Lynn Collins
| Lynn Collins | |
|---|---|
 Collins at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere, April 2009 |
|
| Born | Viola Lynn Collins May 16, 1977 Houston, Texas, United States |
| Education | Juilliard School (B.F.A. 1999) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) | Steven Strait (2008-present) |
Viola Lynn Collins[1][2] (born May 16, 1977)[2][3] is an American actress. She made television appearances in True Blood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and John Carter.
Contents |
Early life and education [edit]
Collins was born in Houston, Texas, and has stated that she is of Scottish, Irish, and Cherokee descent.[4][5] She spent her formative years in Singapore,[1] with "summers in Japan where my parents were getting their fourth and fifth and sixth dan in Shitaru ... Okinawa style Karate".[6] During a childhood Christmas pageant in which she played Mrs. Claus, Collins discovered her love for acting.[1]
She attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 28: 1995–1999)[7] where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[3]
Career [edit]
Collins made her television debut in 1999, in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and went on to star onstage as Ophelia opposite Liev Schreiber in Hamlet, followed by a turn as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.[1] After bit parts that included a stint on the show Haunted and roles in the movies Down with Love, 50 First Dates and 13 Going on 30,[1] she gained notice playing Portia in the film The Merchant of Venice, starring opposite Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons.[1]
She furthered her profile in 2008 when she was cast as Jason Stackhouse's girlfriend Dawn Green in the first season of the HBO vampire series True Blood, and through a featured role as the hero's love interest in the 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman. Her first leading film role came in 2012 when she was cast as the headstrong Martian princess Dejah Thoris in John Carter.
Personal life [edit]
Collins married actor Steven Strait[8] in 2008 after a four-year relationship.[9] Describing herself in 2012 as "a functioning alcoholic" while shooting X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Australia in 2008,[9] Collins credits Strait with helping her recover when "I took it all to hell ... Whatever I was doing, he was the rock, and now there’s two rocks. It's a more equal relationship, but it wasn’t always like that."[9]
Collins was raised in a "very, very religious" family of Southern Baptists, and has since explored several religious faiths, describing herself as a "pretty spiritual person".[5][10]
Filmography [edit]
Film [edit]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Never Get Outta the Boat[citation needed] | Stacy |
| 2003 | Down with Love | Beatnik Girl |
| 2004 | 13 Going on 30 | Wendy |
| 50 First Dates | Linda | |
| The Merchant of Venice | Portia | |
| 2006 | Return to Rajapur[11] | Sara Reardon |
| The Lake House | Mona | |
| The Dog Problem | Lola | |
| Bug | R.C. | |
| 2007 | The Number 23 | Suicide Blonde\Mrs. Dobkins\Young Fingerling's Mother |
| Numb | Sara Harrison | |
| Towelhead | Thena Panos | |
| 2008 | Life in Flight[citation needed] | Kate |
| Uncertainty | Kate | |
| Eavesdrop | Tallulah | |
| 2009 | Blood Creek[citation needed] | Barb |
| X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Kayla Silverfox | |
| 2010 | City Island | Vince's Bombshell Girlfriend |
| 2011 | Angels Crest | Cindy |
| Ten Years | Anna | |
| 2012 | John Carter | Dejah Thoris |
| Unconditional[12] | Samantha Crawford |
Television [edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Virginia Hayes | (1 episode) |
| 2001 | Earth Angels | Catarin | |
| The Education of Max Bickford | (1 episode) | ||
| 2002 | One for the Money | Stephanie Plum | |
| Push, Nevada | BRB's Wife | (1 episode) | |
| Haunted | Assistant D.A. Jessica Manning | (5 episodes) | |
| 2003 | Splitsville' | ||
| 2008 | True Blood | Dawn Green |
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e f "Top 99 Women, 2012 Edition: Lynn Collins". AskMen.com. 2012, n.d. Archived from the original on 11 March 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Collins, Viola Lynn", Texas Birth Index, 1926-1995. One source, AskMen.com, cited above, gives June 1, 1979. Collins, in the Daily Record interview below, refers to May as her birth month.
- ^ a b "Lynn Collins". All Movie Guide via The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2012.
- ^ Ryan, Mike (March 9, 2012). "Lynn Collins, 'John Carter' Star, Cried While Reading the Script (In a Good Way)". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ a b Millar, John (March 4, 2012). "Classic Actress Turns Alien Princess for Out-of-this-World Movie Epic John Carter". Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland). Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
- ^ Busch, Jenna (March 9, 2012). "'John Carter': Lynn Collins on Female Warriors, Actor Slapping". Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ^ "Alumni News". The Juilliard School. May 2008.
- ^ Gelt, Jessica (September 9, 2000). "Supper Club, where dining is a class act". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2011. "Other sun-soaked Hollywood guests included actress Lynn Collins ('True Blood' and 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine') and her husband, actor Steven Strait...."
- ^ a b c Barna, Ben (March 8, 2012). "Lynn Collins is Ready to Blast-Off in the Epic 'John Carter'". BlackBook. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012. "When you're a functioning alcoholic, you can hide it. And I was young enough that it didn't show in my face. But it got to a point where somebody was like, it's not cute anymore, and I was like, Oh God."
- ^ Fanning, Evan. "Down to Earth with the Most Beautiful Woman in the Universe". The Independent (UK). Archived from the original on April 22, 2012.
- ^ Return to Rajapur - IMDB
- ^ http://unconditionalthemovie.com/
External links [edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lynn Collins |
- Lynn Collins at the Internet Movie Database
- Marr, Madeleine (March 7, 2012). "Lynn Collins is 'John Carter's' Warrior Princess". McClatchy Newspapers via The Miami Herald. Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
|
- 1977 births
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Houston, Texas
- American film actresses
- American people of Cherokee descent
- American people of Irish descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Juilliard School alumni
- Living people
- Shakespearean actresses
