29 Jan 2014
Cobie Smulders
Jacoba Francisca Maria “Cobie” Smulders[1] (born April 3, 1982)[2] is a Canadian actress and former model, known for her role as Robin Scherbatsky on the television series How I Met Your Mother and Maria Hill in The Avengers.
Early life
Smulders was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and an English mother. She was named after her great-aunt, Jacoba, from whom she gained the nickname “Cobie.”[3]
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.’”[4]
Career
Smulders’ first role was as a guest in the Showtime science-fiction series Jeremiah, and she has appeared in several television series since, including a recurring part in The L Word. On the New York stage, she has performed in Love, Loss, and What I Wore from at least June 10 to June 27, 2010.[5] Her first permanent series role was in the short-livedABC series Veritas: The Quest, and her second was television reporter Robin Scherbatskyon the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Joss Whedon has suggested that he considered her for the role of Wonder Woman in his draft of the (cancelled) eponymous film.[6] Smulders plays Maria Hill in Whedon’s 2012 film The Avengers[7] and will reprise the role in the Russo brothers’ 2014 film Captain America: The Winter Soldier.[8]
Personal life
Smulders and American actor Taran Killam became engaged in January 2009.[9] They married on September 8, 2012 in Solvang, California.[10] The couple has a daughter, Shaelyn Cado Killam, born in 2009.[11]
Smulders resides in Los Angeles, California.[12]
Filmography
Film and television
| YEAR | TITLE | ROLE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Special Unit 2 | Zoe | TV series (1 episode: “The Wish”) |
| 2002 | Jeremiah | Deborah | TV series (1 episode: “Thieves’ Honor”) |
| 2003 | Tru Calling | Sarah Webb | TV series (2 episode: “Brother’s Keeper”) |
| 2003 | Veritas: The Quest | Juliet Droil | TV series (13 episodes) |
| 2004 | Smallville | Shannon Bell | TV series (1 episode: “Bound”) |
| 2004 | Walking Tall | Eye candy | |
| 2005 | The Long Weekend | Ellen | |
| 2005 | The L Word | Leigh Ostin | TV series (4 episodes) |
| 2005 | Andromeda | Rhade’s wife | TV series (2 episodes) |
| 2005 – Present | How I Met Your Mother | Robin Scherbatsky | TV series (173 episodes) |
| 2009 | The Slammin’ Salmon | Tara | |
| 2010 | How to Make It in America | Hayley | TV series (season 1 episode 1) |
| 2012 | The Avengers | Maria Hill | |
| 2012 | Grassroots | Clair | |
| 2013 | Safe Haven | Jo | Completed |
| 2013 | The Delivery Man [13] | Girlfriend of Vince Vaughn’s character | Filming |
| 2014 | They Came Together[14] | Girlfriend of Paul Rudd’s character | Completed |
| 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Maria Hill |
