Gordon was born in Oxford, to Richard and Susan Gordon in 1980; she had a younger sister, Kate. She went to Oxford High School where she passed nine GCSEs in 1997. She stated in an interview in 1997 that she was continuing her studies for history, biology and French A-levels. She spent some of her childhood in France particularly during the summer holidays, and was bilingual in French and English. She moved to Paris after living in New York for several years. While in the fourth form of Oxford High School she was noticed by a talent-spotter from a modelling agency as she and her mother visited a Clothes Show Live exhibition. She went on to appear as one of the faces of CoverGirl and soon after she moved into acting. She was signed to Select modelling agency in London and had appeared in the covers of Italian Glamour and Elle. Gordon made her film debut in the 2001 as the character Sarah in Perfume. She appeared alongside Heath Ledger in the 2002 film The Four Feathers. She appeared as the reporter Jennifer Dugan in the 2007 film Spider-Man 3. Gordon had played the actress and singer Jane Birkin in a film biopic of singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The film, entitled Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque was presented at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was released in early 2010. Gordon’s father, Richard Gordon said that she had loved playing her latest role in this film about Gainsbourg. The director Joann Sfar and the producers of the film Marc du Pontavice and Didier Lupfer released a statement that the film “owes a lot to the generosity, gentleness and immense talent of Lucy Gordon.” On 20 May 2009, Gordon was found hanging in the Paris flat she shared with cinematographer Jérôme Alméras. A French police official said she appeared to have committed suicide by hanging. She left two suicide notes, one detailing her last wishes regarding her estate, the other a letter for her parents. Her father, Richard Gordon, said a post-mortem examination proved she had died from hanging and that no other marks were found on her body. He said, “There is no question of foul play. Lucy committed suicide.” Gordon wrote her will on 19 May 2009, the day before her death. She split her estate between Alméras, her friends, her parents and her sister.