Gwendoline Christie

Biography:

Gwendoline Christie was born in Worthing, West Sussex, and raised in a small village near the South Downs. She has two older half-brothers. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father worked in sales and marketing. Initially training as a gymnast, Christie shifted her focus to acting after suffering a spinal injury. Around 2002, she worked in a Brighton boutique.

She studied at Varndean College in Brighton and later graduated from Drama Centre London in 2005. Because of her unusual height, she was told early in her career that she might struggle to find work as an actor. Her aspirations to act on screen were often dismissed, but seeing Tilda Swinton in Orlando inspired her to keep going. She believed Swinton’s ethereal screen presence proved that there might be a space for someone like her in film.

In 2002, photographer Polly Borland began photographing Christie for a series titled Bunny, which lasted until 2008. The series, in which Christie appears mostly nude, was intended to help her confront and accept her body while challenging traditional ideas of femininity. In hindsight, Christie was surprised she agreed to it.

One of her early mentors was actor and writer Simon Callow, whom she met in drama school. On stage, she performed as the Queen in Cymbeline with Tom Hiddleston, played Mag Wildwood in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and earned praise as Lucifer in Doctor Faustus (2010).

Christie’s on-screen debut came in 2007 with the short film The Time Surgeon by Nathaniel Mellors, whose work she continued to collaborate on through experimental films like Seven Ages of Britain Teaser and the Ourhouse series, in which she also contributed behind the scenes. Her feature film debut was a small role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009). That same year, she appeared in the music video for Patrick Wolf’s “Damaris.”

Her breakthrough came in 2011 when she was cast as Brienne of Tarth in HBO’s Game of Thrones (season 2). The character—tall, strong, and unconventionally feminine—resonated with Christie, who related to Brienne’s struggles with identity and appearance. Fans had championed Christie for the role even before casting began. To prepare, she adopted gender-neutral clothing and underwent intensive physical training, gaining muscle and learning horse riding, swordplay, and stage combat. Her audition, where she appeared in character, impressed the creators, especially George R. R. Martin.

She debuted in the episode “What Is Dead May Never Die” (2012), earning praise for her physicality and emotional nuance. Christie was nominated for a Saturn Award in 2014 and shared four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations with the ensemble cast over the years.

Beyond Game of Thrones, she starred as Lexi, the alien princess, in Wizards vs Aliens (2012–2013), created by Doctor Who writers. She also played a role in Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem (2013).

In 2015, Christie appeared as Commander Lyme in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, replacing Lily Rabe, who exited due to scheduling issues. That same year, she was cast as Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The character’s striking look and Christie’s performance were praised, though fans were disappointed by the limited screen time.

In 2017, she joined the cast of Top of the Lake: China Girl as Miranda Hilmarson, a role created specifically for her by Jane Campion. She reprised her role as Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and voiced the character in three episodes of Star Wars Resistance (2018).

Christie had several roles in 2018, including Lady Jane in The Darkest Minds, Gwen in In Fabric, and Anna, a Russian caretaker, in Welcome to Marwen, directed by Robert Zemeckis.

With Game of Thrones concluding in 2019, Christie received her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and another Saturn Award nomination for her work in the final seasons.

In 2021, she was cast as Lucifer in Netflix’s adaptation of The Sandman.

In 2022, she starred as Principal Larissa Weems in Netflix’s Wednesday, a horror-comedy series.

In 2024, she made a runway appearance for Maison Margiela during Paris Couture Week, closing the show with a standout look.

That same year, Firaxis Games revealed Christie as the narrator for their flagship release Civilization VII, which launched in February 2025.