Karen Gillan — Biography

Karen Gillan hails from Scotland and has built a career as both an actress and former model. She rose to prominence through her television and film work in Britain, most notably portraying Amy Pond, a key companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction program Doctor Who, which earned her multiple accolades and nominations. During her early career, she appeared in several films including the thriller Outcast as Ally and the romantic comedy Not Another Happy Ending in the role of Jane Lockhart. She also maintained a presence in theater during her time in Britain, performing in John Osborne's Inadmissible Evidence and later making her Broadway theatrical debut in Time to Act. Her breakthrough into American cinema came through the horror film Oculus, where she played Kaylie Russell and achieved her first major commercial success in the United States. Following this, she took the lead role in the ABC comedy series Selfie. Gillan achieved worldwide recognition through her role as Nebula across multiple Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She has also received critical praise for her work as Ruby Roundhouse in the action films Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level, as Sam in the comedy Gunpowder Milkshake, and for performing dual roles in the science fiction thriller Dual. As of May 2024, her social media presence includes 7.9 million Instagram followers, 2.1 million TikTok followers, and 142,000 YouTube subscribers.