Olivia Wilde Bio

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Olivia Wilde Pictures

Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn (pronounced /ˈkoʊbɚn/, "co-burn"); 10 March 1984) is an Irish-American actress. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles on the series The O.C., The Black Donnellys, and House.

Olivia Wilde: Biography

Olivia Wilde - Early life

Wilde was born in New York City on March 10, 1984 as Olivia Jane Cockburn. Her mother, Leslie Cockburn (née Corkhill Redlich), is a 60 Minutes producer and journalist, and her father, Andrew Cockburn, is an Irish journalist, as are her paternal uncles Alexander and Patrick, all of whom are contributors to the political website CounterPunch.org. Her half-aunt was the late writer Sarah Caudwell. Her paternal grandfather was the Irish-born novelist/journalist Claud Cockburn. Wilde has said that as a result of her family background, she has a "strong journalistic streak", being "really critical and analytical". She has wanted to become an actress since the age of two. For a short time, Olivia's family had a house in Guilford, Vermont, USA. Wilde attended Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., as well as Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and subsequently moved to Dublin, Ireland, where she attended The Gaiety School of Acting. She initially began working as a casting assistant.

Olivia Wilde - 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. 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; Eva Green eventually won the role.

In 2005, Wilde was ranked #61 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100. She was also ranked #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 midseason 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 in fall 2007, playing a young doctor, Dr. Remy Hadley, nicknamed Thirteen, who works closely with Dr. House. 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, and also admires playwright Eve Ensler and director and actor Woody Allen.

She won the 2006 US Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actress for Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas (2006) and in 2008 at the Teen Choice Awards she was nominated for the Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Star Female for House M.D. and won the Rising Star Award at the Vail Film Festival.

On October 7, 2008, Olivia appeared in a video on funnyordie.com showing how much she enjoys registering early for the 2008 Presidential election, titled "Olivia Wilde Does It Early."

Olivia Wilde has recently taken the number 1 spot on the 2009 Maxim Hot 100 list. (May, 2009)

Olivia Wilde - Personal life

Wilde in 2005, picture taken by her husband Tao Ruspoli.

Wilde has dual citizenship between the United States and Ireland. She derived her stage name "Wilde" from author Oscar Wilde.

She married Italian-American documentary filmmaker, photographer and flamenco guitar player Tao Ruspoli on June 7, 2003, in Washington, Rappahannock County, Virginia. They currently live and work in Venice, Los Angeles, California. Wilde is a vegan.

Olivia Wilde: 2008 United States election

Wilde is a supporter of 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 the fall of 2008, Wilde campaigned with House co-star Kal Penn and actor Justin Long for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. Penn now works with the White House in a youth outreach program.