Olivia Wilde

Born in New York City on March 10, 1984, Olivia Wilde was christened Olivia Jane Cockburn (her later change of surname was inspired by Oscar Wilde). She was brought up in Washington DC, by her father Andrew, a National Geographic reporter and her mother, Leslie, a writer and also a producer for '60 minutes' from CBS.

After leaving the Georgetown Day School in Washington, Olivia enrolled at the Philips Academy in Andover, MA, studying acting. She appeared in over 20 school drama productions. Next came a move abroad to Ireland, where she continued her acting studies at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. After completing the course she returned to live in Los Angeles.

Wilde's first role came in 2003, in the exciting but short-lived TV drama Skin, in which she played a lead part, Jewel Goldman, the sexy daughter of a adult-movie producer. The show only lasted 3 episodes, leaving Olivia again looking for work. Though her personal life was proving more successful - she married documentary filmmaker Tao Ruspoli later that same year.

It was her next television role, though, that really brought her to the viewing fans' attention. Cast as smoking-hot temptress Alex Kelly on The O.C., Olivia shot to stardom attracting the attention of a legion of male admirers. Olivia was also to appear in supporting roles for mainstream movies like The Girl Next Door with Elisha Cuthbert, Alpha Dog with Sharon Stone, and Running with Scissors which co-starred Gwyneth Paltrow.

In 2007, Olivia was cast in the hit TV series House M.D., playing a young doctor with the nickname 13, opposite the lead character played by Hugh Laurie. Her nickname comes from the number she received in the competition House staged to select his new team. Olivia's character has terminal Huntingdon's disease, which should keep the actress on her toes because presumably she can be written out at any moment.

In the summer of 2009, Wilde starred opposite Michael Cera and Jack Black in the film Year One, a biblical-era comedy about two friends who get banished from their village and embark on an epic journey.