American actress
Not to be confused with the soul singer Lyn Collins.
Lynn Collins | |
|---|---|
Collins at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere, April | |
| Born | Viola Lynn Collins () May 16, (age&#;47) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years&#;active | –present |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 1 |
Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, ) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in True Blood (), Manhunt: Unabomber () and The Walking Dead (–), and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine () and John Carter ().
Viola Lynn Collins was born in College Station, Texas,[1] on May 16, [2] Collins has claimed English, Scottish, Irish, and Cherokee ancestry.[3][4] Collins grew up in Houston, Texas, and lived in Singapore from ages 4 to [5][6] She also spent several summers in Japan.[7] During a childhood Christmas pageant in which she played Mrs. Claus, Collins discovered her love for acting.[8][better&#;source&#;needed]
She attended Singapore American School and Klein High School in Texas.[citation needed] She moved to New York City at the age of 17 to enroll at Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 28: –), where she graduated in [9] with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[1]
Collins made her television debut in , 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.[8][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,[8][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,[8][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.[10][11]
She furthered her profile in 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 X-Men Origins: Wolverine opposite Hugh Jackman. Her first leading film role came in when she was cast as the headstrong Martian princess Dejah Thoris in John Carter.[12][13]
Collins married Steven Strait on December 23, ,[14] after a four-year relationship.[6] Collins and Strait separated in [15][citation needed]
She married Matthew Boyle in November They divorced in They have a son.[15][citation needed]
In , she posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine.[16]
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."[3][17]