Thursday, 15 September 2011

Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde, born Olivia Jane Cockburn; March 10, 1984 is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrays Dr. Remy "13" Hadley in the TV drama House,and in 2010 starred as Quorra in Tron: Legacy.




Early life and education


Wilde was born in New York City on March 10, 1984. Her mother, Leslie Cockburn (née Redlich), is a 60 Minutes producer and journalist. Her father, Andrew Cockburn, who was born in London, England, and raised in Ireland, is a journalist, as are her uncles Alexander Cockburn and Patrick Cockburn. Her older sister, Chloe Cockburn, is a civil rights attorney in New York; her late aunt, Sarah Caudwell, was a writer, and her paternal grandfather, Claud Cockburn, was a novelist/journalist.
Wilde has said that as a result of her family background, she has a "strong journalistic streak", being "really critical and analytical". Both her parents were prominent in the Washington social scene, hosting dinner parties. Her mother once recounted a story of a young Wilde eavesdropping one night on a conversation between Richard Holbrooke and Mick Jagger until Jagger noticed her and shooed her to bed. She has wanted to become an actress since the age of two. For a short time, Wilde's family had a house in Guilford, Vermont. She attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., as well as Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 2002. She also attended The Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland for a short time.




Career


Wilde has appeared in the films The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, Conversations with Other Women and Turistas. She became known for her role on The O.C. as Alex Kelly, although she originally auditioned for the role of Marissa Cooper. She has also appeared in the Dashboard Confessional music video for "Stolen", and the French Kicks music video for "So Far We Are". She was strongly considered to play Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 21st Bond film Casino Royale but Eva Green eventually won the role. In 2008, Wilde was honored alongside Jesse Eisenberg with the Vail Film Festival Rising Star Award.
In 2009 Wilde was ranked No.1 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100. It was an honor which was included as an inside joke during the House episode "The Tyrant", where House, upon hearing about Foreman's recent firing of Wilde's character, sarcastically teased, "My condolences. Although, it's not like she's the hottest woman in the world." She was also ranked No.95 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006. She was one of the key models in Abercrombie & Fitch's "Rising Stars" campaign in summer of 2004.
In 2007, Wilde was a part of the ensemble cast of the short-lived NBC mid-season drama The Black Donnellys. Her character, Jenny Reilly, was the lone principal female character in the series following the lives of an Irish-American family tied to organized crime in New York City. Also in 2007, Wilde appeared in the play Beauty on the Vine, a political thriller, playing three different characters.
Wilde joined the cast of the Fox medical drama House starring Hugh Laurie in Setember 2007, playing a secretive young intern Dr. Remy Hadley, nicknamed Thirteen, who was handpicked by Dr. Gregory House out of a number of applicants to join his team. Wilde told Star magazine how she sometimes takes cues from her character even when she's not working, saying, "I'm now convinced that I'm a doctor. I mean, if someone says they have a pain, I'm like, 'Well, that's your spleen.'"
The New York Observer has described Wilde as having a "throaty voice" and the "wide, teal-eyed charisma of Hollywood in the days of yore". She has cited Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener and Robin Wright Penn as acting inspirations.
She played Quorra in Disney's Tron: Legacy, which opened on December 17, 2010. In the December 2010/January 2011 issue of "Details"[9] Wilde was quoted as saying she freaked out the first time she saw her costume for the movie, "I saw the boobs on the suit and I said, 'Oh hell no. I'm doing kicks and backflips in this thing?'" In January 2011, it was announced that Wilde was cast alongside Chris Pine in the upcoming film Welcome to People.
She played Ella Swenson in the thriller Cowboys & Aliens. Her character works with Jake Lonergan, (Daniel Craig), and Woodrow Dolarhyde, (Harrison Ford), to save their town from evil aliens.
She played Sabrina McArdle in the movie The Change-Up. Her character is the girlfriend of Mitch Planko, who was played by Ryan Reynolds.




Personal life


Wilde has dual citizenship in the United States and Ireland. She derived her stage name "Wilde" from Irish author Oscar Wilde. She changed her surname while in high school, to honour the writers in her family, many of whom used pen names. She is a vegan.
Wilde married Italian-American documentary filmmaker, flamenco guitar player, and son of an Italian prince, Tao Ruspoli, on June 7, 2003, in Washington, Virginia, on a school bus with only a pair of witnesses, when she was nineteen years old. She later said the marriage occurred in an abandoned school bus; it was the only place they could be completely alone, as the marriage was a secret at the time. On February 8, 2011, she and her husband announced that they were separating. Wilde has filed for divorce in Los Angeles County Superior Court citing "irreconcilable differences."
[edit]Political activism
Wilde is a board member of Artists for Peace and Justice, which provides education and health services in Haiti, and the ACLU of Southern California. Previously, Wilde was a supporter of the youth voter organization, 18 in '08. She serves on their advisory council and appeared in a public service announcement that debuted June 30, 2008. In 2008, Wilde campaigned with actors Justin Long and her former House castmate Kal Penn for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
She also appeared in the Moveon.org mock-PSA "supporting" the right of the healthcare insurance industry.
Wilde was commended by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworkers' union, for supporting the Fair Foods campaign.




Filmography


Film
2004 The Girl Next Door Kellie
2005 Conversations with Other Women Bridesmaid
2006 Alpha Dog Angela Holden
2006 Camjackers Sista Strada Cast
2006 Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas Sarah Witt
2006 Turistas Bea
2007 The Death and Life of Bobby Z Elizabeth
2008 Fix Bella
2009 Year One Princess Inanna
2009 The Ballad of G.I. Joe The Baroness Video short
2010 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Madonna Video short
2010 The Next Three Days Nicole
2010 Tron: Legacy Quorra
2011 Cowboys & Aliens Ella
2011 The Change-Up Sabrina McArdle
2011 In Time Rachel Salas Post-production
2011 Butter Brooke Post-production
2011 On the Inside Mia Conlon Post-production
2012 Blackbird Liza Post-production
2012 Welcome to People Hannah Completed
2013 The Words Post-production
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2003-2004 Skin Jewel Goldman Main role
2004-2005 The O.C. Alex Kelly Supporting role
2007 The Black Donnellys Jenny Reilly Main role
2007-present House Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley Series regular
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress – Drama
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star Female

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