Cara Gee (born July 18, 1983) is a Canadian film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles in the television series Strange Empire and The Expanse. She is described by Forbes as "one of the most prominent indigenous women in the entertainment industry".
Early life and education
Cara Gee was born on July 18, 1983, in Calgary, Alberta, and was raised near Bobcaygeon, before moving to Newmarket, Ontario. Gee is Ojibwe, one of the largest indigenous populations in Canada. She attended Huron Heights Secondary School where she became interested in drama. She had organized local punk shows and was planning to pursue arts management when she discovered a love of acting. Subsequently, she enrolled in the University of Windsor and graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2007.
Career Gee is primarily known as a stage actress in Toronto, Ontario, where her acting credits have included productions of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad, Daniel MacIvor's Arigato, Tokyo, Cliff Cardinal's Stitch, Birdtown and Swanville's 36 Little Plays About Hopeless Girls and Louise Dupré's Tout comme elle. Tomson Highway's The Rez Sisters
She made her feature film debut in Empire of Dirt for which she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award. For this role, she also won a Special Jury award at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as well as an award for Best Actress at the American Indian Film Festival. In 2013, at TIFF, Gee was named one of the festival's annual Rising Stars.
Gee began work on television playing guest roles in the television series King and Republic of Doyle. In 2014, she starred as one of the lead characters in the Western drama series Strange Empire on CBC Television, for one season until it was cancelled in 2015. As of 2016, Gee stars in the 33-episode web series Inhuman Condition, which airs on the KindaTV YouTube channel.
From 2017 to 2022 she played the role of Camina Drummer on the Syfy/Amazon television series The Expanse. Her indigenous origin has attracted media attention repeatedly around matters of representation of minorities, especially with narratives in The Expanse regarding cultural assimilation. Gee's portrayal of Camina Drummer has been strongly praised.
Personal life
Gee married Richard de Klerk in 2019. Gee was eight months pregnant while filming the fifth season of The Expanse.
Filmography
Films Year Title Role Notes 2010 Gingerlip Kids Sharon Taylor Short film 2013 The Cycle of Broken Grace Prostitute Empire of Dirt Lena Mahikan 2015 We Think it Belongs In The Sea Lynne Ann Short film 2016 Anne Darling Charlie 2017 Sundowners Jenny The Carmilla Movie Emily Brontë We Forgot to Break Up Isis Wong Short film 2018 Birdland Hazel James Trouble in the Garden Raven, Pippa Red Rover Phoebe 2019 Home in Time Skylar Short film Bitter Smoke Opichi EXT Aegis Minamoto It's Nothing The Girl 2020 Alone Wolf Town Monroe The Call of the Wild Françoise2022Bones of CrowsPercy Whallach 2024 Levels Ash
Television series Year Title Role Notes 2012 King Alicia Pratta Episode: "Alicia Pratta" (no. 18) 2013 Republic of Doyle Sydney Morrison Episode: "Brothers in Arms" (no. 61) 2014 Darknet Gemma Episode: "Darknet 4" (no. 4) 2014–2015 Strange Empire Kat Loving Leading role; 13 episodes 2016 Inhuman Condition Tamar Main role; web series; 11 episodes 2017 The Neddeaus of Duqesne Island Web series; episode: "The Mainland" (no. 10) Letterkenny Shyla Episode: "Way to a Man's Heart" (no. 23) 2017–2022 The Expanse Camina Drummer Recurring role (seasons 2–3); main role (seasons 4–6); 42 episodes 2018 Wynter Coyote Television film 2021 The Expanse: One Ship Camina Drummer Episode: "Ankawala" (no. 1) 2023 Extrapolations Freda Episode: "2037: A Raven Story" (no. 1) 2024Sweet Tooth Siana Main role
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2023The Expanse: A Telltale SeriesCamina DrummerVoice
Awards and nominations Gee garnered a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actress at the 2nd Canadian Screen Awards for her performance in Empire of Dirt. For this role, she also won a Special Jury Award at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, as well as an award for Best Actress at the American Indian Film Festival.
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