Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS Sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero films The Avengers (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), as well as the ABC action drama series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (2013–2015), the Disney animated anthology series What If...? (2021), and the upcoming Disney limited series Secret Invasion (2023).

Smulders' other films include Safe Haven (2013), They Came Together (2014), Results (2015), and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). She also starred in the Netflix comedy drama series A Series of Unfortunate Events (2017), the Netflix comedy series Friends from College (2017–2019), the ABC crime drama series Stumptown (2019–2020), and the FX true crime series Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021).

Early life :

Smulders was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, to a Dutch Father and a British Mother. She was raised in White Rock, British Columbia, and later moved to the affluent West Point Grey neighbourhood to attend High School at Lord Byng Secondary School. She was named after her Great-aunt, from whom she gained the nickname "COBIE". Smulders describes herself as "a fluent listener" of French.She has four sisters. Smulders was also a member of the Girl Guides of Canada as a child, participating as a Brownie (Girl Guide program for 7- to 10-year-olds).

Smulders worked in Modeling, which she later said she "kind of hated", adding that the experience made her hesitant about pursuing Acting as a Career: "You know, you go into these rooms, and I've had the experience of people Judging you physically for so long and I was over that but, then it was like... 'Oh no, I have to actually perform. I have to do well, and I have to have a voice... and I have to have thoughts now.'"

In her youth, Smulders aspired to be a marine biologist. She took an interest in theatre throughout high school and briefly studied at the University of Victoria before returning to acting.