Evangeline Lilly's Early Life
Evangeline Lilly was born in Alberta on August 3, 1979, to a makeup artist mum and economics teacher dad. She was the second of three daughters in a middle-class Christian family.
Amazingly for a performer, who went on to star in an Emmy-winning drama and several box office hits, screen success almost passed her by. When a Ford Models scout spotted her on the streets of Kelowna, British Columbia, the young beauty took his card but didn't pay much attention. Her dream was to become a missionary and building a career around her looks didn't enter into her plans. Only when she was low on funds to finance her international relations degree at the University of British Columbia did the student make the call that set her on the road to fame.
Before hitting the big time the lithe brunette had only one real acting job to her credit - an appearance on Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital, which aired in 2003. "In one scene I'm sleeping in a bed and then I get shot," she recalled laughing. "I might as well have been an extra."
Evangeline Lilly's Rise to Fame
With limited experience under her belt, Evangeline was understandably a little overawed when she landed her first big break on Lost in March 2004. "It totally floored me - the idea of being so green and having to carry a show," she confessed later. Much like her TV character on Lost – a plane crash survivor stranded in the South Pacific – Evangeline is no stranger to getting her hands dirty.
Her stint on a charity project living in a grass hut in the Philippine jungle was great preparation for her all-action role in the programme. "No one went near the water, which was infested with crocodiles, but I was desperate for a shower," she said. "And I have this lack of fear. I would bathe with a tribal person watching out for crocs from the shore".
As it turns out, Lost was just the tip of the iceberg on Evangeline's rise to stardom. Following the show's conclusion in 2010, the actress starred opposite Hugh Jackman in the sci-fi flick, Real Steel (2011) before landing the role of Tauriel in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy.
Ultimately, it was Evangeline's casting in Marvel's Ant-Man franchise that propelled her into the spotlight. Internationally recognised for portraying Hope van Dyne, Evangeline has reprised the role on numerous occasions – most notably in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers Endgame (2019), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Evangeline Lilly's Personal Life
Evangeline was previously married to Murray Hone from 2003 to 2004. Following their divorce, she dated her Lost co-star, Dominic Monaghan, from 2004 to 2007.
As of 2010, Evangeline has been in a relationship with her long-term partner and Lost production worker, Norman Kali. The couple has since welcomed two children, a son named Kahekili (born in 2011), and another son whose name is yet to be revealed, in October 2015.
