Name: Evangeline Lilly
Profession: Actress
Birth Date: August 3, 1979
Height: 5' 5"
A native of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, Evangeline Lilly was discovered on the streets of Kelowna, British Columbia by Ford modeling agency. Although she initially decided to pass on a modeling career, she went ahead and signed with Ford anyway, to help pay for her University of British Columbia tuition. Despite being signed to Ford, Lilly was never actually a fashion model, having worked with their acting branch.
Lilly first made her way to the screen in 2002, albeit in minimal fashion. She appeared on G4's "Judgment Day," as well as in a pool hall scene on an episode of "Smallville."
Two years later, Lilly was literally plucked out of obscurity and cast in the ABC deserted island drama "Lost." Her role as the ex-con Kate Austen immediately propelled her to fame as the show became an immediate hit. When Lilly was cast, she still had to obtain a work visa to enter the United States. With production literally days away and no news about the visa, casting directors were forced to begrudingly begin re-casting the role of Kate. After nearly 20 auditions, Lilly's visa finally cleared and she arrived on set a day late. Her salary in 2004 for "Lost" was reportedly just $36,000.
On the heels of her breakout role, Lilly was voted one of the Breakout Stars of 2004 by Entertainment Weekly. She also came in second on Maxim's Hot 100 list of 2005.
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