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American actress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in True Blood (2008), Manhunt: Unabomber (2017) and The Walking Dead (2021–2022), and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and John Carter (2012).
Lynn Collins | |
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![]() Collins at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere, April 2009 | |
Born | Viola Lynn Collins May 16, 1977[citation needed] Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1999–present |
Spouses |
|
Children | 1 |
Viola Lynn Collins was born in College Station, Texas,[1] reported variously in May or June 1977.[1][2][3] Collins is said to have come from Houston, Texas.[citation needed] She has English, Scottish and Irish ancestry but has also claimed Cherokee ancestry.[2][4] She spent her formative years in Singapore,[5] 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.[7][better source needed]
She attended Singapore American School and Klein High School in Texas.[citation needed] She graduated from the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 28: 1995–1999)[8] with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[1]
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.[7][better source needed] 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,[7][better source needed] she gained notice in the film The Merchant of Venice as the female lead Portia, alongside Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons,[7][better source needed] Collins' audition tape for the supporting role of Jessica having so impressed director Michael Radford that—upon Cate Blanchett's opting out as Portia (due to pregnancy)—Radford had championed Collins becoming Blanchett's replacement.[9][10]
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 Kayla Silverfox 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.[11][12]
Collins married Steven Strait on December 23, 2007,[13] after a four-year relationship.[5] Collins and Strait separated in 2013.[14][citation needed]
She married Matthew Boyle in November 2014. They divorced in 2016. They have a son.[14][citation needed]
In 2009, she posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine.[15]
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."[2][16]
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (March 2022) |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Never Get Outta the Boat | Stacy | [citation needed] |
2003 | Down with Love | Beatnik Girl | |
2004 | 50 First Dates | Linda | |
13 Going on 30 | Wendy | ||
The Merchant of Venice | Portia | ||
2006 | Return to Rajapur | Sara Reardon | |
Bug | R.C. | ||
The Lake House | Mona | ||
The Dog Problem | Lola | ||
2007 | The Number 23 | Suicide Blonde/Mrs. Dobkins/Young Fingerling's Mother | |
Numb | Sara Harrison | ||
Towelhead | Thena Panos | ||
2008 | Life in Flight | Kate Voss | |
Uncertainty | Kate Montero | ||
2009 | Blood Creek | Barb | [citation needed] |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Kayla Silverfox | ||
2010 | City Island | Vince's Bombshell Girlfriend | |
2011 | Angels Crest | Cindy | |
10 Years | Anna | ||
2012 | John Carter | Dejah Thoris | |
Unconditional | Samantha Crawford | ||
2013 | The Wolverine | Kayla Silverfox | Archival Audio (uncredited) |
2015 | Lost in the Sun | Mary | |
2016 | The Hollow Point | Marla | |
2019 | Rim of the World | Major Collins | |
2020 | Beneath Us | Liz Rhodes | |
2024 | Someone Like You | Louise Quinn |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Virginia Hayes | 1 episode |
2001 | Earth Angels | Catarin | Television movie |
2001 | The Education of Max Bickford | 1 episode | |
2002 | Push, Nevada | BRB's Wife | 1 episode |
2002 | Haunted | Assistant D.A. Jessica Manning | 5 episodes |
2008 | True Blood | Dawn Green | Series regular (6 episodes) |
2013 | Elementary | Tanya Barrett | 1 episode |
2014 | Covert Affairs | Olga Akarova | 3 episodes |
2015 | A Mother Betrayed | Monica | Television movie |
2017 | Manhunt: Unabomber | Natalie Rogers | 7 episodes |
2019 | The Fix | Dr. Carys Daly | 2 episodes |
2020 | Bosch | Alicia Kent | 8 episodes |
2021–2022 | The Walking Dead | Leah Shaw | 10 episodes |
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 9th Golden Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Musical or Comedy | The Merchant of Venice | Nominated |
2009 | 11th Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Fresh Face – Female | X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Nominated |
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