Emily Bett Rickards (born July 24, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Felicity Smoak on The CW series Arrow, her first television credit. She reprised the role in the Arrowverse shows The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl and voiced the character on the animated web series Vixen.
Early life and career Rickards was born and raised in British Columbia. Her mother is Dr. Diane Greig, a dream psychotherapist in Vancouver.
At a young age, she was introduced to musical theatre and dance. Graduating early from high school, she attended the Vancouver Film School, completing their acting essentials program. Following completion, she attended an open call audition, gaining an agent. She studied at the Alida Vocal Studio in Vancouver. Rickards made her first professional appearance in 2009, starring in the video for the Nickelback single "Never Gonna Be Alone".
Career
Arrowverse Rickards' breakthrough role came in 2012 with her first television casting, as Felicity Smoak in The CW television series Arrow, which is based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow. She was initially signed as a guest star for one episode, but after positive reaction from star Stephen Amell, Warner Bros. executive Peter Roth, and journalists at preview screenings, she was signed as a recurring star for the rest of the show's first season. The success of the character saw her signed as a series regular from the second season onwards. Speaking in 2013 about that decision, Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim stated, "We were very lucky that we cast Emily Rickards, who just lit up the screen." Rickards left Arrow at the end of the show's seventh season, and returned as a guest star for the eighth and final season.
Throughout the series run, Rickards received praise for her performance in the role, often described as the show's "fan favourite"See: or "breakout"See: character, with many critics describing the character, and Rickards, as an integral part of the show's success.See: Her monologue in the season-six episode "We Fall" won her particular praise.See: Rickards was nominated for multiple Teen Choice and Leo Awards for the role, and in 2016, her portrayal of the character was placed at number 15 in a list of 50 Favourite Female Characters, in a poll of Hollywood professionals conducted by The Hollywood Reporter.
Rickards also portrayed the character in the spin-off shows to the series (collectively known as the Arrowverse) The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, as well as providing the voice for the character on animated show Vixen. In 2013, she portrayed Felicity in web-based promotional tie-in series Blood Rush, sponsored by Bose, which also featured the characters of Roy Harper (Colton Haynes) and Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne).
Film In March 2014, Rickards was cast in the sequel to Cowgirls 'n Angels, entitled Cowgirls 'n Angels: Dakota's Summer, as Kristen Rose, the sister of the film's protagonist, Dakota, portrayed by Haley Ramm. The film premiered at the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival. In 2015, she had a supporting role in the Oscar-nominated film Brooklyn. In 2016, she appeared in Slumber, starring alongside Darby Stanchfield and Meaghan Rath. Filming took place in Los Angeles in May 2016. She also appeared in Axis. The film won the prize for outstanding achievement feature film at the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival. She also appeared in the super-hero themed short film Sidekick, directed by Arrowverse alum Jeff Cassidy.
In 2018, she appeared in the comedy, Funny Story. The film was runner-up at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2018, in the festival's 'Beyond' programme. It also won the Stolman audience award for best American indie at the 2018 Sonoma International Film Festival; the audience award for best narrative feature at the Vero Beach Wine and Film Festival; best feature at the Santorini Film Festival; and the grand jury prize at the Barcelona Film Festival. At the Southampton International Film Festival, Rickards was nominated for leading actress in a feature. In May 2019, she appeared in the indie film, We Need to Talk, co-starring James Maslow, and written and directed by Todd Wolfe. It was an official selection at the FirstGlance Film Festival in Philadelphia, in November 2020 and Rickards was named best actress in a feature.
In 2024, Rickards reunited with Amell in the western Calamity Jane, a fictionalized story based around the life of Martha Jane Canary, known as Calamity Jane. She appeared in a French film, Autumn and the Black Jaguar, as supporting character and also appeared in Queen of the Ring, a biopic about female wrestler Mildred Burke, where she portrays the lead role.
Other works In early 2016, she appeared in the Canadian webseries Paranormal Solutions, Inc., which was launched online in April of the same year. In June, she appeared in an episode of the fifth season of IFC comedy Comedy Bang! Bang!. In May 2018, she appeared in Reborning for Reality Curve Theatre Group at the Annex Theatre in Vancouver. The production premiered on June 20, 2018. In April 2019, she reprised her role in Reality Curve's Off-Broadway production at New York's SoHo Playhouse, in July and August of the same year. In September 2018, she narrated an audiobook of The Wicked Ones, originally published as part of the Ghosts of the Shadow Market anthology, which is also part of The Mortal Instruments series.
Philanthropy In 2016, Rickards launched a campaign to support the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) by selling T-shirts through the crowdfunding merchandise site Represent.com.
During season four of Arrow, her character was shot and paralyzed from the waist down, then regained the ability to walk through the use of a prototype microchip. Rickards filmed a PSA with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation advocating for advancements in the treatment of spinal injuries.
In February 2019, the Vancouver Film School announced the "Emily Bett Rickards Acting Scholarship", a partnership between the school and Rickards, to fund a full scholarship for the school's acting programs, as well as partial funding of $250,000 for other students. She will select the scholarship recipients.
Personal life In July 2026, Rickards married Riley Howlett.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes2012 Bacon and Eggs Dite Short film Flicka: Country Pride Mary Malone Direct-to-video Random Acts of Romance Young Wife 2014 Dakota's Summer Kristen Rose 2015 Normal Doors Meg Short film Brooklyn Patty McGuire 2016 Sidekick Emma / The Princess Short film 2017 Axis Caitlin Voice2018 Funny Story Kim The Clinic Stevens 2020 We Need to Talk Amber 2024 Autumn and the Black Jaguar Anja Shymore Calamity Jane Calamity Jane Queen of the Ring Mildred Burke
Television Year Title Role Notes 2012–2020 Arrow Felicity Smoak / Overwatch Recurring role (season 1), main role (seasons 2–7), special guest role (season 8) 2013 Romeo Killer: The Chris Porco Story Lauren Phillips Television film 2014–2017 The FlashFelicity Smoak Recurring role, 8 episodes 2016–2017 Legends of Tomorrow Recurring role, 4 episodes2016 Comedy Bang! Bang! Becky Simmons Episode: "Joe Jonas Wears a Maroon and Gold Letterman Jacket with White Sneakers" Whose Line Is It Anyway? Herself Episode: "Emily Bett Rickards" Superhero Fight Club 2.0 Felicity Smoak Short promo video 2017 Supergirl Episode: "Crisis on Earth-X, Part 1"
Web Year Title Role Notes2013 Soldiers of the Apocalypse Forty Main role, 8 episodes Blood Rush Felicity Smoak Main role, 6 episodes 2015 Very Mallory Herself Voice; episode: "Emily Bett Rickards" 2015–2016 Vixen Felicity Smoak Voice; 2 episodes 2016 Paranormal Solutions Inc. Genevieve Kreme 8 episodes
Music videos Year Title Role Artist 2009 "Never Gonna Be Alone" Woman Nickelback 2017 "Sunday Morning" Herself Herself and Travis Atreo
Stage Year Title RoleVenue 2018 Reborning Kelly Annex Theatre, Vancouver 2019 SoHo Playhouse, New York
Discography + Year Title Role Notes 2018 The Wicked Ones Narrator Audiobook; part of The Mortal Instruments series.
Awards and nominations Film Year Nominated work Award Category Result 2018 Funny Story Southampton International Film Festival Leading Actress in a Feature 2020 We Need To Talk FirstGlance Film Festival Philadelphia Best Actress (Feature Film) Best Ensemble Cast (Feature) 2024 Queen of the Ring Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Star on the Horizon Award
Television Year Nominated work Award Category Result 2013Arrow UBCP/ACTRA Awards Best Newcomerrowspan=5 2014 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series Teen Choice Awards Female Breakout Star 2015 The FlashLeo Awards Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series Arrow Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series MTV Fandom Awards Ship of the Year (with Stephen Amell) Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Firowspan=3 Choice TV Liplock (with Stephen Amell)2016 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series MTV Fandom Awards Ship of the Year (with Stephen Amell) Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress – Fantasy/Sci-Firowspan=7 Choice TV Liplock (with Stephen Amell)2017 Leo Awards Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series Teen Choice AwardsChoice TV Actress – Action 2018Choice TV Actress – Action Choice TV Ship (with Stephen Amell) 2019Choice TV Actress – Action
References
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