Lynn Collins Biography

American actress Lynn Collins is a relative newcomer on the acting scene, but she has already developed a loyal following. Her biggest exposure to date has been for her work in Bug and The Lake House, and she has many promising projects on the horizon.

Viola Lynn Collins, known popularly just as Lynn Collins, was born June 1, 1979 in Texas. Before jumping into the world of film and television, Collins began her career at the Julliard School of Drama. She was cast in several William Shakespeare plays during this time such as The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet.

Taking that stage experience and translating it into more commercial endeavors, Collins made her onscreen debut with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999. The series regulars at the time were Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay, and Richard Belzer.

She broke into film in 2001 when she appeared in the little known fantasy drama Earth Angels. She landed roles in several more films, but none of the projects offered her significant exposure. 2002’s Out for the Money with Tyler Christopher, however, was particularly well received by the limited audience it reached.

Collins did finally gain some notice when she took a five-episode stint opposite Matthew Fox in the television series Haunted, and that exposure continued when she appeared in the Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore comedy 50 First Dates.

In 2004, she reprised her stage role of Portia for the film version of The Merchant of Venice, and this time around, she shared the screen with acting legends Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes.

But 2006 proved the most fruitful for Collins’ career. She first took a notable role in the drama thriller Bug. Other actors attached to the project were Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, and Harry Connick Jr. The film, although panned by audiences expecting a standard horror film, received much attention and love from the critics. It even won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

In the same year, she had a part opposite Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in the romantic fantasy film The Lake House. Collins then capped off the year with a strong showing in The Dog Problem, which featured Scott Caan, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, and Mena Suvari.

2007 continued to bring Collins commercial projects. Her first film of the year was the Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen mystery The Number 23.

She finished off the year with Nothing Is Private starring Summer Bishil, Aaron Eckhart, and Toni Collette, and her latest project was an appearance with Anna Paquin on True Blood.

Proving to be increasingly popular, Collins currently has four projects in varying stages of production. She completed Eavesdrop with Alan Ruck and others, and she is filming X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, and Taylor Kitsch.

In her personal life, Collins was romantically linked to The Lake House costar Reeves. Currently, she is dating fellow actor and newest Hollywood heartthrob Steven Strait. The two are rumored to be engaged, and some rumors go so far as to propose that they are married.