Lyndsy Fonseca
Quick Facts
Biography
Lyndsy Marie Fonseca (born January 7, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career by appearing as Colleen Carlton on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, on which she starred between 2001 and 2005. Thereafter, she had a series of other recurring roles, including Penny Mosby on the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, Donna on HBO's Big Love, and Dylan Mayfair on the fourth season of the ABC television series Desperate Housewives.
From 2010 to 2013, Fonseca starred as Alexandra "Alex" Udinov on The CW's Nikita and Angie Martinelli on ABC's Marvel's Agent Carter from 2015 to 2016. Fonseca has also appeared in a variety of film roles, including Jenny Steadmeyer in Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and Katie Deauxma in Kick-Ass (2010) and its 2013 sequel.
Early life
Fonseca was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of Lima Lynn (née Bergmann) and James Victor Fonseca. She is partly of Portuguese descent. Her mother later married attorney Reid Dworkin, Fonseca's stepfather, and she has a half-sister, Hannah Leigh Dworkin. Fonseca graduated from Barbizon Modeling and Acting School in San Francisco and relocated to Los Angeles at age 12. She soon made her screen debut as Colleen Connelly-Carlton on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.
Career
In 2005, Fonseca played a recurring role as Ted Mosby's future daughter on How I Met Your Mother and as Donna on HBO's Big Love. She starred in the 2005 Hallmark TV film Ordinary Miracles, as a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent who goes to live with a judge (Jaclyn Smith).
In fall 2007, Fonseca played Dawn in the film Remember the Daze. She joined the cast of ABC's Desperate Housewives as the daughter of Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany), a character moving onto Wisteria Lane. In 2008 she was nominated for the Actor award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for Desperate Housewives (2004), shared with the cast.
Fonseca played Katie Deauxma in the 2010 superhero film Kick-Ass, which also featured her Nikita co-star Xander Berkeley in the cast. She appeared in three more US films in 2010, including Hot Tub Time Machine. In 2010, she was cast in the CW television series Nikita as Alex, a new recruit.
Fonseca was listed at No. 62 on the 2010 Maxim Hot 100 and No. 89 on the 2011 list.
Personal life
Fonseca married artist and writer Matthew Smiley in April 2009. The couple split in July 2012 and Fonseca filed for divorce in 2013, citing irreconcilable differences. In February 2016, she announced her engagement to actor Noah Bean, whom she has been dating since 2012. She and Bean married on October 2, 2016 in Connecticut.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2006 | Intellectual Property | Jenny | |
2007 | Remember the Daze | Dawn | |
2010 | Kick-Ass | Katie Deauxma | |
Hot Tub Time Machine | Jenny Steadmeyer | ||
Ward, TheThe Ward | Iris | ||
2011 | Fort McCoy | Anna Gerkey | |
2013 | Kick-Ass 2 | Katie Deauxma | |
2015 | Moments of Clarity | Danielle | |
The Escort | Natalie | ||
HOSS | Samantha Burke | Short Film |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2001–2005 | The Young and the Restless | Colleen Carlton | |
2003 | Boston Public | Jenn Cardell | 4 episodes |
2004 | Malcolm in the Middle | Olivia | Episode: "Lois' Sister" |
NYPD Blue | Madison Bernstein | Episode: "Colonel Knowledge" | |
Switched! | Herself | Episode: "Lyndsy/Jessie" | |
2005 | I Do, They Don't | Sandy Barber | Movie |
Ordinary Miracles | Sally Anne Powell | Movie | |
Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life | Amy | Movie | |
2005–2014 | How I Met Your Mother | Penny Mosby | 65 episodes, all scenes filmed between 2005 and 2007 |
2006 | Waterfront | Annabelle Marks | Unaired CBS series |
2006–2009 | Big Love | Donna | 6 episodes |
2006 | Phil of the Future | Kristy | Episode: "Not-So-Great Great Great Grandpa" |
2007 | Close to Home | Jessica Conlon | Episode: "Hoosier Hold Em" |
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Megan Cooper | Episode: "Fallen Idols" | |
House | Addie | Episode: "Resignation" | |
Heroes | April | Episode: "Four Months Later..." | |
2007–2009 | Desperate Housewives | Dylan Mayfair | 15 episodes |
2010–2013 | Nikita | Alexandra "Alex" Udinov | Main role (73 episodes) |
2011 | Five | Cheyanne | Movie |
2015–2016 | Marvel's Agent Carter | Angie Martinelli | Recurring role (season 1); guest role (season 2) |
2015–2016 | Grandfathered | Frankie | Episodes: "Sexy Guardian Angel", "The Sat Pack" |
2016 | Pitch | Cara | Episode: "Wear It" |
Awards
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives (shared with rest of cast) | Nominated | |
2009 | Screen Actors Guild | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Desperate Housewives (shared with rest of cast) | Nominated | |
2010 | Scream Awards | Breakout Performance – Female | Kick-Ass | Nominated | |
2011 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nikita | Nominated | |
2012 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nikita | Nominated | |
2013 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Actress: Action | Nikita | Nominated |