Ruth Gemmell

Early life and education

Ruth Katrin Gemmell was born in Bristol and grew up in County Durham, first in Barnard Castle before moving to Darlington with her mother upon her parents' divorce. She has three older brothers and a sister. She attended Polam Hall School. Gemmell later moved to London, where her father lived, to pursue acting. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

Gemmell has played roles in both theatre and TV dramas. She played the leading female role in Fever Pitch, based on Nick Hornby's memoir of the same name, starring opposite Colin Firth and had another leading role in the comedy/drama 2 January (2006). She played the recurring character of Detective Constable Kerry Cox in the first series of the BBC police procedural Silent Witness, which premiered in 1996. She returned to the series as different characters in 2006 and 2014.

In 2004, she starred in Tracy Beaker's Movie of Me as the mother of the title character. From January 2009 she became a recurring character in EastEnders as Debra Dean, the absentee mother of Whitney Dean. In August 2009, she starred as Rebecca Sands in two episodes of The Bill.

Gemmell appeared three times in the BBC's police drama Waking the Dead, playing different characters. Her first appearance was in 2002 in the episode "Special Relationships" as DI Jess Worral, a former lover of DSI Boyd. She next appeared on the show in 2008, as Linda Cummings, an exceptionally intelligent serial killer. She reprised the role of Cummings in "Endgame", the finale of the eighth series.

Gemmell starred in Episode 8 of Jimmy McGovern's BBC drama Moving On as Joanne, in November 2010. In November 2011, Gemmell played Lady Shonagon in the adaptation for BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour of The Pillow Book, by Robert Forrest. She appeared as Jen, the wife of an adulterous civil servant, in Channel 4 drama Utopia, in early 2013.

In 2015, Gemmell appeared in five episodes of the television series Penny Dreadful as Octavia Putney. In 2020, she began playing Lady Violet Bridgerton in the Netflix series Bridgerton.

In 2021, Gemmell reprised her role of Carly Beaker for My Mum Tracy Beaker.

Personal life

Gemmell was married in Westminster, London, in 1997 to 2005 to the actor Ray Stevenson, whom she met in 1995 during the filming of TV drama Band of Gold.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

Radio dramas

Audio dramas

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. "Ruth Gemmell {{!}} Hamilton Hodell".
2. (2022-03-21). "Ruth Gemmell – aka Lady Violet Bridgerton – talks family, feminism and fabulous fashion in Season 2 of the Netflix hit".
3. Baty, Emma. (2022-04-05). "Ruth Gemmell Responds to 'Bridgerton' Season 2 Fans' Sex Scene Complaints: "There's Agency in the Slow Burn"".
4. Gibb, Bill. (7 April 2016). "Home Fires star Ruth Gemmell shares an embarrassing encounter". The Sunday Post.
5. Hardwick, Viv. (14 October 2004). "Magic ''MacBeth''".
6. [http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2004/10/14/36420.html Macbeth 2004 interview with Ruth Gemmell – dead link]
7. (28 March 2022). "'Bridgerton's Ruth Gemmell On The Truth Behind That Scene With Jonathan Bailey".
8. [https://web.archive.org/web/19990218080945/http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/1280/fp.html ''Fever Pitch'' Cast discuss film]
9. [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a167726/ruth-gemmell-to-guest-in-the-bill.html Ruth Gemmell to guest in ''The Bill'']
10. Percival, Daniel. (2009-09-27). "End Game: Part 1".
11. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/2010/wk45/wed.shtml BBC Press Office Week 45]
12. (3 February 2021). "Bridgerton star Ruth Gemmell shares exciting details about the plot of season two".
13. Norris, Susanne. (2022-03-25). "Bridgerton's Ruth Gemmell opens up about season two of the show".
14. "My Mum Tracy Beaker (TV Series 2021– ) - IMDb".
15. Koncienzcy, Rebecca. (10 December 2017). "Where is the cast of Band Of Gold now?". Reach Plc.
16. "Ruth Gemmell {{!}} Theatre {{!}} Hamilton Hodell".
17. "Production of The Second Mrs Tanqueray {{!}} Theatricalia".
18. Bayley, Clare. (16 March 1994). "Othello (1994)". Times Out.
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21. (2016-06-08). "London Theatre Guide Archive Theatre Reviews / The Weir".
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28. Billington, Michael. (2005-11-16). "Coram Boy". The Guardian.
29. Billington, Michael. (2008-09-19). "Riflemind". The Guardian.
30. "Theatre review: Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Salisbury Playhouse".
31. "SIXTY SIX BOOKS".
32. Dorfman, Ariel. (2011-10-14). "Death and the Maiden's haunting relevance". The Guardian.
33. Smith, Ellie. (2022-03-23). "Ruth Gemmell on Bridgerton Season Two".
34. Brennan, Clare. (2012-05-26). "Betrayal – review". The Observer.
35. "Midsummer Mischief 2014 {{!}} Royal Shakespeare Company".
36. Allen, Polly. (2017-05-11). "No Place for a Woman, Theatre 503 – Review".
37. Gains, Andrew. (13 April 2018). "Cast Complete for U.K. Premiere of The Whale Starring Tony Winner Shuler Hensley".
38. "Still Alice: a delicately moving portrayal of living with early onset Alzheimer's".
39. "Ruth Gemmell {{!}} Radio {{!}} Hamilton Hodell".
40. (1994-02-04). "Teen Lurve".
41. "The BBC audio complete Sherlock Holmes".
42. (1996-05-25). "Saturday Night Theatre: The Candlemass Road".
43. BBC Radio 4. (1989-08-19). "The House - A BBC Radio Political Drama".
44. (1999-07-16). "The Friday Play: Fireworks".
45. (2001-04-29). "Sunday Play: Ancient Lights".
46. (2003-09-14). "Drama on 3: Parade's End".
47. (2003-04-15). "Afternoon Play: After Scarborough".
48. (2003-01-31). "Afternoon Play: The Spaceman".
49. "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Pillow Book - Available now".
50. (2009-07-05). "Classic Serial:The Complete Smiley: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold".
51. (2009-07-19). "Classic Serial:The Complete Smiley: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold".
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56. "BBC Radio 4 - GF Newman's The Corrupted, Series 1, Episode 1".
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62. "BBC Radio 4 - 15 Minute Drama, Lindsay Ashford - The Mysterious Death of Jane Austen".
63. (2014-01-31). "The Time Being".
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65. "BBC Radio 4 - Drama on 4, Ursula Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness, Episode 2".
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67. "BBC Radio 4 - The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry - Episode guide".
68. BBC Radio 4. (2017-11-11). "A Perfect Spy".
69. (4 February 2021). "2021 SAG Awards: The Complete Nominations List".
70. Busis, Hillary. (2025-01-08). "2025 SAG Awards Nominations: See the Full List Here".