Isla Fisher facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Isla Fisher
Fisher in 2013
Born	Isla Lang Fisher (1976-02-03) 3 February 1976 (age 49) Muscat, Oman
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	Sacha Baron Cohen ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2025)​
Children	3

Isla Lang Fisher (born 3 February 1976) is a talented Australian actress. She was born in Oman to Scottish parents. Her family moved to Australia when she was a child.

Isla started her acting career in TV commercials. She became well-known for playing Shannon Reed in the Australian TV show Home and Away from 1994 to 1997. For this role, she was nominated for two Logie Awards.

Later, Isla moved to Hollywood and appeared in many movies. Some of her famous films include Scooby-Doo (2002), Wedding Crashers (2005), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), The Great Gatsby (2013), and Now You See Me (2013). She has also lent her voice to animated movies like Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and Rango (2011).

Isla Fisher also had a role in the TV show Arrested Development and has starred in the comedy-drama series Wolf Like Me since 2022. Besides acting, she has written two young adult novels and a popular children's book series called Marge in Charge. She was married to English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen from 2010 until their divorce was finalized in 2025. They have three children together.

Early life and education

Isla Lang Fisher was born in Muscat, Oman, on 3 February 1976. Her parents, Elspeth Reid and Brian Fisher, were from Scotland. At the time, her father worked as a banker for the United Nations in Oman.

When Isla was six years old, her family moved to Australia and settled in Perth. She has four brothers. Isla has said she had a "great" childhood in Perth, enjoying an "outdoorsy life." She feels very Australian and has a "laid-back attitude to life."

Isla attended Swanbourne Primary School and Methodist Ladies' College in Perth. She performed in school plays, including Little Shop of Horrors. When she was 21, she studied theatre arts at L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris. There, she learned about clowning, mime, and musical theatre.

Career highlights

Starting out in acting (1985–2001)

Isla Fisher first appeared in Australian TV commercials when she was nine. Her first professional acting roles were in 1993, in children's TV shows like Bay City and Paradise Beach.

When she was 18, Isla published two teen novels, Bewitched and Seduced by Fame, with her mother's help. She once said that if acting hadn't worked out, she would have been a full-time writer.

From 1994 to 1997, Isla played Shannon Reed in the Australian TV show Home and Away. She spoke about her experience on the show, saying it was a lot of work but great experience. For her role, she was nominated for Logie Awards in 1995 and 1997.

After Home and Away, Isla continued her theatre studies in Paris. She also performed in plays and musicals in the United Kingdom. She appeared in the German film Swimming Pool (2001).

Moving to Hollywood (2002–2004)

Isla Fisher made her move to Hollywood in 2002. She played Mary Jane in the live-action movie Scooby-Doo. Even though the movie received mixed reviews, it was a big success at the box office, earning over $275 million worldwide.

Isla was lucky to find work quickly in Hollywood. She later had supporting roles in the independent film Dallas 362 (2003) and the Australian comedy The Wannabes (2003). In 2004, she played a small but memorable part in the comedy I Heart Huckabees.

Becoming a star (2005–2009)

Isla Fisher at the 66th Golden Globe Awards in 2009

Isla Fisher's big breakthrough came with the comedy movie Wedding Crashers (2005). She starred alongside Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. Isla played Gloria Cleary, a unique and funny character who falls for a wedding crasher. She said it was interesting to play a character who was "crazy and lacking in any kind of social etiquette."

Wedding Crashers was very popular with critics and audiences, making over $285 million worldwide. Isla's performance was praised, and she won the Best Breakthrough Performance Award at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. She also received two nominations at the Teen Choice Awards.

After this success, Isla appeared in the drama London (2005) and the romantic comedy Wedding Daze (2006). In 2007, she starred in the thriller The Lookout and the comedy Hot Rod.

In 2008, Isla played April in the romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe, alongside Ryan Reynolds. Critics enjoyed the film, and Isla's character was noted for being a "changeable free spirit." The movie was a commercial success. That same year, she voiced a professor in the animated film Horton Hears a Who!.

Isla took on her first main role in the comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009). She played Rebecca Bloomwood, a college graduate who works as a financial journalist but struggles with a shopping addiction. Isla admitted she was surprised to get her own movie. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box office hit, earning over $108 million worldwide. Isla received another Teen Choice Award nomination for her role.

Gaining wider recognition (2010–2013)

In 2010, Isla starred in the British comedy Burke and Hare. She played Ginny Hawkins, a young woman who falls in love with one of the main characters.

Isla also lent her voice to Beans, a hot-tempered desert iguana, in the 3D animated Western comedy Rango (2011). The film received positive reviews and made over $245 million worldwide. Isla won an award for Best Animated Female for her performance.

In 2012, Isla starred in the comedy Bachelorette with Kirsten Dunst. She played a funny party girl who reunites with friends for a wedding. The movie was a commercial success. Isla also voiced the Tooth Fairy in the animated film Rise of the Guardians (2012).

Isla Fisher became even more widely recognized in 2013 with two very successful films: The Great Gatsby and Now You See Me. In The Great Gatsby, she played Myrtle Wilson, a woman who is the mistress of a wealthy socialite. Isla described working with director Baz Luhrmann as "surreal." The film earned over $353 million worldwide. Isla was nominated for several awards for her supporting role.

In the heist thriller Now You See Me, Isla played Henley Reeves, an escapist and stage magician. The film was a global success, grossing over $350 million.

Also in 2013, Isla had a recurring role in the fourth season of the TV series Arrested Development. She also appeared in Life of Crime. Isla and the cast of Arrested Development were nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. She called her work on the series a career highlight.

Recent roles and writing (2014–present)

In 2015, Isla starred in the independent horror film Visions. In 2016, she appeared in two action-comedy films: Grimsby, where she worked with her husband Sacha Baron Cohen, and Keeping Up with the Joneses.

John Hodgman, Denis Leary and Isla Fisher at the BookExpo in 2017

Isla also starred in Tom Ford's thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016). This film won an award at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.

In 2016, Isla published her first children's novel, Marge in Charge. The book is about a fun babysitter with rainbow hair who loves to bend the rules. It was very well received. She then wrote three more books in the series: Marge and the Pirate Baby (2017), Marge and the Great Train Rescue (2017), and Marge in Charge and the Stolen Treasure (2018).

In 2019, she was a guest star in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2020, Isla starred in the Walt Disney Pictures film Godmothered, which was released on Disney+. In 2025, she voiced Sarah Hatoff in the animated film Dog Man.

Helping others (Philanthropy)

Isla Fisher is also known for her charity work. In 2014 and 2015, she donated her signed shoes for a charity auction called the Small Steps Project Celebrity Shoe Auction.

In 2015, Isla and her husband Sacha Baron Cohen made a large donation of £335,000 to Save the Children. This money helped vaccinate Syrian children against measles. They also donated another £335,000 to the International Rescue Committee to help Syrian refugees.

Personal life

Isla Fisher met English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen in Sydney in 2001. They got engaged in 2004 and were married on 15 March 2010 in Paris.

Isla and Sacha Baron Cohen have three children, born in 2007, 2010, and 2015. They used to live in Los Angeles and London, but now reside in Sydney.

On 5 April 2024, Isla Fisher announced that she and Sacha Baron Cohen had decided to file for divorce. Their divorce was finalized on 13 June 2025.

Isla Fisher considers herself a feminist.

Filmography

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2000	Out of Depth	Australian Girl #1
2001	Swimming Pool	Kim
2002	Scooby-Doo	Mary Jane
2003	The Wannabes	Kirsty
	Dallas 362	Redhead
2004	I Heart Huckabees	Heather
2005	Wedding Crashers	Gloria Cleary
	London	Rebecca
2006	Wedding Daze	Katie
2007	The Lookout	Luvlee
	The Simpsons Movie	Consultant	Voice, scenes deleted
	Hot Rod	Denise
2008	Definitely, Maybe	April
	Horton Hears a Who!	Dr. Mary Lou Larue	Voice
2009	Confessions of a Shopaholic	Rebecca Bloomwood
2010	Burke and Hare	Ginny Hawkins
2011	Rango	Beans	Voice
2012	Bachelorette	Katie
	Rise of the Guardians	Tooth Fairy	Voice
2013	The Great Gatsby	Myrtle Wilson
	Now You See Me	Henley Reeves
	Life of Crime	Melanie Ralston
2015	Visions	Eveleigh
	Klown Forever	Herself	Cameo
2016	Grimsby	Jodie Figgs
	Keeping Up with the Joneses	Karen Gaffney
	Nocturnal Animals	Laura Hastings
2018	Tag	Anna Malloy
2019	The Beach ...	Minnie
	Greed	Samantha
2020	Blithe Spirit	Ruth Condomine
	Godmothered	MacKenzie Walsh
2021	Back to the Outback	Maddie	Voice
2023	Strays	Maggie
2024	The Present	Jen Diehl
2025	Dog Man	Sarah Hatoff	Voice
	Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy	Rebecca	Cameo
	Now You See Me: Now You Don't	Henley Reeves	Post-production
	Jay Kelly	Pamela Palmer
TBA	Playdate	Leslie
	Spa Weekend	0TBA

Television

Awards and nominations

Works and publications

• Bewitched (1995)
• Seduced by Fame (1996)
• Marge in Charge (2016)
• Marge and the Pirate Baby (2017)
• Marge and the Great Train Rescue (2017)
• Marge in Charge and the Stolen Treasure (2018)

See also

In Spanish: Isla Fisher para niños