Olivia Munn

Olivia Munn

Munn at Paley Fest, March 2013
Born Lisa Olivia Munn
(1980-07-03) July 3, 1980
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater University of Oklahoma
Occupation Actress, model
Years active 2004–present

Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980)[1][2] is an American actress and model. She was credited as Lisa Munn in her early career, but since 2006, she has used the name Olivia Munn both personally and professionally.[3]

Munn began her professional career in television journalism before becoming an actress. In 2006, Munn starred as Mily Acuna on the series Beyond the Break. She co-hosted Attack of the Show! from 2006 to 2010 and was a correspondent on The Daily Show from 2010 to 2011. Munn has also had supporting roles in various films and television series since 2004. She played the character Sloan Sabbith on the television series The Newsroom from 2012 to 2014 and appeared in the sequel film X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) as Psylocke.

Early life

Lisa Olivia Munn was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her mother, Kimberly Schmid, was born and raised in Vietnam, of Chinese descent.[4][5] Her father, Winston Barrett Munn, has English, German and Scottish ancestry. Her mother was a Vietnamese refugee and fled to Oklahoma after the Vietnam War, in 1975.[6] After college, her mother married Winston.[7][8][9] When Munn was two years old, her mother remarried to a member of the United States Air Force. Although the family relocated many times, Munn was predominantly raised on Yokota Air Base near Tachikawa in Tokyo, Japan,[3][10] where her stepfather was stationed. During this time, she appeared in a number of local theater productions and later became a model in the Japanese fashion industry.[11]

Her mother and stepfather divorced, and she moved back to Oklahoma, where she attended Putnam City North High School for her junior and senior years.[12][13]

Munn attended the University of Oklahoma, majoring in journalism and minoring in Japanese and dramatic arts.[3]

Career

2004 – 09: Beginnings

After graduating, she became an intern at the NBC affiliate in Tulsa,[14] and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. In 2004, Munn interned at Fox Sports Networks and worked as a sideline reporter for college football and women's basketball. She has gone on to say that she disliked the experience, explaining "I was trying to be something I wasn't, and that made me really uncomfortable on live TV."[10] Soon after she moved to Los Angeles, Munn was cast in a small role in the direct-to-video horror film Scarecrow Gone Wild. She appeared in rock band Zebrahead's music video for their song "Hello Tomorrow" as the love interest of the lead singer Justin Mauriello.[15] Munn also appeared in National Lampoon's Strip Poker, which was filmed at Hedonism II, a naturist resort in Negril, Jamaica, with Kato Kaelin. The films aired on DirecTV and In Demand pay-per-view.

Munn with the Attack of the Show! panel at the 2009 Comic Con

In late 2005, Munn began her role as teen surfer Mily Acuna over two seasons of the television drama Beyond the Break on The N network.[16] She enjoys surfing and continues to practice the sport.[17] She originally auditioned for the role of Kai Kealoha, but the producers wanted a "local girl".[18] She also appeared in the film The Road to Canyon Lake.[19]

In 2006, Munn moved on to the G4 network, where she began co-hosting Attack of the Show! with Kevin Pereira on April 10. She replaced departing host Sarah Lane. The network, devoted to the world of video games and the video game lifestyle, was at first hesitant to hire Munn. Although she admits video games were her "weak point", she was confident in her technical knowledge.[20] On the show, Munn was featured with journalist Anna David in a segment called "In Your Pants", which deals with sex and relationship questions from viewers. While working on Attack of the Show!, Munn hosted Formula D, a now defunct program about American drift racing, and an online podcast called Around the Net (formerly known as The Daily Nut), for G4. Munn left Attack of the Show! in December 2010 and was replaced by Candace Bailey.[21] Munn appeared in the Rob Schneider film Big Stan (2007). She played Schneider's character's receptionist Maria.[10] Munn had a significant role in the horror film Insanitarium in which she played a nurse at an insane asylum.

2010 – present: Breakthrough

She had roles in the films Date Night (2010) and Iron Man 2 (2010). Robert Downey, Jr. praised Munn for her improvisation skills and led the crew in a round of applause.[22] Munn hosted Microsoft's Bing-a-thon, an advertisement on Hulu for the Microsoft search-engine Bing, on June 8, 2009, alongside Jason Sudeikis.[23] Munn appeared in ABC Family's Greek, portraying Cappie's love interest, Lana. In May 2010, NBC announced that Munn would star on the television series Perfect Couples. The half-hour romantic comedy premiered on January 20, 2011.[24] The series was cancelled before it completed its first season run.[25]

Munn at the 2013 Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards

On June 3, 2010, Munn debuted in her new role as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show.[26] Her hiring prompted criticism from Irin Carmon of Jezebel, who questioned Munn's credentials and accused the show's production of sexism in hiring Munn, whom Carmon characterized as a sex symbol.[27] Carmon saw Munn's hiring as a perpetuation of the show production office's history as a male-dominated atmosphere marginalizing and alienating to women.[28] A group of thirty-two female Daily Show production staff members condemned Carmon's piece as inaccurate and misinformed, as did Munn herself in an interview, in which she stated that Carmon's assertion was an insult both to her and to the rest of the Daily Show staff.[29][30] She went on to appear in 16 more episodes as a correspondent, with TV Guide naming as her signature segment "Tiger Mothering", in which she mocked the high expectations of Chinese mothers, in part by interviewing her own mother.[31] Her last episode as a correspondent aired September 2, 2011. She returned for a brief segment in host Jon Stewart's final show on August 6, 2015.

In 2010, Munn guest-starred on NBC's comedy-drama Chuck as a CIA agent.[32] In 2011, Munn appeared in the comedy film I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) as Momo. In 2012, Munn had a leading role in The Babymakers, a minor role in Freeloaders, and appeared in Magic Mike, directed by Steven Soderbergh. She played Sloan Sabbith on HBO's drama series The Newsroom. She also appeared as Angie, Nick's stripper girlfriend, in three episodes in Season Two of FOX's sitcom New Girl.[33]

Munn served as a correspondent in "True Colors", the May 12, 2014 episode of the Showtime documentary series Years of Living Dangerously, in which she interviewed Washington State Governor Jay Inslee about his efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in his home state. As of June 2014, Munn has been hired as the main promoter of Proactiv acne cleanser products starring in several commercials and one informercial for the product. The commercials show Munn experiencing acne herself. Since January 2015, she has been the voice of the character Phoebe Callisto on the Disney Junior animated series Miles from Tomorrowland.

In print

Munn with Deliver Us from Evil co-star Joel McHale at the 2014 WonderCon

Munn has booked modeling campaigns for Nike, Pepsi and Neutrogena. She appeared on the Fall 2006 cover of Foam magazine in September, in Men's Edge magazine in August, and was featured in a pictorial in Complex in November 2006, where she later became a columnist.[34] In February 2007, she appeared as "Babe of the Month" in a non-nude pictorial in Playboy magazine.[35] She discusses this shoot in her book Suck it, Wonder Woman.[36]

Munn also appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Men's Health. In September 2007, she was featured in the Italian Vanity Fair for their "Hot Young Hollywood" Issue. Munn appeared in the Winter/Spring 2009 issue of Men's Health Living.[37] She was featured as the cover girl for the July/August 2009 issue of Playboy, and later on the cover of the January 2010 and February 2011 issues of Maxim. Munn appears on the cover of the January 2012 issue of FHM magazine.[38] She was voted #2 by readers on Maxim's list of their Hot 100 Women of 2012.[39][40]

Munn's book Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek (ISBN 0-312-59105-5) was released on July 6, 2010. In a review for Time Out New York, Olivia Giovetti said that the book offers glimpses into Munn's life, but does not go into depth.[41]

Charity work

In 2011, Munn teamed up with Dosomething.org's Green Your School Challenge. She was a spokesperson for the campaign by filming a PSA regarding the challenge, and sat on the panel of judges that evaluated the entries.[42]

Munn helped PETA with a campaign that ultimately freed a sick elephant from a touring circus. Her blog for The Huffington Post[43] was credited with encouraging fans to contact the USDA on the elephant's behalf.[44] Munn posed for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign in April 2010,[45][46] and again in January 2012.[47] In February 2013, Munn fronted a PETA release of new footage showing cruelty to animals in Chinese fur farms.[48]

Personal life

Munn resides in both Los Angeles and New York City.[7] In regard to her faith and work in Deliver Us from Evil, Munn has stated that "I didn't believe in the supernatural before this movie"; however, the viewing of footage from the New York Police Department of real-life exorcisms changed her mind, and she has stated that "I'm a full believer [now]."[49][50]

Filmography

Film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2004 Scarecrow Gone Wild Girl #1
2004 National Lampoon's Strip Poker Herself
2005 The Road to Canyon Lake Asian mob girl
2007 Big Stan Maria
2008 Insanitarium Nancy
2009 The Slammin' Salmon Samara Dubois
2010 Date Night Claw Hostess
2010 Iron Man 2 Chess Roberts[51]
2010 Jedi Junkies Herself
2011 I Don't Know How She Does It[52] Momo Hahn
2012 Magic Mike Joanna
2012 The Babymakers Audrey Macklin
2012 Freeloaders Madeline
2014 Unity Narrator Documentary
2014 Deliver Us from Evil Jen Sarchie
2015 Mortdecai Georgina Krampf
2016 Ride Along 2 Maya Cruz
2016 Zoolander No. 2 Herself Cameo
2016 X-Men: Apocalypse Psylocke
2016 Office Christmas Party Tracey
Television roles
Year Title Role Notes
2006–10 Attack of the Show! Herself Co-host
2006–07 Beyond the Break Mily Acuna Recurring role; 9 episodes
2008–09 Sasuke Herself Competitor; 2 episodes
2009 Greek Lana 4 episodes
2009 Dave Knoll Finds His Soul Girl #1 Television film
2010 Accidentally on Purpose Nicole Episode: "Face Off"
2010–11 The Daily Show Herself Correspondent
2010 Chuck Greta Episode: "Chuck Versus the Anniversary"
2010–11 Perfect Couples Leigh Main role; 13 episodes
2011 Robot Chicken Dr. Liz Wilson Voice role; episode: "Kramer vs. Showgirls"
2012–14 The Newsroom Sloan Sabbith Main role; 25 episodes
2012 Paulilu Mixtape Katie Episode: "Ghost Tits"
2012–13 New Girl Angie 3 episodes
2013 The High Fructose Adventures of the Annoying Orange Fudgie Voice role; episode: "Orange Say Knock You Out"
2013 David Blaine: Real or Magic Herself TV special
2015 Miles from Tomorrowland Captain Phoebe Liang Callisto Voice role; main role
2015 Repeat After Me Herself Episode 1.04
2016 Lip Sync Battle Herself Episode: "Olivia Munn vs. Kevin Hart"

Magazine rankings

Year Countdown Name Rank
2008 FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2008 #85
2009FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2009 #85
2010FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010 #52
2008 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2008 #99
2009 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2009 #96
2010 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2010 #8
2011 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2011 #2
2012 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2012 #2
2013 Maxim's Hot 100 Women, 2013 #28

Bibliography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Books

Critical studies, reviews and biography

References

  1. Olivia Munn: Bio. US magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  2. Olivia Munn Maxim magazine. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Olivia Munn. "About". OliviaMunn.com. COMPLEXMediaNetwork. Archived from the original on April 6, 2010. Retrieved April 6, 2010.
  4. Bueno, Antoinette (January 7, 2016). "Olivia Munn's Mom Says Aaron Rodgers is a Big Deal on Vietnamese Blogs". Entertainment Tonight.
  5. Hendricks, Jaclyn (January 8, 2016). "Aaron Rodgers impresses Olivia Munn's mom, Vietnamese blogs". New York Post. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  6. "Olivia Munn Facts: 29 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Actress". Moviefone. July 4, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Pacheco, Patrick (May–June 2012). "Olivia Munn: Hollywood's Hottest Geek". Ocean Drive. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  8. "Tokyo Dance Trooper with G4TV's Olivia Munn". ZimBio.com. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
  9. Farley, Christopher John (5 June 2010). "'Daily Show' Correspondent Olivia Munn on Joining the Program". The Wall Street Journal blog. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 Olivia Munn (April 7, 2006). "Just Who is Olivia Munn?". G4TV (Interview). Interview with sjohnson. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  11. "Olivia Munn". AskMen.com. Retrieved October 28, 2007.
  12. "OU graduate Olivia Munn gets 'Perfect' in new show". NewsOK. 21 January 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  13. "Books by Putnam City Graduates". Putnam City Schools. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  14. "Olivia Munn & Sam Roberts on News Room, Magic Mike, Nude Scene, Leaving G4, & more". YouTube. June 27, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  15. Olivia Munn in Zebrahead Music Video on YouTube Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  16. Stephen A. Johnson (April 15, 2006). "AOTS hosts Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn". G4TV. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  17. Matt Bean. "Adventure as Aphrodisiac". menshealth.com. Retrieved October 29, 2007.
  18. Olivia Munn (November 30, 2006). "Hello TV Land!!". tvguide.com. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  19. Belus, Amber (2014-05-14). "'The Newsroom' actress Olivia Munn dating Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers". Beauty World News. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  20. "Playboy after hours – babe of the month" (February 2007) Playboy, as seen in: "Olivia Munn in Playboy!". G4. January 18, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2007..
  21. Stanhope, Kate (2011-01-13). "Olivia Munn: Why I Left 'Attack Of The Show'". TV Guide. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
  22. Blair Marnell (December 14, 2009). "Olivia Munn Talks 'Iron Man 2' Improv". MTV Splash Page. Viacom. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
  23. "Bing-a-thon on mashable.com".
  24. "NBC Announces Pickup of New Comedy Series 'Perfect Couples' For 2010–11 Season" (Press release). NBC Universal. May 12, 2010. Archived from the original on May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  25. Claudine Zap (April 8, 2011). "Bye-Bye, 'Perfect Couples,' Hello 'Paul Reiser Show'". Yahoo! TV. Retrieved April 14, 2011.
  26. "Olivia Munn 'trying out' as 'Daily Show' correspondent". The Hollywood Reporter. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  27. Irin Carmon (June 8, 2010). "Olivia Munn's Geek Goddess Schtick". Jezebel. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  28. Irin Carmon (June 23, 2010). "The Daily Show's Woman Problem". Jezebel.
  29. Teri Abrams-Maidenberg et al. (June 2010) "Women of The Daily Show Speak". The Daily Show. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  30. Sarah Hepola (July 7, 2010). "Olivia Munn: 'I'm easy to hate. I get it'". Salon.com. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  31. Rudolph, Ileane (July 27, 2015). "Alumni Association: A roundup of The Daily Show's coolest Graduates". TV Guide. pp 21-22.
  32. "Her Quest for World Domination Continues: Olivia Munn to Guest-Star on Chuck". TV Guide. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
  33. "Cabin". New Girl. 2013-01-08. FOX.
  34. "Complex's New Columnist: Olivia Munn". Complex. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  35. Olivia Munn (January 31, 2007). "Hello TV Land!!". tvguide.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2007. Retrieved October 31, 2007.
  36. Amanda Hess (June 30, 2010). "Consent and Manipulation in Olivia Munn’s Playboy Shoot". Washington City Paper. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  37. Andrew Vontz. "Olivia Munn in Men's Health Living". Men's Health Living. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  38. "Olivia Munn FHM Cover, January 2012". Trendrabbit.com.
  39. "2012 Hot 100: The Definitive List of the World's Most Beautiful Women". Maxim. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  40. "2012 Hot 100". Maxim. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  41. Olivia Giovetti (June 28, 2010). "Suck It, Wonder Woman!: Munn fans rejoice, all others proceed with caution". Time Out New York. Retrieved August 3, 2010.
  42. Rachel Cernansky (February 3, 2011). "Green Your School: Take The DoSomething.Org Challenge". Treehugger.com. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  43. Olivia Munn (November 21, 2011). "Sarah Cannot Wait Another Day". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  44. Daily Dish (November 29, 2011). "Olivia Munn Celebrates After Ailing Elephant Is Saved". SFGate.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  45. FITSNews (April 28, 2010). "Olivia Munn Wants Elephants To Run Free". fitsnews.com. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  46. "Olivia Munn Combats Circus Cruelty". PETA. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  47. Cristina Everett (January 13, 2012). "Olivia Munn naked billboard for PETA's anti-fur campaign". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
  48. Olivia Munn Exposes Chinese Fur-Farm Cruelty. "Olivia Munn Exposes Chinese Fur-Farm Cruelty". YouTube. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  49. Hasty, Katie (April 25, 2014). "Deliver Us From Evil made Olivia Munn into supernatural believer". HitFix. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  50. "Olivia Munn Says She's a Believer After Working on 'Deliver Us from Evil'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  51. Boucher, Geoff (May 1, 2010). "'Iron Man 2' roundup: Captain America's shield, Olivia Munn and Bill Gates". Los Angeles Times blog. Retrieved May 16, 2010. A second, unnamed role played by Munn—a partygoer at Tony Stark's birthday party—was cut from the film, but it is viewable in the movie's deleted scenes on Blu-ray. According to the audio commentary, she was given the role of Chess Roberts as compensation for her party scene being cut.
  52. Bettinger, Brendan (December 18, 2010). "Christina Hendricks, Olivia Munn, and Seth Meyers Join Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, and Kelsey Grammer for I Don't Know How She Does It". Collider.com.

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