Rebecca Romijn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rebecca Romijn
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Romijn in 2019
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Rebecca Alie Romijn
November 6, 1972 Berkeley, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Rebecca Romijn-Stamos |
| Education | University of California, Santa Cruz |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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| Children | 2 |
Rebecca Alie O'Connell (born Romijn; November 6, 1972) is an American actress and former fashion model. She is famous for playing the shape-shifting character Mystique in the first three X-Men movies.
She also played Joan in the Marvel Comics movie The Punisher and had the main role in the film Femme Fatale. On television, she is known for playing Una Chin-Riley, also known as Number One, on Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She also had important roles as Alexis Meade in Ugly Betty and Eve Baird in The Librarians.
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Early Life
Rebecca Romijn was born in Berkeley, California. Her mother, Elizabeth, taught English as a Second Language at a community college. Her father, Jaap, was a custom furniture maker. Her father was from the Netherlands, and her mother is an American with Dutch ancestors.
Romijn has said that as a young teenager, she felt insecure. Because she grew very tall, very quickly, she developed scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves. She was once nicknamed the "Jolly Blonde Giant" because of her 5-foot-11-inch height, but she later said she made up that nickname for fun.
While studying music at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she started a career in fashion modeling. This led her to move to Paris, France, where she lived for over three years.
Career
Modeling Career
Romijn began modeling in 1991. She appeared on the covers of many famous magazines. These included Elle, Marie Claire, and Cosmopolitan in countries all over the world. She also appeared in magazines like GQ and Sports Illustrated.
She was in advertisements for famous brands like Christian Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, and Victoria's Secret. She walked in fashion shows for designers such as Giorgio Armani alongside other supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. From 1998 to 2000, she was the host of the MTV show House of Style.
Acting in Movies and TV
The X-Men Movies
In 2000, Romijn got her first major movie role as the blue-skinned mutant Mystique in X-Men. To play the character, her body was painted blue and covered in special pieces called prosthetics. She returned to the role for the sequels X2 in 2003 and X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006. In X-Men: The Last Stand, her character is changed back to a normal human. She also made a brief, uncredited appearance as an older version of Mystique in X-Men: First Class (2011).
In March 2025, it was announced that Romijn would return to play Mystique in the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Avengers: Doomsday, set to be released in 2026.
Other Film and Television Roles
Romijn starred in the 2002 movie Femme Fatale. She also acted in other films like Rollerball and The Punisher.
On television, she joined the cast of the ABC show Ugly Betty in 2007. She played Alexis Meade, the sister of the main character, Daniel Meade. From 2014 to 2018, she starred as Eve Baird in the TNT series The Librarians. She also hosted the reality TV show Skin Wars.
Romijn has also done voice acting. She was the voice of Lois Lane in several animated DC Comics movies, including The Death of Superman.
Star Trek Roles
In 2019, Romijn appeared on Star Trek: Discovery as Una Chin-Riley, the first officer of the starship USS Enterprise. She continued to play this role in the spin-off series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which began in 2022.
Personal Life
In 1994, Romijn began dating actor John Stamos. They married on September 19, 1998. During their marriage, she was known professionally as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. The couple announced their separation in 2004, and their marriage ended in 2005.
Romijn started dating actor Jerry O'Connell in 2004. They got engaged in 2005 and were married on July 14, 2007. On December 28, 2008, they welcomed twin daughters. After her marriage to O'Connell, she went back to using her birth name, Rebecca Romijn.
