Thank Rhona Mitra for how we first came to know Lara Croft – she was the original live action model for the Eidos Interactive video game character. Born of a half-Indian / half-English father and Irish mother in 1976, Rhona was raised in London and, following the divorce of her parents, went to a boarding school to finish her education. By the end of the 1990s, Rhona was popping up in bit roles in British productions including “Croupier” with Clive Owen and a sci-fi version of “Beowulf” with Christopher Lambert.
The role of Holly Beggins in the final season of “Party of Five” was Rhona’s introduction to American audiences. “Hollow Man” and Sylvester Stallone‘s “Get Carter” paved the way for the one-season run of “Gideon’s Crossing” on ABC in which Rhona had third billing as Dr. Allejandra Klein. It would not be Rhona’s only foray into television – in fact, it is the medium in which she thrives the most. She was Tara Wilson at the end of “The Practice” before heading over to “Boston Legal” as the same character for its debut season. In the latter part of the 2000s, Rhona has busied herself on the big screen with appearances in “The Number 23” and “Shooter.” With “Doomsday,” Rhona has emerged into the starring role and whether that will continue remains to be seen. Perhaps Rhona’s home is on television legal and medical dramas or on the big screen in sci-fi/horror pieces. Regardless, now you know the little bit of trivia that before Angelina Jolie, Rhona was the inspiration for the hottest video game character in history.
Rhona on the Screen
Her first notable role was in the comedy “A Kid in Aladdin’s Palace” with Thomas Ian Nicholas forever remembered as Henry in “Rookie of the Year.” She’s Kate in Sacha Baron Cohen’s 2002 comedy “Ali G Indahouse,” Tabatha in the Reese Witherspoon fluff “Sweet Home Alabama,” Molly in the Jim Caviezel vehicle “Highwaymen,” Berlin in “The Life of David Gale,” Bus Stop Bombshell in the Farrelly brothers’ “Stuck on You,” and Varinia in the TV movie “Spartacus.” She’s Tara Wilson on both “The Practice” and “Boston Legal” before heading over to “Nip/Tuck” in 2005 for five episodes. She’s Alourdes in “Shooter” and heads the cast of “Doomsday.”
Rhona Says
On her restlessness:
“Men get jealous of me traveling – they don’t understand that just because I disappear on my own doesn’t mean I’m going to shag someone else.”