Gemma Whelan

Gemma Whelan
Whelan at Antwerp Convention 2014
Born	Gemma Elizabeth Whelan 1981 Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Occupation(s)	Actress, comedian
Years active	2005–present
Spouse	Gerry Howell
Children	2

Gemma Elizabeth Whelan (born 1981) is an English actress and comedian known for portraying Yara Greyjoy in the HBO fantasy-drama series Game of Thrones and as her stand-up character Chastity Butterworth. She also plays Kate in all 4 series of the comedy Upstart Crow (2016–2018), Detective Eunice Noon on the first series of The End of the F***ing World (2017), Geraldine on the third series of Killing Eve (2020), and DCI Kerry Henderson in both series of DI Ray (2022–2024).

Gemma Elizabeth Whelan^{[citation needed]} was born in Leeds in 1981^[1] and grew up in the Midlands.^[2]

She attended The King's High School for Girls in Warwick^[3] and the London Studio Centre.^[4]

She was hospitalised for anorexia nervosa as a teenager. She regards her recovery from the illness as her greatest achievement, and says that the experience has shaped her personality and how she approaches things.^[5]

As a stand-up comedian, Whelan won the 2010 Funny Women Variety Award.^[6] She performed at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe with her show Chastity Butterworth & The Spanish Hamster.^[7] In 2014, she recorded a pilot chat show as her character Chastity Butterworth for BBC Radio 4,^[8] which was in development in October 2015.^[9][10] She also featured in other shows as this character.^[11]

On screen, she has played supporting roles in several films and TV shows, including in the 2010 films Gulliver's Travels^[12] and The Wolfman.^[12] She played Kate (appearing in all 18 main episodes, as well as three Christmas specials) in Ben Elton's BBC Two comedy Upstart Crow,^[12] and was a series regular on The End of the F***ing World.^[12] She also played roles in other comedies, including Uncle and The Agency.^[12]

In August 2011, she was cast as Yara Greyjoy,^[13] elder sister of Theon, of House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, in the HBO fantasy-drama television series Game of Thrones,^[13] and appeared as a recurring cast member from the second season onward.^[14]

In 2017, she portrayed Karen Matthews in the two-part TV drama The Moorside,^[12] based on the 2008 disappearance of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews. In 2019, she appeared as Marian Lister in the BBC drama Gentleman Jack.^[12]

In February 2020, a stage adaptation of Upstart Crow opened at the Gielgud Theatre, London, Whelan reprising the role of Kate.^[15] Whelan returned to the West End stage as Kate when the play was revived at the Apollo Theatre in 2022.^[16]

Whelan appears as DCI Kerry Henderson in the police drama series, DI Ray, written by Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio,^[5] as superior officer to DI Ray, played by Parminder Nagra. Her role extends from the first series in 2022^[17] to series 2 in 2024.^[18][19][20]

Whelan lives in London with her husband, the comedian and actor Gerry Howell, and their two children.^[21][5]

• Gemma Whelan at IMDb
• Gemma Whelan on Twitter
• Gemma Whelan at British Comedy Guide
• Amore, video with Whelan on Upstart Crow