British crime drama.

And her work pace did not slow down after the big franchises ended.

In 2024, she took part in the TV adaptation of The Gentlemen, directed by Guy Ritchie for Netflix. That same year, she worked on the new version of The Day of the Jackal alongside Eddie Redmayne. Whelan lives in London with her husband and their two children, and balances these shoots with voice-over work for video games and nature documentaries. Her contract for the third season of The Tower set a twelve-week filming schedule in the Liverpool area.