Gemma Chan by Marcin Kempski for ELLE UK February 2021

Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is a British film, television, and theatre actress and former fashion model. Born in London and raised in Kent, Chan attended the Newstead Wood School for Girls and studied jurisprudence at Worcester College, Oxford. She gained a position in a law firm following graduation, but chose to pursue a career in acting instead, studying acting at the Drama Centre London. In 2006, she was a competitor on the first series of the reality television series Project Catwalk, and made her acting debut in the independent horror serial When Evil Calls. Her film debut was in the psychological thriller Exam (2009), followed by her portrayal of Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who special "The Waters of Mars", a guest appearance as Soo Lin in Sherlock (2010), and supporting roles as Charlotte in season four of the Showtime and ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl (2011), and Ruth in Channel 4's Fresh Meat (2011).

Chan continued to garner recognition for her roles in high-profile films including Paramount Pictures' action-thriller Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014), the fantasy film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), and Transformers: The Last Knight (2017). She also starred in the leading role of Anita/Mia on the AMC/Channel 4 science fiction drama Humans. In 2018, Chan received widespread recognition for portraying Astrid Leong-Teo in Jon M. Chu's romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians and also portrayed Bess of Hardwick in the historical period drama Mary Queen of Scots. She portrays Minn-Erva in the Marvel Studios superhero film Captain Marvel in 2019.