Cobie Smulders

Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders[1][2] (born April 3, 1982)[3][4] is a Canadian actress and model. She is best known for her roles as Robin Scherbatsky on the television series How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Acting career 3 Charitable endeavours 4 Personal life 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 5.3 Theatre 6 Awards and nominations 7 References 8 External links

Early life
Smulders was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. She was named after her great-aunt, from whom she gained the nickname "Cobie".[5] Smulders describes herself as "a fluent listener" of French.[6]

Smulders worked in modeling, which she later said she "kind of hated", adding that the experience made her hesitant about pursuing acting as a career: "You know you go into these rooms, and I've had the experience of people judging you physically for so long and I was over that. But then it was like, 'Oh no, I have to actually perform. I have to do well, and I have to have a voice, and I have to have thoughts now.'"[7]

As a youth, Smulders aspired to be a marine biologist.[6] Describing her transition to her eventual professions, she said,

I studied acting throughout high school, then modeling took over because it brought more opportunity. When I quit modeling, coming back to Vancouver, I registered at the University of Victoria. At the same time, that summer, I was taking acting classes and decided to give that a year or two instead of going back to school. I always wanted to go back to school. I was looking into taking some classes part-time, but marine biology involves a lot of lab time.[6]

Acting career
Smulders at the CBS Comedies Premiere Party in September 2008 Smulders' first acting role was as a guest in the Showtime science fiction series Jeremiah, and she has appeared in several television series since, including a recurring role on The L Word. Her first permanent series role was in the short-lived ABC series Veritas: The Quest, which ran for one season. After the cancellation of Veritas, Smulders was cast as television reporter Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2005, remaining on the show for its entire nine-season run.

In June 2010, Smulders made her Off-Broadway debut in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at The Westside Theatre.[8]

Smulders played Maria Hill in the 2012 film The Avengers. She received training from a Los Angeles SWAT team trainer to handle guns in order to portray the character.[9] Smulders reprised the role in two episodes of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[10] and in the films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).[11][12] Joss Whedon has suggested he had considered her for the role of Wonder Woman in his draft of the eponymous film, which did not go into production.[13] Smulders did voice a Lego version of Wonder Woman in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie. It was the first time the Wonder Woman character had a theatrical film appearance.[14]

In 2013, Smulders had a supporting role in the romance film Safe Haven. She also starred in the comedy-drama Delivery Man and They Came Together.[15] In July 2015, it was reported that Smulders had exited the made-for-TV film Confirmation because she had broken her leg; Zoe Lister-Jones was then confirmed to replace her in the role of Harriet Grant.[16]

Charitable endeavours
She filmed a PSA with Oceana, an international ocean conservation organization, in 2014.[17][18]

Personal life
Smulders and American actor and comedian Taran Killam became engaged in January 2009.[19] They married on September 8, 2012, in Solvang, California.[20] The couple reside in New York City, New York.[21] They have two daughters; their first, Shaelyn, was born May 16, 2009,[22] and their second, whose name has not been revealed, was born in January 2015.[23][24][25]

In 2007, Smulders revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25, while shooting season three of How I Met Your Mother. She had surgery to remove two tumors from her ovaries, but the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, resulting in the need for multiple surgeries over the course of two years.[26][27]

Filmography
Smulders at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International Film

Year

Title

Role

Notes

2004 Walking Tall Eye candy 2004 Ill Fated[28] Mary 2005 The Long Weekend Ellen 2006 Escape[citation needed] Psychotic brunette Short film 2006 Dr. Miracles[29] Mrs. Peterson Short film 2007 28 Weeks Later[30] Martina 2007 The Storm Awaits[31] Anabella DeLorenzo Short film 2009 The Slammin' Salmon Tara 2012 The Avengers Maria Hill 2012 Grassroots Clair 2013 Safe Haven Carly Jo Wheatley 2013 Delivery Man Emma 2014 The Lego Movie Wonder Woman Voice 2014 They Came Together Tiffany 2014 Captain America: The Winter Soldier Maria Hill 2015 Unexpected[32] Samantha Abbot 2015 Results Kat 2015 Avengers: Age of Ultron Maria Hill 2016 The Intervention Ruby 2016 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Major Susan Turner Post-Production

Television

Year

Title

Role

Notes

2002 Special Unit 2 Zoe Episode: "The Wish" 2002 Jeremiah Deborah Episode: "Thieves' Honor" 2003 Tru Calling Sarah Webb Episode: "Brother's Keeper" 2003–2004 Veritas: The Quest Juliet Droil 13 episodes 2004 Smallville Shannon Bell/Eve Andrews Episode: "Bound" 2005 Andromeda Jillian Rhade 2 episodes 2005 The L Word Leigh Ostin 4 episodes 2005–2014 How I Met Your Mother Robin Scherbatsky 208 episodes 2010 How to Make It in America Hayley Episode: "Pilot" 2013–2015 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill 3 episodes 2013 Comedy Bang! Bang! Herself Episode: "Cobie Smulders Wears a Black & White Strapless Dress" 2016 Animals. Anni (voice) Episode: "Flies."

Theatre

Year

Title

Role

Notes

2010 Love, Loss, and What I Wore Principal character June 10, 2010 – June 26, 2010 Westside Theatre

Awards and nominations
Year

Award

Category

Work

Result

2013 EWwy Award Best Supporting Actress – Comedy How I Met Your Mother Won 2014 People's Choice Award Favorite TV Gal Pals (shared with Alyson Hannigan) Nominated