Lynn Collins

Lynn Collins
Collins at the X-Men Origins: Wolverine premiere, April 2009
Born	Viola Lynn Collins (1977-05-16) May 16, 1977 (age 39) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School (B.F.A. 1999)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Steven Strait (2007-2013) Matthew Boyle (2015) (1 child)

Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in True Blood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and John Carter.

Born Viola Lynn Collins, reported variously in May or June 1977, Collins is from Houston, Texas, and has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. She has also claimed Cherokee ancestry, referring to herself as "Irish and Cherokee". She spent her formative years in Singapore, with "summers in Japan where her parents were getting their fourth and fifth and sixth dan in Shitō-ryū ... Okinawa-style karate". During a childhood Christmas pageant in which she played Mrs. Claus, Collins discovered her love for acting.

She attended Singapore American School and Klein High School in Texas. She graduated from the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 28: 1995–1999) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Collins made her television debut in 1999, in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and went on to star onstage as Ophelia opposite Liev Schreiber in Hamlet, followed by a turn as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. After bit parts that included a stint on the show Haunted and roles in the movies Down with Love, 50 First Dates and 13 Going on 30, she gained notice playing Portia in the film The Merchant of Venice, starring opposite Al Pacino, Joseph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons.