Yvonne Strahovski | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Strahovski, at the Chuck panel at WonderCon 2009 in San Francisco. | |
| Born | Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski (1982-07-30)30 July 1982 (age 43) Werrington Downs, New South Wales, Australia |
| Education | University of Western Sydney (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Yvonne Jaqueline Strzechowski[a] (born 30 July 1982),[1] known professionally asYvonne Strahovski (/strəˈhɒvski/), is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles asSarah Walker in the spy comedy drama seriesChuck (2007–2012),Hannah McKay in the drama seriesDexter (2012–2013) andKate Morgan in the event series24: Live Another Day (2014). Strahovski starred as Serena Joy Waterford in the drama seriesThe Handmaid's Tale (2017–2025), for which she has received nominations for twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, threeScreen Actors Guild Awards and aGolden Globe Award.
Her other notable works includeLego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers (2010),The Guilt Trip (2012),Killer Elite (2011),I, Frankenstein (2014),The Astronaut Wives Club (2015),Manhattan Night (2016),All I See Is You (2016),He's Out There (2018),The Predator (2018) andThe Tomorrow War (2021). She voicedMiranda Lawson in theMass Effect video game series andBatwoman in the animated superhero filmBatman: Bad Blood (2016).
Strahovski was born Yvonne Jaqueline[2] Strzechowski on 30 July 1982[1] inWerrington Downs, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.[3] She is the only child of Bożena, alab technician, and Peter[4] Strzechowski, anelectronic engineer.[5] Her parents are Polish emigrants fromTomaszów Mazowiecki.[6]
The family moved toBass Hill when Strahovski was five years old; later, the family moved to the coastal suburb ofMaroubra. She began acting lessons at the age of 12. Straight after high school, Strahovski went to the University of Western Sydney's[7]Theatre Nepean, where she graduated with aBachelor of Arts in performance in 2003. She then worked professionally in theatre in Australia for three years before landing a role in the American TV seriesChuck.[3][8]
Strahovski started acting at school when she played Viola in the school production ofTwelfth Night.[9] She appeared in film and television roles inAustralia, including a turn on satirical showDouble the Fist and as Freya Lewis in the Australian drama seriesheadLand. She has also appeared inChannel Nine'sSea Patrol.
Strahovski sent in her audition tape for the TV seriesChuck while in the United States auditioning for roles in other shows, namelyNBC's 2007 seriesBionic Woman.[10] She was cast asSarah Walker after running lines withZachary Levi. She relocated to the United States six months later.[11] Strahovski adopted the morephonetic spelling of Strahovski as her stage name in place of Strzechowski at this time.[12]
In addition to English, Strahovski is fluent in Polish, and employed it in a brief exchange with a colleague in theChuck episode "Chuck Versus the Wookiee" and again in the episodes "Chuck Versus the Three Words" and "Chuck Versus the Honeymooners". Although she portrays an American in the series, she briefly spoke in a "Hollywood" Australian accent in the episode "Chuck Versus the Ex".
Strahovski appears inMass Effect Galaxy,Mass Effect 2, andMass Effect 3 as the voice ofMiranda Lawson. She had her face scanned and animated so she could portray Lawson inMass Effect 2.
Strahovski voicesAya Brea in the English version of theParasite Eve spinoff,The 3rd Birthday. She appeared in aCollegeHumor sketch in April 2011, parodying the music styles ofKaty Perry,Ke$ha,Lady Gaga, andJustin Bieber.[13]
Strahovski appeared in the 2011 filmKiller Elite, alongsideJason Statham,Clive Owen, andRobert De Niro.[14] She appeared in the 2012 comedyThe Guilt Trip, oppositeSeth Rogen andBarbra Streisand.[15]
In 2010, Strahovski received theTeen Choice Award for Choice Action TV Actress forChuck, as well as a nomination forSpike Video Game Awards for Best Performance by a Human Female forMass Effect 2. In 2011, Strahovski was nominated again for theTeen Choice Awards for Choice Action TV Actress. In 2011,Cosmopolitan Magazine (Australia) named Strahovski the Fun Fearless Female of the Year, along with Favorite TV Actress.
In November 2011, Strahovski was cast as the female lead inI, Frankenstein (2014).[16] In March 2012, she featured in a newSoBe Life commercial. In May 2012, Strahovski ranked No. 35 inMaxim Hot 100. In June 2012, Showtime announced Strahovski had joined the cast for the seventh season ofDexter portrayingHannah McKay, a woman involved with an investigation following the death of her former lover, aspree killer whom she accompanied when she was a teenager.[17] She reprised the role in the eighth season ofDexter.[18]
In December 2012, she made herBroadway debut in a revival of Clifford Odets'Golden Boy,[19][20] for which she won aTheatre World Award.[21] Strahovski was honored along withLiam Hemsworth for their work in international roles with the 2012 Australians in Film Breakthrough Award.[22]
In 2014, Strahovski joinedFox's TV series24: Live Another Day cast as Kate Morgan, CIA agent.[23] Later that year, she was cast asRene Carpenter on theABC limited seriesThe Astronaut Wives Club.[24] In 2016, she starred, along withAdrien Brody, as Caroline Crowley in the film noirManhattan Night. She was featured inMaxim Hot 100 from 2009 to 2013.[25]
Strahovski starred asSerena Joy Waterford in all six seasons of the acclaimedHulu drama seriesThe Handmaid's Tale, which ran from 2017 to 2025. For her performance, she earnedPrimetime Emmy Award nominations forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2018 and 2021.[26][27] She also starred as Sofie Werner in the limited seriesStateless (2020).[28]
At the69th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017, Strahovski revealed that she had married Tim Loden, her partner of six years.[29] The couple have three sons, born in 2018, 2021 and 2023.[30][31][32]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Gone | Sondra | |
| 2008 | The Plex | Sarah | |
| 2009 | Persons of Interest | Lara | Short film |
| 2009 | The Canyon | Lori Conway | |
| 2010 | I Love You Too | Alice | |
| 2010 | Matching Jack | Veronica | |
| 2010 | Lego: The Adventures of Clutch Powers | Peg Mooring | Voice |
| 2011 | Killer Elite | Anne Frazier | |
| 2012 | Koala Kid | Miranda | Voice |
| 2012 | The Guilt Trip | Jessica | |
| 2014 | I, Frankenstein | Dr. Terra Wade | |
| 2016 | Batman: Bad Blood | Kate Kane/Batwoman | Voice[33] |
| 2016 | Manhattan Night | Caroline Crowley | |
| 2016 | All I See Is You | Karen | |
| 2018 | He's Out There | Laura | |
| 2018 | The Predator | Emily McKenna | |
| 2019 | Angel of Mine | Claire | [34] |
| 2021 | The Tomorrow War | Colonel Muri Forester | |
| 2023 | Scrambled | Sara |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Double the Fist | Suzie | Episode: "Fear Factory" |
| 2005–2006 | headLand | Freya Lewis | 33 episodes |
| 2006 | BlackJack: Dead Memory | Belinda | Television movie |
| 2007 | Sea Patrol | Martina Royce | Episode: "Cometh the Hour" |
| 2007–2012 | Chuck | CIA AgentSarah Walker | Main role (91 episodes) |
| 2012–2013 | Dexter | Hannah McKay | Recurring role (17 episodes) |
| 2014 | Louie | Blake | Episode: "Model" |
| 2014 | 24: Live Another Day | CIA AgentKate Morgan | Main role (12 episodes) |
| 2015 | The Astronaut Wives Club | Rene Carpenter | Main role (10 episodes) |
| 2015 | Edge | Beth | Pilot |
| 2017–2025 | The Handmaid's Tale | Serena Joy Waterford/Wharton | Main role (56 episodes) |
| 2018 | Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure | Stalyan (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Stateless | Sofie Werner | 6 episodes[35] |
| 2024 | Teacup | Maggie Chenoweth | Main role (8 episodes) |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Mass Effect Galaxy | Miranda Lawson | |
| 2010 | Mass Effect 2 | Also likeness | |
| 2011 | The 3rd Birthday | Aya Brea | English dub |
| 2012–2013 | Mass Effect 3 | Miranda Lawson | Also likeness |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Three Pop Stars, One Song | Katy Perry,Lady Gaga,Ke$ha andJustin Bieber | CollegeHumor YouTube video[36] |
| 2015 | Princess Rap Battle | Daenerys Targaryen | YouTube video series; 1 episode |
