Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders-Killam (née Smulders; born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian-American actress. She is best known for her roles as Robin Scherbatsky on the television series How I Met Your Mother (2005â€"14) and Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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".
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.'"
Smulders aspired to be a marine biologist. After quitting modeling, she registered to study marine biology at the University of Victoria. During the summer, she took acting classes and studied Shakespeare at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Acting career
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 in 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.
Smulders landed the role of 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 role. Smulders reprised the role in two episodes of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014 and is set to do so again in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015. 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. Smulders did voice a Lego version of Wonder Woman in the 2014 animated film The Lego Movie. It was the first time her character had a theatrical film appearance.
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.
Personal life
Smulders and American actor Taran Killam became engaged in January 2009. They married on September 8, 2012, in Solvang, California. The couple reside in Los Angeles, California. They have one daughter, Shaelyn (born 2009). In October 2014, her representative announced that Smulders is expecting her second child.
Smulders speaks fluent French. She filmed a PSA with Oceana, an international ocean conservation organization, in 2014.
Filmography
Film
Television
Theatre
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- Cobie Smulders at the Internet Movie Database
- Cobie Smulders Bio at CBS â€" How I Met Your Mother
- Cobie Smulders on Twitter
