Canadian actress Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders was born on April 3, 1982. She is well-known for her lead roles as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, 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 the ABC action drama series Agents
Safe Haven (2013), They Came Together (2014), Results (2015), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) are some of the other movies starring Smulders. She also starred in the ABC criminal drama series Stumptown (2019–2020), the FX true crime series Impeachment: American criminal Story (2021), the Netflix comedy series Friends from College (2017–2019), and the comedy series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017–2019).
Early Life
Smulders was born to a Dutch father and a British mother in Vancouver, British Columbia. She was reared in White Rock, British Columbia, and eventually relocated there to attend Lord Byng Secondary School for high school. West Point Grey is a wealthy suburb. She was given the nickname "Cobie" from her great-aunt, in honor of whom she was named. According to Smulders, she is "a fluent listener" of French. She is one of four sisters. Smulders was a Brownie (the Girl Guide program for children aged 7 to 10) when she joined the Girl Guides of Canada as a young girl.
Smulders had a modeling job, which she later admitted she "kind of hated," and said the experience had made her hesitant to pursue 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 succeed, I have to speak up, and I have to think right now.
Smulders had dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. She had a passion for theater throughout high school and before going back to acting, she did a brief course at the University of Victoria.
Career
Smulders made her television debut as a guest in the science-fiction drama Jeremiah on Showtime; she went on to make numerous other appearances, including a recurring part on The L Word. In the brief ABC series Veritas: The Quest, which aired for one season, she had her first series regular role. Smulders was hired as television reporter Robin Scherbatsky on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2005, following the cancellation of Veritas. The program ran for nine seasons and received ten Emmy nominations. Smulders made her off-Broadway debut in June 2010 at the Westside Theatre in Love, Loss, and What I Wore.
Smulders portrayed Maria Hill in The Avengers (2012). For the role, she underwent pistol handling instruction from a Los Angeles SWAT squad trainer. Since then, Smulders has played the character once more in the movies 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). She also reprised the role in three episodes of the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Smulders played a supporting part in the love story Safe Haven in 2013. She also starred in the comedies They Came Together and Delivery Man. In the animated movie The Lego Movie from 2014, Smulders provided Wonder Woman's voice in Lego form. The Wonder Woman character made her first appearance in a theatrical picture at that time. Smulders reportedly left the made-for-TV movie Confirmation in July 2015 due to a fractured leg; Zoe Lister-Jones was subsequently confirmed to take over the part of Harriet Grant.
She costarred with Tom Cruise in the comedy-drama The Intervention and the action-adventure movie Jack Reacher: Never Go Back in 2016. In the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, she portrayed the recurrent role of "Mother" in 2017. She played Lisa Turner, the main character, in the Netflix original series Friends from College from 2017 to 2019. She played Dexedrine "Dex" Parios, a PTSD-afflicted former soldier turned private investigator, in the September 25, 2019, premiere of the ABC crime thriller Stumptown.
For the first season finale of the HIMYM spinoff How I Met Your Father, which aired on Hulu in 2022, she reprised her role as Robin Scherbatsky. Smulders will play Maria Hill once more in the upcoming Disney+ short series Secret Invasion in 2023.
Private life
After meeting Taran Killam at a friend's party four years earlier, Smulders got engaged to him in January 2009. On September 8, 2012, they were wed in Solvang, California. Living in Pacific Palisades, California, is the couple. They have two daughters: Janita Mae Killam, who was born in 2015, and ShaelynCado Killam, who was born in 2009.
While filming season three of How I Met Your Mother in 2007, Smulders received an ovarian cancer diagnosis at the age of 25, which she disclosed in 2015. She underwent surgery to remove two ovarian tumors, but because the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes, she required more surgeries over the course of two years. Smulders stated she is in remission in August 2019.
Smulders made the announcement that she had given up her Canadian citizenship and had become an American citizen in 2020. She acknowledged that the 2020 presidential race served as part of her inspiration for obtaining American citizenship.
Charity Work
In 2014, Smulders collaborated with Oceana, a global organization dedicated to ocean protection, to film a PSA. In an effort to get people to follow COVID-19 lockdowns, she created a clip in May 2020 that was a spoof of the How I Met Your Mother song "Let's Go to the Mall" called "Let's All Stay at Home". In light of the pandemic, Smulders also urged her followers to give to the Daily Bread Food Bank, Canada Helps, and Save the Children. With National CleanUp Day, Clean Trails, and Planet Oat in September 2020, she promoted picking up trash and litter. "And I'm hoping people get out and can see that for themselves, and hopefully they'll take a stand to help the planet," she said.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2004 | Walking Tall | Exotic Beauty | |
2004 | Ill Fated | Mary | |
2005 | The Long Weekend | Ellen | |
2006 | Escape | Psychotic Brunette | Short film |
2006 | Dr. Miracles | Mrs. Peterson | Short film |
2007 | The Storm Awaits | Anabella DeLorenzo | Short film |
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 | |
2015 | Results | Kat | |
2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Maria Hill | |
2015 | Being Canadian | Herself | Documentary |
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 | ||
2020 | Cicada | Sophie | |
2023 | The Marvels | Maria Hill | Post-production |
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: "The Heart of the Journey (Parts 1 & 2)" |
2005 | The L Word | Leigh Ostin | 4 episodes |
2005–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Robin Scherbatsky | Main 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 | Mrs. Quagmire | Recurring role; 8 episodes |
2017–2018 | Nature Cat | Nature Dog | Voice, 4 episodes |
2017–2019 | Friends from College | Lisa Turner | Main role; 16 episodes |
2019 | Arrested Development | Young Lucille Bluth | 3 episodes |
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" |
2021 | What If...? | Maria Hill | Voice, episode: "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" |
2021 | Impeachment: American Crime Story | Ann Coulter | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
2022 | How I Met Your Father | Robin Scherbatsky | Episode: "Timing is Everything" |
2022 | The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib | Stella Chimeric | Voice, episode: "The Great Medieval London Fire of 1135" |
2022 | High School | Simone Bates | Main role; 8 episodes |
2023 | Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur | Maria Hill | Voice, episode: "OMG Issue #1" |
2023 | Secret Invasion | Main role |
Theatre
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
2010 | Love, Loss, and What I Wore | Principal character | June 10, 2010 – June 26, 2010 |
2017 | Present Laughter | Joanna Lyppiatt | April 5, 2017 – July 2, 2017 |
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) | How I Met Your Mother | Nominated |
2017 | Theatre World Award | Present Laughter | Honoree | |
2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Best Actress in a Superhero Series | Stumptown | Nominated |
Quick Bio
Nickname | Cobie |
Gender | Female |
Age | 41 years old (in 2023) |
Date of Birth | April 3, 1982 |
Full Name | Jacoba Francisca Maria Smulders |
Profession | Actress, Model |
Nationality | Canadian |
Birthplace | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
Religion | Judaism |
Zodiac Sign | Aries |
Qualification | Marine Biology Degree |
School | Lord Byng Secondary School, Vancouver |
College | University of Victoria, British Columbia |
Profession | Actress, Model |
Salary | $225,000 |
Net Worth | $25 million |
Height, Weight & Physical Stats
Body Measurements | 33-25-34 |
Height | 5 foot 6 inches (1.73 m) |
Weight | 64 kg (141 lbs) |
Hair Color | Dark Brown |
Eye Color | Blue |
Shoe Size | 8 US |
Family & Relatives
Father | Dutch father |
Mother | English Mother |
Brother | Scott, Adam and Mark |
Sister | Fiona, Melissa, Julie and Amy |
Marital Status | Married |
Husband | Taran Killam |
No. of Children | 1 |
Daughter | ShaelynCado Killam |
Facts
,-Biography,-Wiki,-Age,-Boyfriend-&-More-134.jpg "Surabhi-Samriddhi Mehra (Chinky Minky), Biography, Wiki, Age, Boyfriend & More")
