Evangeline Lilly
Encyclopedia
Evangeline Lilly is a Canadian actress, best known for her role as Kate Austen
in the ABC
drama, Lost
.
, Alberta, Canada, to a devout Protestant
family. Her father was an economics teacher, and her mother is a secretary at Sandy Hill Elementary. Lilly also has two sisters. Her youngest sister, Andrea, has been described by Evangeline as "the actor in the family."
Before leaving the town of Fort Saskatchewan for Abbotsford
, British Columbia, Canada, Evangeline briefly attended three elementary schools, Fort Elementary, Rudolph Hennig and James Mowat Elementary. Lilly recalled, "When I was a kid, the Fort was tiny. I could ride my bike at five years old from one end of town to the other.... To me Fort Saskatchewan holds a lot of really great memories. I just consider it a little happy hideaway." In Abbotsford, Lilly completed her high school years at W. J. Mouat Secondary School, and went on to study international relations at the University of British Columbia
in Vancouver
.
Lilly also served briefly as a foreign missionary and lived in a grass hut in the Philippines. She was offered permanent missionary work there for two years, an offer she nearly accepted but eventually declined because of her parents' wishes. Lilly was a flight attendant
with Royal Airlines
and also did some modelling for phone chat line Livelinks. She speaks French very well. She also worked at Green Bay Bible Camp near Kelowna
and at the Earls Restaurant
in Abbotsford.
Lilly appeared on G4's Judgment Day and in an uncredited role in the 2003 film Freddy vs. Jason
as a high-school girl leaning against a locker, and some appearances in a few episodes of Smallville
as an extra. She had a guest appearance on the ABC supernatural horror series Kingdom Hospital
(2004). She also appeared on a Live Links chat line commercial. Lilly's first speaking role was on Lost, a role in which Palffy was instrumental in helping her to obtain
When Lilly was cast as Kate Austen
in Lost, her main concern was acquiring a work visa to enter the United States. With production literally days away and no news about the visa, casting directors were forced to grudgingly begin re-casting the role of Kate. After nearly 20 auditions, Lilly's work visa was approved/cleared but she arrived on set a day late.
Her salary in 2004 for Lost was $80,000 per episode. On the heels of her role in Lost, she was voted one of the Breakout Stars of 2004 by Entertainment Weekly
and on December 14, 2006, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress-Drama. Action figure
s of Lilly's Lost character were released during the holiday season of 2006. On May 11, 2010, Lilly announced on The View that she places writing and being a mother as top priorities, but she likes acting as a day job and she will continue acting when possible.
Lilly is planning to write children's books called The Squickerwonkers.
On June 19, 2011, it was announced that Lilly would play the role of the Elf
Tauriel in Peter Jackson
's upcoming two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, due for release in December 2012 and 2013 and currently in production in New Zealand
.
On Oct 17, 2011, Lilly stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she is trying to distance herself from her character in the TV show "Lost" and is now focusing on her future film projects.
and does not watch television or own a TV set. She has also said that she would not appear in a nude scene or perform in sexual scenes that she would consider "gratuitous".
In the May 9, 2007 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live
, Lilly described her deep need to leave her home town after her high-school graduation. She did much travelling at this point in her life, moving from town to town approximately every six months. She stated that in each town she took on a persona; for example, she would decide in one town to take on the role of a "nerdy bookworm" and in another, a ditzy "cheerleader" type. She has jokingly stated that, as such, she would frequently date different men.
Lilly has also used her celebrity status to help promote Just Yell Fire
, a 2006 video aimed at teaching teenage girls how to defend themselves against rapists.
Her fellow Lost actor Josh Holloway
also calls her "Freckles", sharing the nickname his on-screen character Sawyer gave her. She was also known on set for being a tomboy
, and "potty mouth".
On December 20, 2006, Lilly's house in Kailua, Hawaii, was completely destroyed by fire while she was on the Lost set with one of her two roommates, both of whom work as her stand-in
s on the show. The second roommate was off-island at the time of the blaze, which occurred on the final day of shooting before the show’s holiday break. The cause of the fire was an electrical problem.
Lilly was once married to Canadian hockey player Murray Hone. From 2004 to 2009, Lilly dated Lost co-star Dominic Monaghan
. She had her first child, a son named Kahekili (a Hawaiian name meaning "The Thunder"), with boyfriend Norman Kali in May 2011.
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama, Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
Early life
Evangeline Lilly was born in Fort SaskatchewanFort Saskatchewan, Alberta
Fort Saskatchewan is a city in Alberta, Canada, located northeast of downtown Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, along the North Saskatchewan River. Fort Saskatchewan is part of the Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area and is one of 24 municipalities on the Capital Region Board...
, Alberta, Canada, to a devout Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
family. Her father was an economics teacher, and her mother is a secretary at Sandy Hill Elementary. Lilly also has two sisters. Her youngest sister, Andrea, has been described by Evangeline as "the actor in the family."
Before leaving the town of Fort Saskatchewan for Abbotsford
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
, British Columbia, Canada, Evangeline briefly attended three elementary schools, Fort Elementary, Rudolph Hennig and James Mowat Elementary. Lilly recalled, "When I was a kid, the Fort was tiny. I could ride my bike at five years old from one end of town to the other.... To me Fort Saskatchewan holds a lot of really great memories. I just consider it a little happy hideaway." In Abbotsford, Lilly completed her high school years at W. J. Mouat Secondary School, and went on to study international relations at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Lilly also served briefly as a foreign missionary and lived in a grass hut in the Philippines. She was offered permanent missionary work there for two years, an offer she nearly accepted but eventually declined because of her parents' wishes. Lilly was a flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
with Royal Airlines
Royal Aviation
Royal Aviation was the parent of Canadian charter airline Royal Airlines, which was based at Dorval Airport. The airline was acquired in 2001 by Canada 3000, which in turn went bankrupt in the months following the events of September 11, 2001....
and also did some modelling for phone chat line Livelinks. She speaks French very well. She also worked at Green Bay Bible Camp near Kelowna
Kelowna
Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley, in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a Okanagan language term for "grizzly bear"...
and at the Earls Restaurant
Earls (restaurant chain)
Earls Leroy Earl Fuller's pride and joy is a casual dining restaurant chain that operates in Western Canada as well as Arizona, Washington and Colorado in the United States, and recently in Mississauga, Ontario. Earls has approximately 50 locations and their head office in North Vancouver, British...
in Abbotsford.
Career
She studied acting at The Yaletown Actors Lab with writer, director David Palffy and was first discovered by agent Jeff Palffy, formerly of Ford Models, now with PMG Management in Vancouver.Lilly appeared on G4's Judgment Day and in an uncredited role in the 2003 film Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu. The film is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises...
as a high-school girl leaning against a locker, and some appearances in a few episodes of Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
as an extra. She had a guest appearance on the ABC supernatural horror series Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital
Kingdom Hospital is a thirteen-episode television miniseries based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom , which was developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for American television...
(2004). She also appeared on a Live Links chat line commercial. Lilly's first speaking role was on Lost, a role in which Palffy was instrumental in helping her to obtain
When Lilly was cast as Kate Austen
Kate Austen
Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead...
in Lost, her main concern was acquiring a work visa to enter the United States. With production literally days away and no news about the visa, casting directors were forced to grudgingly begin re-casting the role of Kate. After nearly 20 auditions, Lilly's work visa was approved/cleared but she arrived on set a day late.
Her salary in 2004 for Lost was $80,000 per episode. On the heels of her role in Lost, she was voted one of the Breakout Stars of 2004 by Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and on December 14, 2006, was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Lead Actress-Drama. Action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s of Lilly's Lost character were released during the holiday season of 2006. On May 11, 2010, Lilly announced on The View that she places writing and being a mother as top priorities, but she likes acting as a day job and she will continue acting when possible.
Lilly is planning to write children's books called The Squickerwonkers.
On June 19, 2011, it was announced that Lilly would play the role of the Elf
Elf (Middle-earth)
In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, Elves are one of the races that inhabit a fictional Earth, often called Middle-earth, and set in the remote past. They appear in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings, but their complex history is described more fully in The Silmarillion...
Tauriel in Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's upcoming two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, due for release in December 2012 and 2013 and currently in production in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
On Oct 17, 2011, Lilly stated on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she is trying to distance herself from her character in the TV show "Lost" and is now focusing on her future film projects.
Personal life
Lilly has stated that she "live[s] in a bubble", specifying that she is not familiar with popular culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
and does not watch television or own a TV set. She has also said that she would not appear in a nude scene or perform in sexual scenes that she would consider "gratuitous".
In the May 9, 2007 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, Lilly described her deep need to leave her home town after her high-school graduation. She did much travelling at this point in her life, moving from town to town approximately every six months. She stated that in each town she took on a persona; for example, she would decide in one town to take on the role of a "nerdy bookworm" and in another, a ditzy "cheerleader" type. She has jokingly stated that, as such, she would frequently date different men.
Lilly has also used her celebrity status to help promote Just Yell Fire
Just Yell Fire
Just Yell Fire is a freely distributed 2006 film aimed at teaching young girls to defend themselves against attackers. Started as a school project by Dallas Jessup, then a freshman at St...
, a 2006 video aimed at teaching teenage girls how to defend themselves against rapists.
Her fellow Lost actor Josh Holloway
Josh Holloway
Joshua Lee "Josh" Holloway is an American actor and model from Free Home, Georgia. He is best known for his role as James "Sawyer" Ford on the American television show Lost.-Early life:...
also calls her "Freckles", sharing the nickname his on-screen character Sawyer gave her. She was also known on set for being a tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
, and "potty mouth".
On December 20, 2006, Lilly's house in Kailua, Hawaii, was completely destroyed by fire while she was on the Lost set with one of her two roommates, both of whom work as her stand-in
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
s on the show. The second roommate was off-island at the time of the blaze, which occurred on the final day of shooting before the show’s holiday break. The cause of the fire was an electrical problem.
Lilly was once married to Canadian hockey player Murray Hone. From 2004 to 2009, Lilly dated Lost co-star Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan is an English actor. He has received international attention from playing Merry in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and for his role as Charlie Pace on the television show Lost....
. She had her first child, a son named Kahekili (a Hawaiian name meaning "The Thunder"), with boyfriend Norman Kali in May 2011.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Lizzie McGuire Movie The Lizzie McGuire Movie The Lizzie McGuire Movie is a 2003 Walt Disney Pictures comedy film based on the Disney Channel show Lizzie McGuire which was released on May 2, 2003, by Walt Disney Pictures, it was the first Disney Channel series to have a movie for Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Jim Fall with... |
A police officer | |
| 2003 | Stealing Sinatra Stealing Sinatra Stealing Sinatra is a 2003 film directed by Ron Underwood. It stars David Arquette and William H. Macy. Macy was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance.-Cast:*David Arquette as Barry Keenan*William H. Macy as John Irwin... |
Model in commercial | |
| 2003 | Freddy vs. Jason Freddy vs. Jason Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu. The film is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises... |
School student | Uncredited |
| 2005 | The Long Weekend The Long Weekend The Long Weekend is a 2005 Canadian film starring Chris Klein and Brendan Fehr as two brothers, Cooper and Ed Waxman . It also stars Paul Campbell, Chandra West, and Cobie Smulders.-Plot:... |
Simone | |
| 2006 | Just Yell Fire Just Yell Fire Just Yell Fire is a freely distributed 2006 film aimed at teaching young girls to defend themselves against attackers. Started as a school project by Dallas Jessup, then a freshman at St... |
Herself | |
| 2008 | Afterwards Afterwards Afterwards is a 2009 English-language psychological thriller film directed by Gilles Bourdos and starring Romain Duris, John Malkovich and Evangeline Lilly. Based on Guillaume Musso's novel Et après..., the story tells of a workaholic lawyer who is told by a self-proclaimed visionary that he must... |
Claire | |
| 2009 | The Hurt Locker The Hurt Locker The Hurt Locker is a 2009 American war film about a three-man United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team during the Iraq War. The film was directed by Kathryn Bigelow and the screenplay was written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded as a journalist in 2004 with a US bomb... |
Connie James | Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast Gotham Awards The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City... Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Ensemble is one of the annual awards given by the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association.-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2011 | Real Steel Real Steel Real Steel is a 2011 American science fiction film starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy. The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, though Levy placed the film in U.S. state fairs and other "old-fashioned" Americana settings. Real Steel was in... |
Bailey Tallet | |
| 2012 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | Tauriel | Filming |
| 2013 | The Hobbit: There and Back Again | Tauriel | Filming |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Reviews on the Run Reviews on the Run Reviews on the Run and "Reviews on the Rock" in the earlier seasons of the Electric Playground is a video game review TV show hosted by Victor Lucas and Scott C. Jones . The show is produced by Lucas' company Greedy Productions... |
Hardware girl | |
| 2002–2004 | Smallville Smallville Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross... |
Various | 5 episodes |
| 2003 | Tru Calling Tru Calling Tru Calling is an American television supernatural drama series that premiered on Fox Network on October 30, 2003. It ran for two seasons before being canceled.... |
Party guest | 1 episode: "Morning After" |
| 2004 | Kingdom Hospital Kingdom Hospital Kingdom Hospital is a thirteen-episode television miniseries based on Lars von Trier's The Kingdom , which was developed by horror writer Stephen King in 2004 for American television... |
Benspoln's girlfriend | 1 episode: "Heartless" |
| 2004–2010 | Lost Lost (TV series) Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island... |
Kate Austen Kate Austen Katherine Anne "Kate" Austen is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost, played by Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. She is the de facto female lead... |
114 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated—National Television Award for Most Popular Actress National Television Awards The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are... Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television The following are a list of Saturn Award nominees & winners for Best Actress on Television:-1990s:*1996: Gillian Anderson - The X-Files**Claudia Christian - Babylon 5**Melissa Joan Hart - Sabrina, the Teenage Witch... Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress – Drama Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Breakout Performance – Female Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Chemistry Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Other awards
| Year | Award | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | The Hurt Locker | |
| 2010 | Denver Film Critics Society | The Hurt Locker |
Advertising
| Year | Brand | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Karastan Carpets | USA |
| 2006 | Michelle K Footwear | USA |
| 2007–2008 | Davidoff Coolwater Women | Europe |
| 2009 | Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier Baume et Mercier is a Swiss luxury watchmaking company founded in 1830. It is owned by Richemont, and with Cartier and Piaget they make up the core of the group. This company is represented in 75 countries and produces around 200,000 watches a year. The most important markets are in Europe,... |
|
| 2009–present | L’Oreal Paris | International |