Childhood and youth
Gina was born in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Her father, Glenn Thomas Carano, was a professional American football player, and her mother, Dana Joy Cason, was involved in housekeeping and raising three daughters. Gina was born second and had an older and younger sister.
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Gina Carano as a child
The girl received her secondary education at Trinity Christian School, after which she entered the University of Nevada at Reno to specialize in psychology. Here the girl studied for one course, then transferred to the University of Las Vegas, stayed there for 3 courses, but left the university without receiving a diploma.
Gina became interested in sports as a teenager. She was a member of the state-winning women's basketball team and also played volleyball and softball. Later, martial arts appeared in her life. Initially, she came to Thai boxing with the sole purpose of losing excess weight, as she considered herself overweight.
How did athlete Gina Carano get leading roles in Hollywood? The path from an MMA fighter to an actress
Gina Carano
– one of the most popular actresses of recent years. She managed to star in the incredibly successful series “The Mandalorian”, played in “Deadpool”, “Fast and the Furious”, shared the set with Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Jean-Claude van Damme, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis. Many directors want to work with her and are not embarrassed to admit it.
Before this, the girl had a successful career in MMA, where Carano was at the forefront of the development of women's martial arts. She was supposed to fight Ronda Rousey, and this fight could become the female equivalent of the fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nuramagomedov or the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. But few people know how it all began and what difficulties Gina had to face to become a world star.
"Fat Gina"
Carano was born in Texas, where she spent her childhood. She grew up to be a big girl, but that's not surprising in Texas, and everyone was fine with her. Then Gina's family moved to Los Angeles - the world of Hollywood, where others often judge by appearance. This is a place where for every extra kilo you can get a ton of humiliation. And Gina then had enough of these kilograms. At school they called her fat and sometimes did what is now called the fashionable word “bullying.”
It was then that Carano began to develop a cool character, which she inherited largely from her father, a professional American football player. He brought her to basketball, where Gina could throw out all the aggression and emotions for humiliation at school. And everything turned out just fine. Carano helped the team become a state champion and received a scholarship to the University of Nevada.
In a gentle guise there is purity and strength
On Gina Carano's birthday, we remember the athlete's main successes and failures.
I just wanted to lose weight
It would seem that everything is going great. Gina entered the Faculty of Psychology and at the same time went in for sports. But for some reason the excess weight didn’t go away. As a result, Carano decided to try herself in Thai boxing. It was the idea of her boyfriend Kevin Ross, with whom she later split up. But the love for martial arts remains.
Gina found an excellent coach - a four-time world champion in kickboxing. She respected him immensely, so when he told her that she was fat, Carano would turn herself inside out to lose weight. This was the beginning of a great career.
Took off clothes to get weighed
Gina fought 14 fights at the semi-amateur level, winning 12 out of 14. Then she received an offer to take part in the first official women's mixed martial arts fight. Carano knocked out her opponent in 38 seconds. Gina continued to win similar tournaments, but gained worldwide fame in October 2008 before her fight with Kelly Kobold, which was broadcast on a national channel in America.
The girl did not go through the weigh-in procedure before the fight. Although the advantage was not huge - only 1.3 kg. Many would have resigned themselves, turned around and left. But not her. Carano first took off her sports bra, but was still under her weight. I had to undress completely, and then the scales showed the permissible excess of 0.5 kg. Needless to say, Gina won this fight after this?
Life-changing defeat
Carano became essentially the only real MMA star in those days. Advertising offers poured in one after another, she starred in various television shows and even then began her film career. However, it was difficult even for such a girl as Gina Carano to maintain such a crazy schedule.
In 2009, she was waiting for a fight with the Brazilian Christiana Santos, nicknamed Cyborg. This was the main event of the largest MMA tournament; about 15 thousand spectators gathered in the arena, and millions more watched on television. Gina lost, and with virtually no chance. But it was this fiasco that gave her the understanding that she needed to focus on one thing - show business or sports.
Gina Carano in movies
Carano chose cinema. Gina got her first big role in the action movie “Knockout,” where her partner was Channing Tatum, a favorite of American girls. In this film they even had explicit scenes, which Gina later recalled with embarrassment. "Knockout" received good reviews from film critics and became a breakthrough for Carano. Then there were roles in The Fast and the Furious, Deadpool and, of course, the Mandalorian series based on the Star Wars universe.
Carano's personal life
During this time, Gina managed to become part of the Hollywood crowd. She had affairs with actors Keith Cope and Henry Cavill (star of Man of Steel). Carano was once asked whether it was important for her that men were physically stronger than her.
All my men were weaker than me. Although this didn’t bother me at all. Also, I like men who are about the same height as me. I like artistic, thin young people. This is how I sometimes look at a tall guy - and I don’t understand what to do with him.
And you can't argue here. Athletic girls, and especially those like Gina Carano, sometimes find it difficult to find a man to match themselves.
Sports career
Of the first 14 fights held in the ring, Gina Carano won 12 and drew another. A fairly high result helped the girl attract the attention of the organizers of mixed fights in Nevada, who invited her to take part in the first official women's fight. Carano's rival was another promising athlete, Letitia Pestova. Despite high expectations, the fight did not prove to be exciting, as Gina knocked out her opponent in just 38 seconds.
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MMMA fighter Gina Carano
Having entered professional sports, Gina Carano continued to amaze the audience not only with high results, but also with the variety of her technical arsenal. She won victories through knockouts, eyebrow cuts, and choking techniques. For her assertiveness and focus, the athlete received the nickname Verdict.
By the way, despite great efforts, problems with excess weight haunted Carano throughout her career, and matches were repeatedly postponed due to the fact that her weight of 64 kg with a height of 173 cm did not fit into the officially permitted standards.
Gina Carano and Christiana Santos
Gina Carano's last fight was a match against Brazilian competitor Christiana Santos, nicknamed Cyborg, a specialist in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. This was Gina's first fight in her professional career that she lost. The referee stopped the match, deeming Carano's fall a technical knockout.
However, despite the defeat, the athlete became the record holder for the amount of money received by a female fighter. According to experts, this fight began a new era in the women's MMA division. It became clear that the performances of the fair sex could be no less spectacular and profitable than the competitions of men.
Gina Carano and Kelly Kobold
Several times the fight organizers tried to return the famous athlete to the ring, they even set specific dates for the fight, but every time something didn’t work out: either Carano could not pass the medical examination, or she was not given a license. Gina herself explains that she was repeatedly ready to sign a contract with the UFC, but refused to do so for personal reasons.
In 2020, the athlete was expected to fight her rival Ronda Rousey, but the fight never took place due to Carano’s high weight, which she was unable to lose in order to get into the featherweight category.
Fight with Christian Santos
The Strikeforce organization bought the assets of the Proelite institution, and then Gina Carano began performing under the auspices of the Californian promotion. Strikeforce put on a women's competition at the beginning of the evening, the opponents were Gina Carano and the Brazilian athlete Christian Santos ("Cyborg"), a specialist in the technique of Muya Thai, jiu-jitsu. The head said that the fight would be for the title of club champion in lightweight, despite the fact that this category is called “featherweight.”
Gina became the losing side and a technical knockout was used against her. This defeat was the first in MMA. The fight was stopped when the girl had no way to defend herself. Despite the unsuccessful ending, the athlete received a high fee, which amounted to 100 thousand dollars, while Christian received 25 thousand and 5000 for winning.
After an unsuccessful fight, Gina Carano decided to try her hand at acting. There was a long talk about Carano entering the ring, however, it did not take place.
A television
Gina Carano's television career began in 2006, when she took part in the filming of the cult documentary "Ring Girls", which, based on real events, talked about the development of women's Thai boxing in America.
Then she, along with fellow fighter Lisa King, trained unknown participants for the reality show Fighting Girls, and also starred in 2 seasons of the popular show American Gladiators, in which she performed as the Destroyer. In addition to Gina, athletes Hulk Hogan, Leila Ali, Alex Castro and Al Caplon took part in the filming.
Gina Carano (still from the show “Fighting Girls”)
In 2011, in the documentary program “I Am Bruce Lee,” dedicated to the legendary fighter, Gina shared her memories of what this man meant to her and how much his professionalism influenced her own career.
Carano was also invited by the producers of the computer game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 to create the image of one of the fighters - Natasha Volkova, Hero of the Soviet Union, a spectacular Soviet special forces soldier and sniper.
Interesting Facts
Gina Carano is known to fans of computer games. The girl became a model for the game Red Alert 3 as the character Natasha Volkova, a Soviet intelligence officer. The actress became the first winner of the ActionFest Chuck Norris Award, which is awarded to female action stars. Gina spends her free time watching movies. Her favorite films are True Romance, Braveheart, Cry Baby, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Let Me In. Saga". In 2009, Carano posed for the cover of the sports magazine The Body Magazine along with tennis player Serena Williams.
Movies
The athlete’s cinematic biography began in 2009 with her participation in the feature film “Blood and Bone” about street fighters. The character Veretta Vendetta turns out to be one such fighter who wins her fight. The film also stars Michael Jai White, Eamonn Walker, and Shannon Kane.
Gina Carano (still from the movie “Knockout”)
The next time Carano was invited to the set 3 years later, to participate in the thriller “Knockout.” Moreover, the role of Mallory Kane was offered to the girl by the famous director Steven Soderbergh himself, who saw exclusively Carano in the main character.
On the set, the athlete transformed into a former special forces soldier and at the same time a charming brunette who works as an assassin in the US secret intelligence service. One day, having failed the task, Kane realizes that she has now become a victim who is being hunted. The main characters in the film were also played by Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor. Father Kane was played by Bill Paxton.
Gina Carano and Channing Tatum (still from the movie “Knockout”)
In the story, the athlete had to kiss her co-star Channing Tatum. As the performer later recalled, this moment became the most exciting for her, because her lover was played by an actor with a multi-million army of fans. Interestingly, when watching the film with their daughter, Carano’s parents prudently covered their eyes with their hands during this scene so as not to embarrass Gina.
The film was filmed for more than a year, and it was released in 2011. The aspiring actress was praised by film critics, as a result of which Gina was nominated for the Critics Choice Awards, but lost it to Jennifer Lawrence.
Dwayne Johnson and Gina Carano (still from the movie "Fast and Furious 6")
In 2013, Carano's filmography was replenished with work in the 6th film of the American crime action film "The Fast and the Furious", which grossed $800 million at the box office. The film again brought together a star cast, which included Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Gina Carano played the role of the character Riley Hicks.
Most often, directors use the actress in roles where they need to show her fighting skills. But John Stockwell, who directed the 2014 action film Blood Revenge, insisted that he needed from Gina Carano not only her ability to fight perfectly and effectively, but also a deep psychological understanding of the heroine avenging the kidnapping of her husband, as well as the realism of the dramatic situation. At the end of filming, he confirmed that the actress coped with the task perfectly.
Gina Carano (still from the movie "Deadpool")
A year later, the celebrity appeared in the cast of the thriller “Speed.” Bus 657" about the seizure of a regular bus by casino robbers. Gina was lucky enough to work on the same set with Hollywood stars Robert De Niro and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. In the same year, another film with the participation of the athlete was released - the action movie "Salvation", where Bruce Willis became Carano's partner.
In 2020, one of the most anticipated films of the year, Deadpool, was released worldwide, in which Carano took part. In September 2016, the world premiere of the sports show “Kickboxer” took place. Retribution”, in which the main characters were played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dave Bautista and Gina Carano.
Movie
The beauty and athlete, model and Muay Thai martial artist Gina Carano could not be ignored by Hollywood directors. Her full-length debut took place with Steven Soderbergh in the film “Knockout”. Before this, Gina had only one cameo role in the film “Blood and Bone”, where she played Veretta Vendetta, who won a street fight.
After the fight in San Jose, Gina returned to San Diego with a huge black eye. For the first time in her MMA career, she lost and was completely crushed. An agent called her and said that director Steven Soderbergh would like to meet with Gina. To which the girl replied: “Now is not the best moment, one eye is completely black, let’s do it another time.” The agent continued to persuade her, said that there was no need to worry about the bruise and there was no need to go anywhere, Soderbergh was already on his way to her by train from Los Angeles.
Gina had to change her route and go to the train station to meet the director. She met Soderbergh, who appeared in jeans, a cap and black glasses. Together they went to lunch, where they chatted for about four hours. At the end of the conversation, the director asked: “Well, do you want to play the main role in my new film?” To which the girl shouted: “Of course, take me with you, please!”
The world premiere of the film “Knockout” took place in early 2012. Carano played the role of Mallory Kane, a professional mercenary and former special forces soldier. She is beautiful, smart and young, from time to time the chief of an international agency assigns her to carry out secret missions around the world. But after a failed operation, the girl realized that she was only a pawn in someone else’s game. And now she will have to take revenge for the betrayal.
Her partner in the film was the American actor and model Channing Matthew Tatum. He is without any doubt handsome and very sexy in real life. Gina is sure that many girls are jealous of her, because in the plot of the film she kissed Channing. The first time Carano watched the film with her parents, and when this particular scene happened, they all closed their eyes together with their palms. Gina is a rather shy girl in real life.
In 2013, the world premiere of the film Fast and Furious 6, directed by Justin Lin, took place, where Gina played the role of the traitor Riley Hicks.
In 2014, the film “Bloody Revenge” was released, where for the first time director John Stockwell saw in Gina not only a martial arts master, but also a deeply psychological heroine who took revenge on her husband’s kidnappers. After finishing filming, he confirmed that Carano coped well with the tasks assigned and was able to realistically convey the full drama of the situation.
Carano has several more films and successful roles:
- 2015 – “Speed: Bus 657” (the role of a policeman), “Rescue” (CIA operative Victoria);
- 2016 – “Kickboxer” (Marcia), “Deadpool” (mutant Angel Dust), “Sergeant X” (Sergeant);
- 2017 – “Scorched Earth” (Gage).
Despite all her boyish ways, Gina still read romance novels as a teenager, such as Pride and Prejudice. Therefore, she would really like to star in a comedy or romantic melodrama.
Personal life
Gina Carano inextricably links her personal life with her sports life, as she was brought into the ring by her former lover Kevin Ross, who is also a professional Muay Thai fighter.
Embed from Getty Images Gina Carano and Kevin Ross with Mickey Rourke
In addition to Ross, the girl had a romantic relationship with mixed martial arts fighter Keith Cope, who, after the breakup, blackmailed Gina that he would make intimate videos available to the public, but subsequently apologized to his ex-girlfriend.
One of Gina Carano's last partners was British actor Henry Cavill. But the athlete chose her first love over him - in 2015 she resumed her relationship with Ross. There is no talk of marriage or the birth of children yet, but Kevin can rightfully be called Carano’s common-law husband.
Embed from Getty Images Gina Carano and Henry Cavill
Gina is a big fan of strong animals, so her pets are pit bull terriers.
In 2009, Gina Carano was included in the hundred most spectacular women according to Maxim magazine. At the same time, a large article with an interview with the athlete appeared on the pages of the publication, decorated with seductive shots of Gina in a swimsuit and underwear. In 2014, the girl agreed to pose naked for a photo shoot for the American version of the publication, which caused a stir among fans who had long dreamed of seeing the athlete naked.
Gina has her own page on Instagram, where she posts photos with popular fighters and actors such as Fedor Emelianenko, Nick Diaz, Johnny Bones and others. On Carano’s microblog you can see spectacular photographs of her participation in MMA fights.
Gina Carano: height and weight
Gina Carano, whose weight today is 65 kilograms, has more than once found herself in unpleasant situations because of her performance. For example, in one of her last fights she did not fall into her usual weight category due to an extra two kilograms. In order to achieve the required figure and be allowed to compete, she had to take off all her clothes and stand on the scales, covering herself with a towel. As for height, it is 173 cm.
Gina Carano is a great role model. Anyone involved in powerlifting can look up to her. She shows what those who are interested in bodybuilding should be like. And although this area used to look a little different, today the beauty of Gina's body perfectly demonstrates the figure that aspiring bodybuilders strive for.
If you are into fitness, you too can learn something from Gina. Firstly, this is her fortitude and unbending character. These traits are necessary when you are not seeing the results you expected and want to quit the sport. In addition, you can use her training programs, because she does not spend all her time in the ring, but she goes to the gym to maintain her strength and toned figure.
Gina Carano is a star of women's fights! At her fairly young age (32 years old), she has achieved amazing results. She clearly showed that an ordinary girl who decides to lose excess weight can achieve significant heights in sports, and then in other areas of life. The main thing is to get up when you fall! Take her example! Your figure is in your hands! Work without giving up, and you will definitely succeed.
Gina Carano now
The list of Gina Carano's film works grows every year. In 2018, she starred in the science fiction action film Scorched Earth. The main character, played by the actress, is engaged in bounty hunting in a post-apocalyptic world. She has to catch the most dangerous criminal of modern times.
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Gina Carano in 2020
In the space opera based on the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian, Gina Carano reincarnated as the companion of the main character of the series. Her partner was played by Pedro Pascal.
The celebrity also played a major role in the Canadian thriller “The Wolf's Daughter,” in which her heroine has to find the criminals who stole her son. The film was released in 2020. The performer will also try herself in the comedy genre. She appeared in the cast of the film System Madness, where Jason Mewes introduced the main character.
Film and television career
Immediately after the dramatic defeat to the Brazilian, assistant director Steven Soderbergh contacted Carano and invited her to star in the film Knockout. Despite the bruise under her eye that had not yet healed, Gina showed up for the audition and was soon cast in the lead role of special agent Mallory Kane. Carano's partners on the set were Ewan McGregor and Michael Fassbender. The girl was pleased with her debut - in 2013 she was even nominated for the Critics Choice Awards for Best Actress in an Action Film, but lost to Jennifer Lawrence.
“Deadpool”: Gina Carano as Angel Dust Over the following years, Carano starred in a dozen films, including “Fast and Furious 6” (2013) with Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, “Speed 657” (2015) with Robert De Niro, “Kickboxer” (2016) with Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 2020, Gina played a mutant named Angel Dust in the successful Marvel action-comedy film Deadpool, starring Ryan Reynolds.
Gina Carano in the film “Fast and Furious 6” Carano is also a frequent guest on television; she took part in two seasons of the television project “American Gladiators” and acted as a coach in the reality show “Fight Girls”. A documentary film “Girls from the Ring” (2006; Ring Girls) was shot about Gina; photographs of the girl adorn the pages of MAXIM magazine. She became the prototype for the heroine of the popular computer game Red Alert 3, portraying the secret Soviet special agent Natasha Volkova.
Gina became the prototype for the heroine of the popular computer game Red Alert 3
