British-American actress Lily Jane Collins was born on March 18, 1989 in Surrey, United Kingdom to English musician Phil Collins and his second wife, Jill Tavelman. She moved to Los Angeles with her mother at the age of six following her parents’ divorce in 1996. She majored in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California. Collins married American film director and writer Charlie McDowell on September 4, 2021, a year after the announcement of their engagement. The Emily in Paris star made her acting debut at the age of two in the 1992-1993 BBC series Growing Pains. Collins’ breakthrough role came in the sports-drama film The Blind Side, the third highest-grossing film of 2009. From 2011 to 2014, she enjoyed further success with leading roles in films like Priest, Abduction, Mirror Mirror, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Stuck in Love, The English Teacher, and Love, Rosie.

She earned her first Golden Globes nomination in the Best Actress–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category for her critically- acclaimed role as Marla Mabrey in the 2016 comedy Rules Don’t Apply. The 2017 Netflix drama To the Bone saw her portray a young adult with anorexia. Collins then took on a series of biographical roles in films such as Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Edith in Tolkien and Mank.

Netflix series Emily in Paris (2020–present) won her another nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy.

Collins revealed she suffered from an eating disorder as a teenager in her collection of essays on body image, self-confidence, relationships, family, dating in her 2017 writing debut ‘Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me’.

She has also written columns for publications such as Elle Girl, Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and the Los Angeles Times. She appeared on the cover of Glamour in 2009, a year after being named International Model of the Year by the Spanish magazine.

Collins covered the 2008 US presidential election for the Nickelodeon series Kids Pick the President and won a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for Newest Red Carpet Correspondent.

She has been nominated as a Celebrity Ambassador by anti-bullying organization Bystander Revolution.