Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in True Blood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and is recognized for her roles in films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine and John Carter.
Born Viola Lynn Collins, reported variously in May or June 1977, Collins is from Houston, Texas, and has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry. She has also claimed to have Cherokee ancestry, referring to herself as "Irish and Cherokee". She spent her formative years in Singapore, with "summers in Japan where her parents were getting their fourth and fifth and sixth dan in Shitō-ryū ... Okinawa-style karate". During a childhood Christmas pageant in which she played Mrs. Claus, Collins discovered her love for acting.
She attended Singapore American School and Klein High School in Texas. She graduated from the Juilliard School's Drama Division (Group 28: 1995–1999) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.