Olivia Wilde Biography and Full Profile.

Despite having little onscreen experience to her name, actress Olivia Wilde emerged as a star thanks to her scene-stealing portrayal of the temptress Alex Kelly on the popular teen drama, "The O.C." (Fox, 2003-07). Prior to that, Wilde only had one of the leads in the short-lived "Skin" (Fox, 2003) and a small supporting role in "The Girl Next Door" (2004) under her belt. But her turn on "The O.C." propelled her to stardom, opening doors in both features and on television. It was the small screen, however, that proved the biggest boon to her career. After starring in another ratings deprived series, "The Black Donnellys" (NBC, 2006), she joined the cast of the ever-popular "House" (Fox, 2004- ), which not only exposed her to a wider audience, but also gave her the opportunity to stretch her creative muscles. Wilde continued to maintain a high profile, landing roles in major studio features while earning the wandering eye of the frat boy set when she hit No. 1 on the 2009 Maxim Hot 100 List, marking her as a young actress capable of attracting an audience in a variety of mediums.
Born Olivia Jane Cockburn on March 10, 1984 in New York, NY, Wilde - who later adopted her acting surname from playwright Oscar Wilde - was raised in Washington D.C. by her father, Andrew, a former National Geographic reporter and author, and her mother, Leslie, a journalist, author and producer for "60 Minutes" (CBS, 1968- ). In fact, many in her family were dedicated to journalism - her sister Chl was a writer, while her grandfather, James Helvick (a.k.a. Claud Cockburn), and her two uncles, Alexander and Patrick Cockburn, were also journalists. But Wilde wanted to do something different - she wanted to act. After graduating from the Georgetown Day School in D.C., she attended Philips Academy, where she studied acting and appeared in over two dozen school productions. She later moved abroad to Ireland to continue her dramatic studies at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. A rebellious teen and young adult, Wilde acted out by getting tattoos and piercings, dating older men and, at one time, even shaving her head - hence the natural fit of her stage name.

Wilde returned to the states and took up residence in Los Angeles, where she landed the lead in her first television series, "Skin" (Fox, 2003), a modern day take on "Romeo and Juliette" in which she played the sultry daughter of an adult film producer (Ron Silver) who falls for the son (D.J. Cotrona) of an anti-porn district attorney (Kevin Anderson). "Skin" came and went after only three episodes, leaving Wilde to find work elsewhere. Keeping with the adult film theme, she made her movie debut with a supporting role in "The Girl Next Door" (2004), a coming-of-age comedy about a straight-arrow overachiever (Emile Hirsch) who falls for his neighbor (Elisha Cuthbert), only to find out that she used to be a porn star. Meanwhile, after "Skin" was canceled, Wilde eloped with Los Angeles Filmmaker's Cooperative (LAFCO) founder and documentary filmmaker, Tao Ruspoli. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she was one of the key models in Abercrombie & Fitch's "Rising Stars" campaign in the summer of 2004. But it was her next television role that put Wilde on the map for good.

Returning to the small screen, Wilde began starring on "The O.C." and delivered a lusty portrayal of the stunningly sexy and bisexual Alex Kelly, the bad girl owner of the Bait Shop, where the other kids start hanging out. Though only on the show for its second season, Wilde was dynamic and provocative as the temptress Kelly, stealing the show from the rest of the cast and attracting many male fans, especially after her character became romantically involved with Marissa Cooper (Mischa Barton). As she continued her work on "The O.C.," Wilde landed roles in feature films, including Nicholas Kazan's hotly anticipated Sundance Film Festival favorite, "Alpha Dog" (2006), co-starring Justin Timberlake, Sharon Stone and Emile Hirsch. After a small part in the critically acclaimed adaptation of "Running with Scissors" (2006), she played a college sorority girl who steals the prized notebook of a reclusive freshman (Patrick Fugit) in "Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas" (2006), a straight-to-DVD comedy that barely registered with audiences.
Despite making strides on the big screen, Wilde continued to find greater success - as well as meatier roles - on television. She next had a prominent starring role in the short-lived drama, "The Black Donnellys" (NBC, 2006), playing the childhood friend of the Donnelly brothers (Tom Guiry, Jonathan Tucker, Billy Lush and Michael Stahl-David) who runs a local Hells Kitchen diner with her father and has a complicated relationship with one of the brothers. After the show was canceled in the middle of its first season due to declining ratings, she rebounded quickly by landing a supporting part on the highly successful medical drama, "House" (Fox, 2004- ). Wilde played Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, a new member of the infectious diseases diagnostic team formed by the irascible Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) who remains mysterious about her personal life, though overtime audiences learn that she carries the gene for Huntington's disease. Her nickname, Thirteen, derived from the number she received in the competition House conducted to find his new team. Back on the big screen, she played Princess Inanna in the biblical comedy flop, "Year One" (2009), starring Jack Black and Michael Cera.

Also Credited As:
      Olivia Jane Cockburn, Olivia Jane Cockburn
    * Born:
      Olivia Jane Cockburn on March 10, 1984 in New York City, New York, USA
    * Job Titles:
      Actress

Family
    * Brother-In-Law: Bartolomeo Ruspoli.
    * Father: Andrew Cockburn.
    * Father-In-Law: Dado Ruspoli.
    * Grandfather: James Helvick.
    * Mother: Leslie Cockburn.
    * Mother-In-Law: Debra Berger.
    * Sister: Chloe Cockburn.
    * Uncle: Alexander Cockburn.
    * Uncle: Patrick Cockburn.

Significant Others
    * Husband: Tao Ruspoli.

Education
    * Philips Academy, Andover , Massachusetts, Acting
    * Gaiety School of Acting, Performing Arts
    * Georgetown Day School, Washington , Washington D.C.

Milestones
    * 2003 Made TV series debut as the female lead on the short lived Fox series, Skin
    * 2004 Played bisexual Alex Kelly on the FOX teen drama, The O.C.
    * 2004 Feature debut in a small role in the teen comedy, The Girl Next Door
    * 2006 Cast in the feature adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel Running with Scissors
    * 2006 Featured in the adult-themed relationship drama Conversations With Other Women
    * 2007 Joined the cast of the FOX medical drama House as Remy Hadley/ Thirteen
    * 2007 Cast as childhood friend, Jennifer Reilly in the short-lived NBC drama The Black Donnellys
    * 2007 Co-starred in the Nick Cassavetes directed Alpha Dog an independent feature about a real-life drug dealer
    * 2009 Appeared as Princess Inanna in the biblical comedy Year One ; directed by Harold Ramis
    * Nominated for the 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress: Drama