Who is Jodie Whittaker of Doctor Who? Here’s Everything We Know About Her

Quick Facts

When BBC announced that the long-awaited thirteenth Doctor in the British TV series Doctor Who will be played by a woman, the reactions of fans were different; but generally, many of the series’ fans received it with some sort of excitement because it would be the first time a woman will be playing the role in the series. The 12th Doctor did seem to have given some hint of his reincarnated self in the last season Christmas Special when he said his last words of wisdom to his soon-to-be-reincarnated self “be kind” and when he was reincarnated as the thirteenth doctor, he came in the character of English actress Jodie Whittaker.

When the thirteenth Doctor burst onto the scene wearing 11-esque boots, a silhouette-friendly coat, and a TARDIS blue pants, we were all sure, we’d be having a swell time watching the 13th doctor. But then arose the question, who really is Jodie Whittaker? so we have decided to tell you all about the English actress, read on.

Who is Jodie Whittaker of Doctor Who?

Jodie Auckland Whittaker is her full name and she was born in Skelmanthorpe, West Yorkshire on the 17th of June 1982.  Before training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she graduated from in 2005 with the Acting Gold Medal (highest awarded prize) Jodie attended Scissett Middle School and Shelley High School.

After her graduation, Whittaker kicked off her career when she appeared in Shakespeare’s Globe in 2005 making her debut in the play – The Storm. She has since worked in both theatre, TV, film and radio productions. She had a breakthrough in 2006 when she played Jessie in a British comedy-drama film Venus which also featured Vanessa Redgrave, Peter O’Toole, Richard Griffiths, and Leslie Phillips. Her role in the film earned her both Satellite and British Independent Film Award nominations.

Jodie stood in for Carey Mulligan who was unwell in the Royal Court’s production of The Seagull in 2007, she also appeared in a fundraising play at the Almeida Theatre that same year. Coming into the year 2009, she appeared in Perrier Bounty – an Irish comedy crime film and the following year being 2010, she was in The Kid as Jackie and also co-starred in BBC’s Accused.

In 2011, Jodie Whittaker played as Viv in The Night Watch – a BBC adaptation of Sarah Waters’s novel and in the cult film Attack the Block. The following year (2012), she starred in Good Vibrations (musical comedy-drama). She appeared in Broadchurch as Beth Latimer (grieving mother) and was also in the spy drama miniseries The Assets, and on BBC One’s medical drama Trust Me.

Her Role in Doctor Who and Everything We Know About Her

BBC in 2017 announced that Whittaker would be playing the thirteenth Doctor, taking over from Peter Capaldi who played the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the network’s series Doctor Who. The announcement was received with mixed reactions; some felt it is a welcome development as it will serve as a good model for younger girls, while others are of the opinion that the doctor is meant to be a man and that it should stay that way, well, be it as it may, the thirteenth Doctor is here with us to stay for good.

Jodie Whittaker assumed the role formerly in the 2017 Christmas special episode titled “Twice Upon a Time” when the twelfth doctor Capaldi regenerated into his new self – a Thirteenth Doctor which happened to be Whittaker. The British actress appeared in her first full series as the Doctor in the 11th series, which premiered in October 2018.

Whittaker is married U.S actor and writer Christian Contreras. Christian has starred in a couple of Hollywood blockbuster movies like 2012 thriller Zero Dark, 2013 The Fifth Estate and 2014 war movie Fury. 

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The couple met for the first time in a drama and after dating for a while, they tied the knots in 2008. In April 2015, they welcomed their first child together; a daughter. The actress lives in London but it is not certain if her husband lives in London also or shuttles between the U.S and the United Kingdom.

Other Facts

• Jodie Whittaker’s nephew Harry Whittaker, who died in 2014 at the age of three had Down syndrome. He had played Leo Goskirk, a character who had Down syndrome in the British soap opera Emmerdale.
• The actress identifies as a feminist and is vocal about with her views on the perception of women in the society.
• She is 5 ft 5 inches tall, that is 1.67 m and weighs around 52 kg or 115 lbs.
• Her father is Adrian Whittaker, a former president of Huddersfield Cricket League.
• The talented and celebrated star has a net worth reported to be $6 million or £4.6 million.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.