Cobie Smulders
Jacoba Francisca Maria Smulders[1] (born April 3, 1982)[2] is a Canadian-American[3] actress. She is best known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), as well as several guest appearances on ABC's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Cobie Smulders | |
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![]() Smulders in 2019 | |
Born | Jacoba Francisca Maria Smulders April 3, 1982 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Citizenship | Canada USA |
Education | Lord Byng Secondary School |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2002–present |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2 |
Smulders' other film roles include Safe Haven (2013), They Came Together (2014), Results (2015), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). She starred as Dex Parios in the ABC crime drama series Stumptown (2019).
Early life and education
Smulders was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch father and a British mother. She was raised in White Rock, British Columbia and later moved to the affluent West Point Grey neighborhood to attend high school at Lord Byng Secondary School. She was named after her great-aunt, from whom she gained the nickname "Cobie".[4] Smulders describes herself as "a fluent listener" of French.[5] She has four sisters.[6] Smulders was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada as a child, participating as a Brownie (Girl Guide program for 7-10 year olds).[7]
Smulders worked in modelling, 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.'"[8]
In her youth, Smulders aspired to be a marine biologist.[5] She took an interest in theatre throughout high school and briefly studied at the University of Victoria before returning to acting."[5]
Career

Smulders' first acting role was as a guest in the Showtime science fiction series Jeremiah; she subsequently made multiple appearances on television, including a recurring role on The L Word. Her first role as a series regular 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. The show continued for nine seasons, winning 10 Emmy Awards.[9] In June 2010, Smulders made her off-Broadway debut in Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre.[10]
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.[11] Smulders has since reprised the role in three episodes of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,[12] and in the films Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).[13][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] 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.[16] 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.[17]
In 2016, she appeared in the comedy-drama The Intervention and the action adventure film Jack Reacher: Never Go Back opposite Tom Cruise. In 2017, she played the recurring character "Mother" in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events.[18] From 2017 to 2019, she starred in the Netflix original series, Friends from College, in the main role of Lisa Turner.[19] She currently stars as Dexedrine "Dex" Parios, a PTSD-stricken military veteran turned private detective, in the ABC crime drama Stumptown, which premiered on September 25, 2019.[20]
Personal life
Smulders became engaged to Taran Killam in January 2009 after meeting him at a mutual friend's party four years prior.[21] They married on September 8, 2012, in Solvang, California.[22] The couple resides in Pacific Palisades, California.[23] They have two daughters: the first born in May 2009,[24] and the second born in January 2015.[25][26]
In 2015, Smulders revealed she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 25, while shooting season three of How I Met Your Mother in 2007. 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 operations over the course of two years.[27][28] In August 2019, Smulders revealed she is in remission.[29]
Charity work
Smulders filmed a public service announcement with Oceana, an international ocean-conservation organization, in 2014.[30][31] In May 2020, she released a clip parodying "Let's Go to the Mall", a song her character performed on How I Met Your Mother, entitled "Let's All Stay At Home", to encourage the public to enforce COVID-19 lockdowns. Smulders also encouraged fans to donate to Save the Children, Canada Helps, and the Daily Bread Food Bank amidst the pandemic.[32]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Walking Tall | Exotic Beauty | |
2004 | Ill Fated | Mary | [33] |
2005 | The Long Weekend | Ellen | |
2006 | Escape | Psychotic Brunette | Short film |
2006 | Dr. Miracles | Mrs. Peterson | Short film[34] |
2007 | The Storm Awaits | Anabella DeLorenzo | Short film[35] |
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 Amber Thigpen | |
2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Maria Hill | |
2015 | Unexpected | Samantha Abbot | [36] |
2015 | Results | Kat | |
2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Maria Hill | |
2016 | The Intervention | Ruby | |
2016 | Jack Reacher: Never Go Back | Major Susan Turner | |
2017 | Literally, Right Before Aaron | Allison | |
2017 | Killing Gunther | Lisa McCalla | |
2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Maria Hill | Uncredited cameo; post-credits scene |
2018 | Alright Now | Joanne Skye | |
2019 | The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part | Wonder Woman (voice) | |
2019 | Avengers: Endgame | Maria Hill | Cameo |
2019 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Maria Hill |
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 | Veritas: The Quest | Juliet Droil | Main role; 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 | Lead role; 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" |
2015 | Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris | Herself | Episode: "Tyler Perry" |
2016 | Animals. | Anni (voice) | Episode: "Flies." |
2017 | A Series of Unfortunate Events | Mother / Mrs. Quagmire | Recurring role; 8 episodes |
2017 | Nature Cat | Nature Dog (voice) | Episode: "Ocean Commotion" |
2017–2019 | Friends from College | Lisa Turner | Main role; 16 episodes |
2019 | Arrested Development | Young Lucille Bluth | 3 episodes[37] |
2019–2020 | Stumptown | Dexadrine "Dex" Parios | Lead role; 18 episodes |
2019 | Room 104 | Marian Wallace | Episode: "The Specimen Collector" |
2020 | The Simpsons | Hydrangea (voice) | Episode: "Bart the Bad Guy" |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | Principal character | June 10, 2010 – June 26, 2010 Westside Theatre |
2017 | Present Laughter | Joanna Lyppiatt | April 5, 2017 – July 2, 2017 St. James 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 | |
2017 | Theatre World Award | Present Laughter | Honoree | |
2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Superhero Series | Stumptown | Nominated |
References
- "Cobie Smulders on life after "How I Met Your Mother"". CBS News. March 30, 2014. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- "UPI Almanac for Wednesday, April 3, 2019". United Press International. April 3, 2019. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
actor Cobie Smulders in 1982 (age 37)
- Smulders, Cobie [@CobieSmulders] (September 17, 2020). "My 1st time voting in the US" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020 – via Twitter.
- "Cobie Smulders on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson". YouTube. April 24, 2017. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
- Johnson, Brian D. (November 16, 2013). "'It's always in my back pocket': Cobie Smulders on Canadian identity". Maclean's. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- Billy Eichner & Cobie Smulders Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions. Wired. Event occurs at 10:16. Retrieved January 29, 2019 – via YouTube.
- "Cobie Smulders (@cobiesmulders) on Instagram".
- Zuo, Mila (September 1, 2009). "The Elusive Charm of Cobie Smulders". Venus Zine. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
- "How I Met Your Mother". Emmys. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- Wieselman, Jarett (June 10, 2010). "'Love, Loss' and two lovely ladies". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 18, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- Sacks, Ethan (April 29, 2012). "'The Avengers': Scarlett Johansson & Cobie Smulders are superwomen of the screen". Daily News. New York City. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
- Goldberg, Lesley (July 19, 2013). "Cobie Smulders' Comic-Con Reveal: Secret 'Agents of SHIELD' Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- Graser, Marc (October 29, 2012). "Frank Grillo to play Crossbones in 'Captain America' sequel". Variety. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
- Thompson, Bob (November 7, 2013). "Vancouver's Cobie Smulders is on a roll (with video)". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
- "Cobie Smulders Joins the 'Starbuck' Family". NextMovie. August 27, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- "The LEGO Movie review". Retrieved March 24, 2018.
- Petski, Denise (July 9, 2015). "Zoe Lister-Jones Joins HBO Movie 'Confirmation' In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood.
- "Who Do Will Arnett & Cobie Smulders Play In 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events'? Not Everything Is As It Seems". Bustle. January 14, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- Jackson, Dory (January 12, 2019). "Cobie Smulders spills on 'Friends From College' Season 2 and whether fans should like the characters". Newsweek. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Lawrence, Derek (September 17, 2019). "'Stumptown' is ready to bring you a type of character that 'didn't exist on television'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Alexander, Reagan (January 28, 2009). "HIMYM's Cobie Smulders Flashes Her New Engagement Ring". People. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
- ""SNL's" Taran Killam Marries "How I Met Your Mother's" Cobie Smulders — Exclusive". RumorFix. September 8, 2012. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
- "Cobie Smulders buys Pacific Palisades home for $5.6M". The Real Deal. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
- León, Anya (July 3, 2009). "It's a Girl for Cobie Smulders". People. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
The How I Met Your Mother actress welcomed Shaelyn Cado in May.
- "Taran Killam and Cobie Smulders Expecting Second Child". People. October 21, 2014. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- Klassen, Anna (January 26, 2015). "'Unexpected' Star Cobie Smulders & Director Kris Swanberg On Finally Making a Pregnancy Film From the Female Perspective". Archived from the original on January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
I'm in Sundance and I have a three week old baby, so I can certainly relate.
- Serico, Chris (April 23, 2015). "'I had tumors on both ovaries': Cobie Smulders reveals cancer scare". Today. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- Corriston, Michele (April 23, 2015). "Mom of 2 Cobie Smulders Reveals Her Battle with Ovarian Cancer". People. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- "Cobie Smulders draws on cancer survival for new character". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. August 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- Wiseman, Jessica (August 6, 2014). "Photos: Rashida Jones, Cobie Smulders, and Angela Kinsey Help Protect Belizean Reefs". Oceana. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- Scott, Walter (November 23, 2013). "Cobie Smulders' Detachable Baby Bump". Parade. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- Goldberg, Lesley (May 7, 2020). "Cobie Smulders Updates 'How I Met Your Mother's' Robin Sparkles for 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- Bobbin, Jay (August 13, 2006). "Cobie Smulders". Zap2it. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019 – via Chicago Tribune.
Movie credits: ... 'Ill Fated'...
- Dr. Miracles Episode 3 (YouTube). OldDirtyConservatory. October 2006.
- The Storm Awaits (episode three) (YouTube). Very Advanced Productions. February 15, 2007. 03:18 minutes in.
- "NBA Star Chris Webber To Exec Produce Cobie Smulders Drama 'Unexpected'". Deadline Hollywood. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
- Snierson, Dan (March 7, 2019). "Arrested Development: Cobie Smulders and Taran Killam to play Lucille and George Sr". Entertainment Weekly.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cobie Smulders. |
- Cobie Smulders at IMDb
- Cobie Smulders on Twitter
- Cobie Smulders How I Met Your Mother biography at CBS
Preceded by Michelle Monaghan (2010–2011) |
Voice of Wonder Woman |
Succeeded by |