Who is Olivia Jane Cockburn?

Who is Olivia Jane Cockburn? The World knows her as Olivia Wilde, she is an 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. and The Black Donnellys. She currently portrays Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley in TV drama House.[1]

Wilde was born March 10, 1984 in New York City on March 10, 1984 as. 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".[1] She has wanted to become an actress since the age of two.[1] 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.[1] She initially began working as a casting assistant.

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.

Currently, Wilde is ranked #01 on Maxim magazine's Hot 100. She was also ranked #95 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006.[2] 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.:L

Wilde joined the cast of the FOX medical drama House in autumn 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.'"[3][4]


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".[1] 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.[1]

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."[5]

Olivia Wilde has recently taken the number 1 spot on the 2009 Maxim Hot 100 list. (May, 2009) [6]

Olivia appeared alongside Jack Black and Michael Cera in the 2009 comedy Year One.[7]


Wilde has dual citizenship between the United States and Ireland.[1] She derived her stage name "Wilde" from author Oscar Wilde.

She married Italian-American documentary filmmaker, prince, 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.[8][9][10] Wilde is a vegan.[11]

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.[12] In the fall of 2008, Wilde campaigned with actors Justin Long and Kal Penn for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama.[13]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
2004 The Girl Next Door Kellie
2005 Conversations with Other Women Bridesmaid
2006 Alpha Dog Angela Holden
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas Sarah Witt
Turistas Bea
2007 The Death and Life of Bobby Z Elizabeth
2008 Fix Bella
2009 Year One Princess Inanna
In NorthWood Mia In post-production
2010 Tron Legacy
Filming
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2003 Skin Jewel Goldman Supporting role (2003-2004)
2004 The O.C. Alex Kelly Supporting role (2004-2005)
2007 The Black Donnellys Jenny Reilly Main role (2007)
House Remy "Thirteen" Hadley Main role (2007-present)
Guest appearances
Year Title Role Notes
2003 Cartaz Cultural Herself Guest
2005 Live with Regis and Kathie Lee Herself Guest
Best Week Ever Herself Guest
2006 Punk'd Herself Guest
2008 Speechless Herself Guest
2009 The Ellen Degeneres Show Herself Guest
Entertainment Tonight Herself Guest
The Ballad of G.I. Joe The Baroness Funny or Die
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