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Emily Bett Rickards
Emily Bett Rickards Photo Op GalaxyCon Austin 2023.jpg
Rickards at the GalaxyCon Austin convention in 2023
Born (1991-07-24) July 24, 1991 (age 33)
Occupation Actress
Years active 2009–present
Signature
Signature of Emily Bett Rickards.png

Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak on The CW series Arrow, her first television credit. She has also reprised the role in the Arrowverse shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl and voiced the character on the animated web series Vixen.

Early life and career

Rickards was born and raised in British Columbia. Her mother is Dr. Diane Greig, a dream psychotherapist in Vancouver.

At a young age, she was introduced to musical theatre and dance. Graduating early from high school, she attended the Vancouver Film School, completing their acting essentials program. Following completion, she attended an open call audition, gaining an agent. She studied at the Alida Vocal Studio in Vancouver. Rickards made her first professional appearance in 2009, starring in the video for the Nickelback single "Never Gonna Be Alone".

Career

Emily Bett Rickards PaleyFest 2015 (cropped)
Rickards at PaleyFest in 2015

Arrowverse

Rickards breakthrough role came in 2012 with her first television casting, as Felicity Smoak in the CW television series Arrow, which is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. Originally signed as a one-episode guest star, positive reaction from her co-star, show-lead Stephen Amell, and from Warner Brothers executive Peter Roth as well as from journalists at preview screenings, led to Rickards being signed as a recurring star for the rest of the show's first season. The success of the character saw her signed as a series regular from the second season onwards. Speaking in 2013 about that decision, Arrow Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim stated "we were very lucky that we cast Emily Rickards, who just lit up the screen." In March 2019, Rickards announced that she would be leaving Arrow at the end of the show's seventh season. In November 2019 Rickards was confirmed as a guest star for Arrow's series finale.

Throughout the series run, Rickards received praise for her performance in the role, often described as the show's "fan favourite" or "breakout" character, with many critics describing the character, and Rickards, as an integral part of the show's success. Notably her delivery of the monologue in the season six episode "We Fall" won her particular praise. Rickards was nominated for multiple Teen Choice and Leo Awards for the role, and in 2016, her portrayal of the character was placed at number 15 in a list of 50 Favourite Female Characters, in a poll of Hollywood professionals conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Rickards also portrayed the character in the spin-off shows to the series (collectively known as the Arrowverse) The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, as well as providing the voice for the character on animated show Vixen. In 2013, she portrayed Felicity in web-based promotional tie-in series Blood Rush, sponsored by Bose, which also featured the characters of Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) and Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).

Film

In March 2014, Rickards was cast in the sequel to Cowgirls 'n Angels, entitled Cowgirls 'n Angels: Dakota's Summer, as Kristen Rose, the sister of the film's protagonist, Dakota, portrayed by Haley Ramm. The film premiered at the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival. In 2015, she had a supporting role in the Oscar nominated film Brooklyn. In 2016, she appeareed in Slumber in 2016, starring Darby Stanchfield and Meaghan Rath. Filming took place in Los Angeles in May 2016. She also appeared in Axis. The film won the prize for outstanding achievement, feature film at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival. She also appeared in the super-hero themed short film Sidekick, directed by Arrowverse alum Jeff Cassidy.

In 2017, she appeared in the comedy, Funny Story. It was runner-up at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2018, in the festival's 'Beyond' programme. It won the Stolman audience award for best American indie at the 2018 Sonoma International Film Festival; the audience award for best narrative feature at the Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival; best feature at the Santorini Film Festival; and the grand jury prize at the Barcelona Film Festival. At the Southampton International Film Festival, Rickards was nominated for leading actress in a feature. In May 2019, she appeared in the indie film, We Need to Talk, co-starring James Maslow, and written and directed by Todd Wolfe. It was an official selection at the FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia, in November 2020 and Rickards was named best actress in a feature. In 2024, Rickards reunited with Arrow co-star Stephen Amell in the western Calamity Jane, a fictionalized story based around the life of Martha Jane Canary, known as Calamity Jane.

Stage and other work

In early 2016, she appeared in the Canadian web-series Paranormal Solutions, which was launched online in April of the same year. In June, she appeared in an episode of the fifth season of IFC comedy Comedy Bang! Bang!. In May 2018, appeared in Reborning for Reality Curve Theatre Group, at the Annex Theatre in Vancouver. The production premiered on June 20, 2018. In April 2019, she reprised her role in Reality Curve's Off-Broadway production at New York's SoHo Playhouse, in July and August of the same year. In September 2018, she narrated an audiobook of The Wicked Ones, originally published as part of the Ghosts of the Shadow Market anthology.

Philanthropy

In 2016, Rickards launched a T-shirt campaign in support of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) through the crowd funding merchandise site Represent.com, with all proceeds going to the charity.

During season four of Arrow, her character was paralyzed from the waist down following a shooting incident, later regaining the ability to walk through the use of a prototype microchip. Rickards filmed a PSA in conjunction with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation advocating for advancements in the treatment of spinal injuries.

In February 2019, the Vancouver Film School announced the "Emily Bett Rickards Acting Scholarship", a partnership between the school and Rickards, to fund a full scholarship for the school's acting programs, as well as partial funding of $250,000 for other students. She will select the scholarship recipients.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Bacon and Eggs Dite Short film
2012 Flicka: Country Pride Mary Malone Direct-to-video
2012 Random Acts of Romance Young wife
2014 Cowgirls 'n Angels: Dakota's Summer Kristen Rose
2015 Normal Doors Meg Short film
2015 Brooklyn Patty McGuire
2016 Sidekick Emma / The Princess Short film
2017 Axis Caitlin Voice
2018 Funny Story Kim
2018 The Clinic Stevens
2020 We Need to Talk Amber
2023 Autumn and the Black Jaguar Filming
2023 Queen of the Ring Mildred Burke Filming
2024 Calamity Jane Calamity Jane

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2020 Arrow Felicity Smoak / Overwatch Recurring role (season 1), main role (seasons 2–7), special guest role (season 8)
2013 Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story Lauren Phillps Television film
2014–2017 The Flash Felicity Smoak Recurring role, 8 episodes
2016–2017 Legends of Tomorrow Felicity Smoak Recurring role, 4 episodes
2016 Comedy Bang! Bang! Becky Simmons Episode: "Joe Jonas Wears a Maroon and Gold Letterman Jacket with White Sneakers"
2016 Whose Line Is It Anyway? Herself Episode: "Emily Bett Rickards"
2016 Superhero Fight Club 2.0 Felicity Smoak Short promo video
2017 Supergirl Felicity Smoak Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1"

Web

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Soldiers of the Apocalypse Fourty Main role, 8 episodes
2013 Blood Rush Felicity Smoak Main role, 6 episodes
2015 Very Mallory Herself (voice) Episode: "Emily Bett Rickards"
2015–2016 Vixen Felicity Smoak (voice) 2 episodes
2016 Paranormal Solutions Inc. Genevieve Kreme 8 episodes

Music videos

Year Title Role Artist Ref.
2009 "Never Gonna Be Alone" Woman Nickelback
2017 "Sunday Morning" Herself Herself and Travis Atreo

Stage

Year Title Role Venue Refs
2018 Reborning Kelly Annex Theatre, Vancouver
2019 SoHo Playhouse, New York

Discography

Year Title Role Author Notes
2018 The Wicked Ones Narrator Cassandra Clare and Robin Wasserman Released for digital download in September 2018.
Part of The Mortal Instruments series.

Awards and nominations

Film

Year Nominated work Award Category Result Refs
2018 Funny Story Southampton International Film Festival Leading Actress in a Feature Nominated
2020 We Need To Talk FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia Best Actress (Feature Film) Won
Best Ensemble Cast (Feature) Won

Television

Year Nominated work Award Category Result Refs
2013 Arrow UBCP/ACTRA Awards Best Newcomer Nominated
2014 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
Teen Choice Awards Female Breakout Star
2015 The Flash Leo Awards Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
Arrow Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
MTV Fandom Awards Ship of the Year (with Stephen Amell) Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
Choice TV Liplock (with Stephen Amell)
2016 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
MTV Fandom Awards Ship of the Year (with Stephen Amell) Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
Choice TV Liplock (with Stephen Amell)
2017 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress – Action
2018 Choice TV Actress – Action
Choice TV Ship (with Stephen Amell)
2019 Choice TV Actress – Action

See also

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