Gina Bellman was born in New Zealand and came to England at the age of eleven. "I started elocution lessons because I was being teased, and I had a brilliant drama teacher. At the age of fourteen I appeared at the National Theatre in THE CRUCIBLE. I carried on acting during school holidays, and was all set to go to drama school when I was offered my first professional job appearing in KING DAVID with Richard Gere. So I packed all my school books away and went to Italy on a fourteen million dollar picture." She became a household name after appearing in Dennis Potter?s drama BLACKEYES, although she says she always knew she wanted to do comedy as well.