Gemma Whelan — Movies, TV Shows & Roles

Actor

1981-04-23 · Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK · Female

29 series in the catalog

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 3 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).
Early life and education
Gemma Elizabeth Whelan was born in Leeds in 1981 and grew up in the Midlands.
She attended The King's High School for Girls in Warwick and the London Studio Centre.
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.
Career
As a stand-up comedian, Whelan won the 2010 Funny Women Variety Award. She performed at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe with her show Chastity Butterworth & The Spanish Hamster. In 2014, she recorded a pilot chat show as her character Chastity Butterworth for BBC Radio 4, which was in development in October 2015. She also featured in other shows as this character.
On screen, she has played supporting roles in several films and TV shows, including in the 2010 films Gulliver's Travels and The Wolfman. She played Kate (appearing in all 18 main episodes, as well as two Christmas specials) in Ben Elton's BBC Two comedy Upstart Crow, and was a series regular on The End of the F***ing World. She also played roles in other comedies, including Uncle and The Agency.
In August 2011, she was cast as Yara Greyjoy, elder sister of Theon, of House Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, in the HBO fantasy-drama television series Game of Thrones, and appeared as a recurring cast member from the second season onward.
In 2017, she portrayed Karen Matthews in the two-part TV drama The Moorside, based on the 2008 disappearance of nine-year-old Shannon Matthews. In 2019, she appeared as Marian Lister in the BBC drama Gentleman Jack.
In 2020, she portrayed Mrs Weston née Taylor in a film adaption of Jane Austen's Emma, directed by Autumn de Wilde.
In February 2020, a stage adaptation of Upstart Crow opened at the Gielgud Theatre, London, Whelan reprising the role of Kate. Whelan returned to the West End stage as Kate when the play was revived at the Apollo Theatre in 2022.
Whelan appears as DCI Kerry Henderson in the police drama series, DI Ray, written by Maya Sondhi and produced by Jed Mercurio, as superior officer to DI Ray, played by Parminder Nagra. Her role extends from the first series in 2022 to series 2 in 2024.
Personal life
Whelan lives in London with her husband, the comedian and actor Gerry Howell, and their two children.
In an Instagram post in July 2026, she revealed that her mother, Sue Whelan, died by drowning while overseas in 2025. Whelan described the sudden loss as a "catastrophic shock" and shared about the effects of grief on her life while also underlining that she is "happy and fulfilled and smiling most of the time". She also wrote:
"I suppose I'm looking to say that if you're in a similar position of sudden loss and reeling from shock, as I continue to, you're not alone. What terrible things we can endure, and be ok in the not ok".
Gemma Whelan on X
Gemma Whelan at British Comedy Guide
Amore, video with Whelan on Upstart Crow