Intro Canadian actress
Is Actor 
From Canada 
Type Film, TV, Stage & Radio 
Gender female
Birth 24 July 1991, Vancouver
Age: 29 years

Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress, known for portraying Felicity Smoak on The CW television series Arrow as well as its spinoff series The Flash, Vixen and Legends of Tomorrow.

Early life

Rickards was born and raised in British Columbia. Beginning on her career path at a young age, she introduced herself to musical theatre and dance, with the hope of later introducing herself to more serious acting. She graduated from high school early and attended the Vancouver Film School, completing the Acting Essentials Program. After completing the program, she attended an open call audition, which gained her an agent. She studied at the Alida Vocal Studio in Vancouver.

Career

Rickards appeared in the video of the Nickelback single “Never Gonna Be Alone” in 2008 and, after some minor roles, was cast as Felicity Smoak in the TV series Arrow in 2012. Originally signed as a one-episode guest star, positive reaction from her co-star and from Warner Brothers producer Peter Roth before the show aired, led to her being signed on as a recurring star for the rest of show’s first season. The success of the character, coupled with positive fan response, led to her being made a series regular from the second season onwards. The following year she landed the role of Lauren Phillips in the television movie Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story.

In 2015, she had a supporting role in the Oscar nominated film Brooklyn.

In 2016, Rickards was cast in the movie Slumber, alongside Darby Stanchfield and Meaghan Rath. In the same year she was also cast in Aisha Tyler’s directorial debut, Axis, which raised funds through a Kickstarter campaign.

Rickards also co-starred, alongside Josh Dallas and Tom Cavanagh in the super-hero themed short film Sidekick, directed by Arrowverse alum Jeff Cassidy.

Filmography

Denotes films/television series that have not yet been released
Film performances
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 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, In post-production
2017 Slumber Stevens In post-production
Television performances
Year Title Role Notes
2012–present Arrow Felicity Smoak/Overwatch Recurring role (season 1)
Main role (seasons 2–5)
2013 Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story Lauren Phillps Television film
2014–16 Flash, TheThe Flash Felicity Smoak/Overwatch Guest-starring role, 6 episodes
2016 Legends of Tomorrow Guest-starring role, 2 episodes
2016 Comedy Bang! Bang! Becky Simmons Episode: “Joe Jonas Wears a Maroon and Gold Letterman Jacket With White Sneakers”
2016 Superhero Fight Club 2.0 Felicity Smoak/Overwatch Short promo video
Web series performances
Year Title Role Notes
2013 Soldiers of the Apocalypse Fourty Main role, 8 episodes
2013 Arrow: Blood Rush Felicity Smoak/Overwatch Main role, 6 episodes
2015 Very Mallory Herself Voice, Episode: “Emily Bett Rickards”
2015 Vixen Felicity Smoak/Overwatch Voice, 2 episodes
2016 Paranormal Solutions Inc. Genevieve Kreme 8 episodes
Music video appearances
Year Song title Artist
2009 “Never Gonna Be Alone” Nickelback

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2014 Leo Award Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series Arrow Nominated
Teen Choice Award Female Breakout Star Nominated
2015 Leo Award Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice TV Actress Fantasy/Sci-Fi Nominated
MTV Fandom Awards: Ship Of The Year (with Stephen Amell) Won
Leo Award Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series The Flash Nominated
2016 MTV Fandom Awards: Ship Of The Year (with Stephen Amell) Arrow Won