Gina Bellman

Gina Bellman
Born 10 July 1966
Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation Actress
Years active 1984–present

Gina Bellman (born 10 July 1966) is a New Zealand-born British actress who starred in the series Leverage as Sophie Devereaux.

Early life

Bellman was born in New Zealand to Jewish parents of Russian and Polish origin[1] who emigrated to New Zealand from England in the 1950s. Her family returned to the United Kingdom when she was 11 years old.[1]

Career

After making her debut in an episode of Into the Labyrinth in 1982, and a two-episode stint in Grange Hill in 1984, she became a household name for her performance in the title role in Dennis Potter's drama Blackeyes. She is also well known for playing Jane in the sitcom Coupling. Her other TV roles include Waking the Dead, Jonathan Creek, Little Napoleons, and one-off appearances in Only Fools and Horses and Hotel Babylon.

She has also appeared in several feature films including King David (1985), which starred Richard Gere and Edward Woodward, Secret Friends (1991), Leon the Pig Farmer (1992), and Silent Trigger (1996) opposite Dolph Lundgren.

She co-starred alongside James Nesbitt in the 2007 BBC One drama serial Jekyll, a modern-day sequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written by Coupling author Steven Moffat.[2]

In 2008 she began appearing on the TNT channel's serial drama Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton, for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television, but lost to fellow New Zealand alumna Lucy Lawless.[3][4]

In 2013 Bellman narrated poetry for The Love Book App, an interactive anthology of love literature developed by Allie Byrne Esiri.[5] In late 2013 she played the role of The Italian Woman in the National Theatre's production of the Georg Kaiser play From Morning to Midnight.[6]

Personal life

Gina had previously dated actor Sam Rockwell and documentary-maker Nick Broomfield. In July 2005 she married Lucho Brieva. The marriage lasted a year and they divorced in 2007. Two years later she had a daughter Romy, in 2009. She married the father, Zaab Sethna, who she met just after shooting the "Leverage" pilot, in 2013.[7]

Career

Film
Year Film Role Other notes
1985 King David Tamar
Mussolini: The Untold Story Gina Ruberti (television mini-series)
1991 Secret Friends Helen
1992 Vsetko co mam rad Ann
Leon the Pig Farmer Lisa
1993 Horse Opera Sandra/Marion
1996 Silent Trigger Clegg (Spotter)
1997 David Michal (television film)
2000 Ted & Ralph Henrietta Spain
Paranoid Eve
Seven Days to Live Claudia
2001 Subterrain Junkie Spirit
Married/Unmarried Amanda
2003 Sitting Ducks Christine
2005 Zerophilia Sydney
2007 Permanent Vacation Kathleen Bury
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1982 Into the Labyrinth Christine Episode: Phantom
1984 Grange Hill Trudy Episode: 7.8
Episode: 7.9
1989 Only Fools and Horses Carmen Episode: The Unlucky Winner Is...
1989 Screen Two Greta Episode: Sitting Targets
1989 Blackeyes Blackeyes Episode 1.1
Episode 1.2
Episode 1.3
Episode 1.4
1991 The Storyteller Eurydice Episode: Orpheus and Eurydice (live-action puppet television series)
1994 Little Napoleons Liz Blakemore Episode: The Big Interview
1996 Scene Athene Nike/Trainer Episode: Young Jung
1996 Sharman Kiki Episode 1.1
1999 Jonathan Creek Samantha Episode: Ghost's Forge
2000–2004 Coupling Jane Christie 28 episodes
2003 Waking the Dead Frannie Henning Episode: Final Cut: Part 1
Episode: Final Cut: Part 2
2005 The Last Detective Caroline Episode: Friends Reunited
2007 Hotel Babylon Marina Stoll Episode: 2.2 (BBC television drama)
2007 Jekyll Claire Jackman Episode: 1.1
Episode: 1.2
Episode: 1.3
Episode: 1.4
Episode: 1.5
Episode: Hyde
2007 Nearly Famous Traci Reed Episode: 1.1
Episode: 1.2
Episode: 1.4
2007 Heroes and Villains Catherine Carteaux Episode: Napoleon (television docudrama)
2008 The Wrong Door Pilot Instructor/Jill Episode: Njarnia
Episode: The Smutty Aliens
2008–2012 Leverage Sophie Devereaux 72 episodes
2013 Ripper Street Jemima Swann Series 2, episode 6
Theatre
Year Title Role Notes
2000 Speed-the-Plow Karen Duke of York's Theatre
2013 From Morning to Midnight Italian Lady/Salvation Army Officer National Theatre

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Cavendish, Lucy (2007-03-31). "Gina Genie". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-25.
  2. "An all-star cast to appear in BBC ONE's Jekyll". BBC Press Office. 2006-08-29. Retrieved 2006-08-30.
  3. "Electric Entertainment's Leverage has been nominated for three Saturn Awards and two Prism Awards". electricentertainment.com. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  4. "TNT Orders 13 Episodes of Leverage". ComingSoon.net. February 13, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2008.
  5. http://www.iliterature.net/thelovebook/#the-actors
  6. "From Morning to Midnight". The National Theatre. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
  7. Tushar Mathur (30 January 2010). "Leverage Star Gina Bellman Welcomes Daughter Romy!". zimbio.com. Retrieved 2010-02-07.

External links