American actress Olivia Wilde was born on March 10, 1984 in New York City. Born into a family of writers and journalist, she would later describe herself as having a “strong journalistic streak,” although she aspired to become an actress since she was two years old. Her family later moved to Dublin, Ireland, where she entered The Gaiety School of Acting. She initially worked as a casting assistant before she started acting, debuting on the short-lived drama Skin in 2003. She played one of the major characters: Jewel, the daughter of a !$#!#graphy magnate (Ron Silver). Despite intensive promotion, the series got bad reviews and low ratings, and was cancelled after three episodes.
Wilde became more known to audiences when she joined the cast of The OC. She got a recurring role as Alex Kelly, a bisexual who dated both Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) and Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). She appeared in 13 episodes between 2004 and 2005. Her next major television role was in the ensemble drama The Black Donnellys, where she was the only principal female character; she played the role of Jenny Reilly, the childhood friend of the Donnelly boys, and has a strained relationship with the second, Tommy (Jonathan Tucker). The series was dropped after six episodes, due to low ratings.
Her most recent television role was in the medical drama House, which she entered in its fourth season. She played the role of “Thirteen,” one of the aspiring applicants for Gregory House’s (Hugh Laurie) new diagnostic team. She eventually becomes part of the new team, along with Chris Taub (Peter Jacobson) and Lawrence Kutner (Kal Penn), and is known for the many mysteries surrounding her character, including her real name.
Wilde has also appeared in several films, the first being the 2004 romantic comedy The Girl Next Door. Her other films include Alpha Dog, Conversations with Other Women, Turistas and The Death and Life of Bobby Z.
Born on March 10, 1984 in New York as Olivia Jane !$#!#burn, actress Olivia Wilde belonged to a family of journalists and media personalities. At a very young age, she aspired to become an actress, and was later educated at The Gaiety School of Acting. She began working as a casting assistant and later ventured into acting.
Wilde's film projects include The Girl Next Door, Alpha Dog, Conversations with Other Women and Turistas. She also worked on the television series, The O.C., where she played the recurring role of the bisexual Alex Kelly. She also appeared in the Dashboard Confessional music video titled "Stolen." In 2005, she landed the 61st spot on Maxim magazine's Hot 100. A year later, she ranked #95 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006.
In 2007, Wilde became part of the cast of the short-lived NBC midseason drama entitled The Black Donnellys as Jenny Reilly. In the same year, as he was cast in the FOX medical drama, House as a young doctor called Thirteen.
In talking about her character in The Black Donnellys, Wilde said in an interview with The Sci Fi World, "I found it fascinating that so many difficult things - so many painful things that happened during her life, and yet she didn’t feel sorry for herself, didn’t tell a soft story about her, you know, difficult childhood, she was very strong and resilient and I think that’s what I try to take and put into Jenny. I think it is a matter of survival, I think that’s what they ask to do in order to keep going in that world. I think especially the women, have to remain incredibly strong kind of turn the other cheek pretend they’re not seeing a lot of what’s going on and yet, keep everything going and nurturing and so I think that’s what’s so great about Kate’s character, is that she sort or coaching Jenny in the ways of being a woman in this neighborhood and what Jenny’s going to have to deal with in the future, even though she’s grown up as one as one of the boys, now she’s going to have to start covering for them."
She later became a series regular on House, but continued to work on other projects as well. In 2006, she won the US Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress because of her work in Bickford Shmeckler’s Cool Ideas. In 2008, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and also took home the Rising Star Award at the Vail Film Festival.
(Photo courtesy of FOX)
Is a natural blonde
Says her first crush was George Clooney.
Daughter-in-law of Debra Berger.
Daughter-in-law of Dado Ruspoli.
Sister-in-law of Bartolomeo Ruspoli.
Her mother is a 60 Minutes producer and journalist.
Is a supporter of youth voter organization, 18 in '08.
Campaigned with House MD co-star Kal Penn and actor Justin Long for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Her father Andrew, and uncles Alexander and Patrick are journalists.
Granddaughter of James Helvick.
Supports USA Democratic Presidential Nominee, Barrack Obama
Has dual citizenship of USA and Ireland
Has a dog named Paco who, as of July 26, 2006, is the new mascot for Old Navy
At the age of sixteen, she ate 33 pancakes in 20 minutes for a food eating contest!
Ranked Number 1 on Maxim's 2009 Hot 100 List!
Won Best Actress at HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, 2006 for her role in Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas (2006).
Vail Film Festival Female Rising Star Award
US Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award
2011: The Next Three Days
2011: Tr2on
2009: The Year One - Princess Inanna
2009: In Norwood - Mia
2008: Fix - Bella
2007- Present: House, MD - Dr Remy "Thirteen" Hadley
2007: The Life And Death of Bobby Z - Elizabeth
2007: The Black Donnellys - Jenny Reilly
2006: Alpha Dog - Angela Holden
2006: Camjackers - Sista Strada Cast
2006: Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas - Sarah Witt
Turistas (Bea)
2005: Conversations With Other Women - Bridesmaid)
2004-05: The O.C - Alex Kelly
2004: The Girl Next Door -Kellie
2003: Skin - Jewel Goldman
.(In the interview Wilde at Heart to Sara Vilkomerson to The New York Observer on April 15 2007) When people saw "The Black Donnellys" (2007), they didn't know it was the same girl from "The O.C." (2003). I'm a natural blonde, but I feel like a brunette. I feel like people treat me now how I should be treated. People used to be shocked, when I was blond, that I wasn't stupid. I used to get these comments that I swear people thought were compliments. Like, 'Oh! You're smart!' - like they couldn't believe it.
(on her role as Alex in "The O.C.") I had no idea how many people it would reach and how many lives it would touch. I still get letters from young women around the world saying that I help them accept themselves and how they're different from their peers and whether it's, you know, their sexuality or just because they feel like an outsider much like my character"