Amazingly, newcomer Cobie Smulders never gave much thought to acting. Born on April 3, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, as a girl, Cobie had set her sights on becoming a doctor or a marine biologist. In fact, it wasn't until high school that Cobie started to explore acting after appearing in several school productions. As a teenager, Cobie caught the eye of a modeling agency, which led to several years of world travel to places such as France, Japan, Italy, Greece, and Germany. Yet even as Cobie's mode - www.imdb.com

How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders is the frontrunner to play Samuel L. Jackson's female sidekick in Joss Whedon's upcoming superhero flick, The Avengers, Deadline.com reports. Smulders is set to play SHIELD Agent Maria Hill, who was the ruthless interim executive director of SHIELD in the comics. Smulders, whose deal is expected to close soon, reportedly beat out such actresses as Morena Baccarin, Jessica Lucas and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Whedon first took note of Smulders when he was trying to cas - www.tvguide.com

Cobie Smulders, born April 3, 1982 in Vancouver, Canada, grew up wanting to become a marine biologist or any other career in the medical field. In high school, Cobie discovered a passion for acting after joining school productions at the Lord Byng Secondary School. During this time, a modeling agent discovered Cobie Smulders, which led to a professional contract. As a model, Smulders worked on various destinations overseas, including Japan, Germany, Africa, Italy, Greece, Caribbean, Milan and New York. Even - www.cobiesmulders.org