On television, Camilla Luddington is widely known for playing Dr. Jo Wilson on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" (2005- ). Prior to joining the cast of the hit medical dramedy in the summer of 2012, however, the drop-dead gorgeous, British-born actress was already landing recurring roles on "Californication" (Showtime, 2007-14) and "True Blood" (HBO, 2008-14). Despite working steadily as a television actress, in early 2013 Luddington expanded her profile by appearing as Lara Croft in the video game reboot of "Tomb Raider."
The widely anticipated game received rave reviews from critics and was an international success, thus allowing Camilla Luddington to extend her fan base beyond the world of television while also strengthening her mainstream appeal both in America, as well as abroad.
Born and raised in the English county of Berkshire, Camilla Luddington learned how to speak with an American accent while still a young girl. She attended grade school in Texas for a year, before moving back to England to finish high school. Luddington moved to the United States permanently when she was 19, having briefly resided in New York City, before permanently settling in Los Angeles in her early 20s to pursue a career in acting. She began landing guest starring roles on television shows like "CSI" (CBS, 2000- ) and "The Defenders" (CBS, 2010-11), before snagging the part of Kate Middleton in the Lifetime movie, "William & Kate."
Despite earning negative reviews, the film was a major success with audiences, thrusting Camilla Luddington into the national spotlight for the first time in her career. She followed up her appearance in "William & Kate" by landing a recurring role on the popular Showtime comedy, "Californication." Luddington played a nanny on the show, which followed the sex-crazed lifestyle of a debauched Hollywood writer played by David Duchovny.
Luddington appeared on the show in 2012, which proved to be an important year for the young actress; in addition to playing a faerie name Claudette on the fifth season of the supernatural HBO drama "True Blood," Luddington also joined the cast of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." As Dr. Jo Wilson, Luddington had to employ her faux American accent on a daily basis, which was difficult since she was simultaneously providing the voice of the London-born heroine Lara Croft,in the reboot of the popular "Tomb Raider" video games.
As Luddington recalled, there were days on the set of "Grey's Anatomy" where she had to continuously repeat her lines after failing to thoroughly mask her English accent. When "Tomb Raider" hit stores in March of 2013, the game was an immediate success, selling one million copies within the first 48 hours of its release. "Tomb Raider" eventually went on to sell nearly 3.5 million copies worldwide, with Luddington receiving universal praise for her portrayal of the video game heroine, previously made famous by none other than Angelina Jolie.