Gemma Ward | |
|---|---|
 Ward in San Francisco, 15 March 2007 | |
| Born | Gemma Louise Ward (1987-11-03)3 November 1987 (age 37) |
| Occupation(s) | Model, actress |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse | David Letts |
| Children | 3 |
| Modeling information | |
| Hair color | Blonde |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Agency | IMG Models (New York, Paris, Milan, London, Sydney)[1] |
Gemma Louise Ward (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian model and actress. Born inPerth, Western Australia, Ward was first scouted at the age of 14, and made herAustralian Fashion Week debut aged 15. She later became one of the youngest models to appear on the cover of the American edition ofVogue, subsequently appearing on the covers of bothTeen Vogue andTime.Vogue Paris would later declare her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.[2] Ward is widely considered to be asupermodel.[3][4]
Ward's first major acting appearance was in the 2008 Australian filmThe Black Balloon, and she has since also appeared in the filmsThe Strangers (2008) andPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).
Gemma Ward was born inPerth,Western Australia, the second of four children of Gary Ward, an Australian doctor, and Claire, an English nurse.[5] She has an older sister, Sophie (who also became a model), and younger twin brothers, Oscar and Henry. She was educated at thePresbyterian Ladies' College andShenton College.[6] Gemma was the family clown whose ambition was acting.[7] Her passion for acting was born in 1997, when she was cast as the witch in a school play ofHansel and Gretel at age ten.[8]
Ward's brush with modelling was an accidental one.[7] She was discovered in 2002, at the age of fourteen,[8] while accompanying her friends to the Australian modelling competitionSearch for a Supermodel.[6] As she said in aTeen Vogue interview, she ended up being scouted herself:
I had come straight from my auntie and uncle's farm, and I was wearing this big gray barn jacket with mud all over it. When the scout came up to me, I said, 'No, thank you.' They forged my mum's signature [for mandatory parental consent], and pushed me in front of the cameras.[6][9]
Ward did not win the competition, but her fragile, unique look, got the attention of a spotter from Vivien's Model Agency who saw her potential and made a show reel.[6][7] The show reel then landed on the desk of ace model scout David Cunningham from theNew York City agencyIMG. "Look how confident she is. I mean, she looks like she's been doing this for years, and she's a 15-year-old kid walking in an alleyway in Perth [...] She's asupermodel, for sure," Cunningham said.[7]
At 15, Ward made herAustralian Fashion Week debut in May 2003.[10] Within a year, she was inItaly meetingPrada designerMiuccia Prada.[8] Her look inspired a new generation of baby doll-like models such asVlada Roslyakova,Heather Marks,Lily Cole,Caroline Trentini, Britni Stanwood, Lisa Cant.[9] In September 2004, at only sixteen, Ward became the youngest model to appear on the cover of AmericanVogue photographed bySteven Meisel as one of the nine "Models of the Moment" withDaria Werbowy,Natalia Vodianova,Gisele Bündchen,Isabeli Fontana,Karolina Kurkova,Liya Kebede,Hana Soukupova andKaren Elson.[6][8][11] By the end of the year, Ward had appeared on the cover of AustralianVogue three times,British Vogue,Vogue Paris andVogue Japan.[12]
In February 2005, Ward appeared in no less than 20New York runways for designers that includedVera Wang,Oscar de la Renta andCalvin Klein, and was rumored to earn about $20,000 per show.[13] And at 17, she became the famous face ofCalvin Klein'sObsession Night perfume billboards – bumpingKate Moss out of a job in the process.[8][13] Ward was reportedly paid $1.3million for the Calvin Klein campaign and counted similar deals withBurberry andValentino among her model earnings. Ward additionally appeared in campaigns forDolce & Gabbana,Balenciaga,Hermès andDior.[13]
Ward then posed for the April 2005 issue ofVogue Italia, the May issue ofVogue Greece and the Spring 2005 cover ofTIME Magazine'sStyle & Design issue.[8][13] In September 2005, Ward secured a coveted place on the inaugural cover ofVogue China posing between Chinese modelsDu Juan and Wang Wenqin and was shot by leading photographerPatrick Demarchelier.[14][15] A staggering 300,000 copies sold in the first three hours.[13] "She is every inchblue chip," Vivien's agent Suzie Deveridge said. "Right now she's considered the No. 2 model in the world – and she isn't even 18 yet."[13]
By 2006, Ward became Australia's brightest fashion star sinceElle Macpherson.[7] At the age of 18, Ward became the first model ever to appear on the cover ofTeen Vogue magazine.[16][17] She was then featured in the Australian television program60 Minutes as the "It Girl".[7] She was earning $25,000 to stride the catwalk.[8] InAllure magazine (October 2006), Ward is described as "the model of the moment."Allure's creative director Paul Cavaco stated: "We went through a period that was very va-va-voom, but now the pendulum has swung back. Gemma is ethereal, not earthy." PhotographerMichael Thompson says, "She's an exotic blonde, the rarest of creatures."[18]
In May 2007, Ward again was featured on the cover ofVogue Italia. In July, earning at an estimated total of $3 million in the past 12 months,Forbes ranked her tenth on the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels.[19] In October 2007 Ward appeared on the cover of the very first issue ofVogue India, centred between Bollywood actressesBipasha Basu andPriyanka Chopra shot by photographerPatrick Demarchelier (who also photographed her inVogue China) and it became the second time Ward has appeared on aninaugural issue. Ward is only the third model, after Moss andLinda Evangelista to appear on two inaugural issues ofVogue.[14]Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.[2]
In August 2008, reports surfaced that Ward was to retire from modelling to pursue acting.[20] However, reports were quickly dismissed by Ward herself saying: "I was surprised to wake up this morning and read news of my own retirement. While I am taking some time off currently to rest and enjoy the company of friends and family, I am still very much a (excited and enthusiastic) working model and actress. I'm only 20, for God's sakes."[21]
Ward wouldn't walk down a runway after the spring 2008 shows for five years. Her final modeling job before her hiatus was an appearance on the cover of and inside the October 2008 issue of SpanishMarie Claire.[22] Slightly over a year later, in November 2009, Ward's agent officially announced her retiring from the industry after her notable absence in the past few runway seasons.[17] Following a series of criticisms about her weight gain, a spokesperson from Vivien's Model Management released a statement, saying: "Gemma hasn't committed to returning to modeling at any time soon", adding Ward had the agency's full support.[23][24] Again, Ward quickly dismissed the retirement claims, confirming that she would return to modeling in 2010.[25]
After avoiding the spotlight for three years, Ward opened up in an exclusive interview forThe Sunday Telegraph on 30 January 2011. There she explained that her break from the media spotlight "was something spurred byHeath's death".[26] As for her career, she went on to say:
In terms of me shying away from modelling, I'd like to clarify in some way that I was taking a break from many things in my life and obviously what people in the public see is that I'm pulling away from what is more 'public'. I didn't know how long it would take, I didn't know if it would solve anything, but I set out to really focus inside myself.[26]
Ward shot her first pictorial in years in Australia'sSunday Telegraph Magazine for the edition of 6 February 2011.[27] In 2013, Ward signed withIMG Models Australia, prompting rumours of a modelling comeback.[28]
On 18 September 2014, Ward returned to the runway at the Spring/Summer 2015Prada show during Milan Fashion Week. In December, Ward appeared on the 55th Anniversary cover of AustralianVogue and along with a 40th-anniversary campaign forCountry Road, was announced as the face of Prada's Spring/Summer 2015 campaign.[29] She was also featured on the Spring/Summer 2015 cover ofPop. In April 2015, Ward made her runway return to Australian Fashion Week, opening for Ellery.[citation needed] Ward also became the Australian ambassador forCoca-Cola Life.[30] In September, Ward was on the cover ofRussh.[31] In January 2016, she again appeared on the cover of AustralianVogue, also appearing in a Spring/Summer 2016 campaign forGivenchy alongside models includingJoan Smalls,Natalia Vodianova and fellow AustralianMiranda Kerr. Ward then walked forCalvin Klein menswear at Autumn/Winter Milan Fashion Week.[32][33] In April, Ward was shot byMario Testino as part of his guest edited edition of AustralianVogue, their first time working together since 2006. She interviewed Testino about the issue forThe Daily Telegraph. The same month, Ward posed for the cover of AustralianInStyle alongside close friends and fellow modelsJessica Gomes andNicole Trunfio. In May, it was announced that Ward would appear as a guest judge oncycle 10 ofAustralia's Next Top Model.[34][35]
She was featured on the July cover ofElle Australia, a "lift-and flip" edition with 35 possible cover combinations of Ward.[36] Ward also featured in a Fall/Winter campaign forDavid Webb, shot byInez and Vinoodh.[37]
At the Spring 2019 shows, Ward walked forProenza Schouler andAlexander McQueen. She then appeared in editorials for November'sAllure andVogue Italia and graced the October cover ofVogue Thailand, the December cover of AustralianHarper's Bazaar, and the March 2019 cover ofNuméro Tokyo. Ward also currently serves as the face of theHardy Brothers andZimmermann.
Ward has long aspired to pursue acting, and drama is a passion that she has held since she was a child. She starred alongsideToni Collette andRhys Wakefield in Australian director Elissa Down's filmThe Black Balloon as the girlfriend of a boy whose brother has autism.[38]The Black Balloon had its world premiere at the58th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany in February 2008, where it received aCrystal Bear as the best feature-length film in the Generation 14plus category.[39] She was also cast oppositeLiv Tyler in the suspense thrillerThe Strangers as one of the three masked intruders, "Dollface".[40] In the summer of 2009, she took classes at theStella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.
After three years out of the spotlight, Ward made her international stage debut on 22 March 2011 for the Perth Theatre Company's production ofThe Ugly One. The play centres on the modern obsession withphysical beauty and the need to resort toplastic surgery.[26] Her star power brought the PTC publicity and boosted ticket sales.Perth Now's Maria Noakes gave Ward positive reviews for her performance.[41]
MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the 'Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011'.[42] In the summer of 2011, Ward played Tamara, an antagonistic mermaid, inPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, oppositeJohnny Depp.[41]
Ward briefly datedHeath Ledger. They first met in November 2007 in New York, and Ward later said they had "developed a relationship and we started seeing each other." The two spent Christmas together in their home town of Perth before returning to New York where Ledger died less than a month later, on 22 January 2008.[26]
Ward and her partner David Letts have three children: a daughter (born December 2013),[43] a son (born January 2017),[44] and a second daughter (born June 2020).[45]
Ward is close friends with fellow Australian modelsJessica Gomes andNicole Trunfio, with Gomes and Ward being bridesmaids at Trunfio's wedding.[citation needed]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ladies in Black | Sadie Chalmers | 1 episode |
| 2023 | While the Men Are Away | Sadie | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Pink Pyjamas | Heidi | |
| 2008 | The Black Balloon | Jackie Masters | Nominated –Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actress Nominated –Inside Film Award for Best Actress |
| 2008 | The Strangers | Dollface | |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Tamara–First Mermaid | |
| 2013 | The Great Gatsby | Languid Girl | |
| 2016 | The Caged Pillows | Nocturne | Short film |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
