Happy 35th Birthday, Emily Bett Rickards: From Felicity Smoak to Queen of the Ring
Happy birthday to Emily Bett Rickards, who turns 35 on July 24, 2026. 🎂
For millions of television fans, Rickards will always be associated with one unforgettable character:
Felicity Smoak.
What began as a relatively small role on Arrow turned into something far bigger. Rickards' warmth, comic timing, intelligence, and chemistry with the cast helped transform Felicity from a brief guest character into one of the defining faces of the Arrowverse.
Apple TV's biography of Rickards notes that Felicity was initially intended as a one-off character, but the response to Rickards and her chemistry with Stephen Amell led the writers to expand the role. By Season 2, she had become a series regular.
That kind of career turn is rare.
A performer walks onto a television set for what looks like a small opportunity.
The audience responds.
The writers respond.
The character grows.
And eventually the supposed guest star becomes essential to the entire series.
But Rickards' story did not end with Arrow.
She went on to portray legendary frontierswoman Calamity Jane, reunited with Stephen Amell in a Western, and then took on one of the most physically demanding roles of her career by playing pioneering professional wrestler Mildred Burke in Queen of the Ring.
And her 35th birthday arrives during a particularly personal year as well: Rickards married her fiancé Riley Howlett shortly before her birthday in July 2026.
From Vancouver acting student to Arrowverse favorite to dramatic leading actress, Emily Bett Rickards has already had a career full of unexpected turns.
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Who Is Emily Bett Rickards?
Emily Bett Rickards was born on July 24, 1991, in British Columbia, Canada.
She grew up in Vancouver and developed an interest in performance at an early age.
Apple TV's profile says she participated extensively in dance and theater while growing up, graduated from high school early, and then attended Vancouver Film School to focus more seriously on acting.
After completing her training, she found representation and began auditioning professionally.
Her first professional screen appearance was not in a television drama.
It was in a music video.
Rickards appeared in Nickelback's 2008 video for “Never Gonna Be Alone.”
The next few years included smaller projects and short films.
Then in 2012, she booked a role that would change everything.
Felicity Smoak Was Supposed to Be Small
When Rickards first appeared as Felicity Smoak in Arrow, no one could have predicted how important the character would become.
Felicity made her debut in the Season 1 episode “Lone Gunmen.”
She worked in the IT department at Queen Consolidated.
Oliver Queen approached her with suspicious requests involving damaged technology and obviously incomplete explanations.
Felicity was intelligent enough to know something strange was happening.
But she was also funny enough to make those interactions memorable.
The character's combination of nervous energy, intelligence, awkward honesty, and quick humor immediately gave Arrow something different.
Apple TV notes that Felicity had originally been intended as a small guest character, but Rickards' chemistry with the cast—particularly Stephen Amell—encouraged producers to keep bringing her back.
By the show's second season, she was part of the main cast.
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Why Felicity Smoak Became So Popular
Felicity entered a dark series.
Arrow was built around trauma.
Oliver Queen returned from five years of suffering with scars, secrets, and a willingness to use violence.
Starling City was filled with crime.
The visual style was dark.
The characters were serious.
Then Felicity appeared and brought light into the room.
Her humor did not destroy the drama.
It balanced it.
She could talk about hacking a computer while accidentally making an inappropriate comment.
She could challenge Oliver when he became emotionally closed off.
She could provide technical solutions while remaining one of the most human people in the story.
That combination made her unusually accessible.
Viewers did not need to be billionaire vigilantes to understand Felicity.
She felt like someone who had accidentally wandered into a superhero story and then became indispensable.
From IT Expert to Team Arrow
Felicity's role expanded quickly.
She became one of the core members of Team Arrow alongside Oliver Queen and John Diggle.
Together, the three created the emotional foundation of early Arrow.
Oliver brought the mission.
Diggle brought military experience and moral stability.
Felicity brought intelligence, technology, empathy, and humor.
The balance worked.
As threats became larger, Felicity's technical skills became increasingly important.
She hacked networks.
Tracked criminals.
Managed communications.
Helped coordinate missions.
Eventually, she became far more than “the woman behind the computer.”
She became a strategist and leader in her own right.
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Felicity Became Overwatch
As the Arrowverse expanded, Felicity eventually adopted the codename Overwatch.
The name reflected her evolution.
She was no longer simply an IT employee helping Oliver secretly.
She had become an established member of the vigilante world.
The Arrowverse Wiki records Rickards as portraying Felicity Smoak/Overwatch not only in Arrow but also across The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl.
That expanded presence shows how important Felicity became.
The character was not limited to one series.
She became part of the shared television universe that Arrow helped launch.
The Arrowverse Grew Around Arrow
When Arrow premiered in 2012, it was simply a superhero television series.
Over time, it became the foundation for something enormous.
The Flash followed.
Then:
- Supergirl
- DC's Legends of Tomorrow
- Batwoman
- major crossover events
- alternate Earths
- multiverse storylines
The collection eventually became known as the Arrowverse.
Felicity participated in several of those crossovers.
Rickards even portrayed an Earth-X version of the character during the Crisis on Earth-X event.
For a character initially planned as a minor guest appearance, that is an extraordinary transformation.
Felicity and Oliver Queen
No discussion of Felicity Smoak can avoid the relationship between Felicity and Oliver Queen.
Their chemistry gradually changed the direction of the series.
Initially, the dynamic was professional.
Then friendship.
Then emotional intimacy.
Eventually romance.
The pairing became known among fans as Olicity.
It became one of the most discussed relationships in CW superhero television.
Some viewers loved it.
Some preferred Oliver with other characters.
Some believed the romantic emphasis became too central.
But regardless of opinion, the relationship became fundamental to Arrow.
That alone demonstrates how completely Rickards transformed what had originally been a small character.
Why the Chemistry Worked
Felicity and Oliver are opposites in several obvious ways.
Oliver is guarded.
Felicity talks when nervous.
Oliver is physically imposing.
Felicity initially exists primarily in the digital world.
Oliver hides emotions.
Felicity frequently says exactly what she feels, sometimes before realizing she has said it.
Those contrasts generated chemistry.
More importantly, Felicity challenged Oliver.
She did not simply admire the hero.
She questioned his choices.
She became one of the people capable of telling him when the mission was consuming him.
For a character built around emotional isolation, that mattered.
Felicity Was More Than a Love Interest
The popularity of Olicity sometimes causes Felicity's broader contribution to be overlooked.
She had independent storylines.
Family history.
Professional ambitions.
Ethical dilemmas involving technology.
Trauma.
Leadership responsibilities.
Her relationship with her mother, Donna Smoak, offered another side of the character.
Her father, Noah Kuttler, brought her into conflict with her own technological inheritance.
Later seasons explored the consequences of her increasingly aggressive approach toward threats.
Felicity could be compassionate.
She could also make questionable decisions.
That complexity helped keep her from becoming simply the cheerful computer expert.
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Emily Bett Rickards Made Technological Dialogue Feel Human
Superhero television often contains enormous amounts of exposition.
Characters have to explain:
satellite tracking,
DNA evidence,
security systems,
computer networks,
alternate dimensions,
metahuman activity,
and impossible scientific devices.
Those scenes can become lifeless quickly.
Rickards was particularly good at making technical dialogue sound like part of a character rather than simply information required by the plot.
Felicity could explain a computer system while simultaneously reacting emotionally to what was happening around her.
That skill is more valuable than it appears.
It kept many Team Arrow headquarters scenes energetic.
Humor Was One of Her Greatest Strengths
Rickards also possessed a particular form of comic timing.
Felicity often realized she had said something embarrassing only after the words were already out.
The joke depended on timing:
statement,
pause,
realization,
reaction.
Rickards made that rhythm feel natural.
The humor became one of the character's signatures.
In a show frequently dealing with death, revenge, torture, betrayal, and apocalypse, Felicity's ability to break tension was important.
But She Could Handle Serious Material Too
It would be easy to remember Felicity primarily for humor.
Rickards increasingly had to carry dramatic material as the series developed.
Felicity faced:
- physical injury
- grief
- relationship breakdown
- fear of losing Oliver
- ethical conflicts
- family betrayal
- the consequences of vigilantism
- the possibility of raising a child in a dangerous world
The emotional demands became much larger than anything suggested by her first appearance.
Rickards grew with the role.
Leaving Arrow
After seven seasons, Rickards announced that she would not return as a regular for the show's eighth and final season.
Her departure was significant because Felicity had become one of Arrow's central characters.
The character's absence shaped the final season.
But Rickards did return for the series finale, “Fadeout.”
The Arrowverse Wiki lists the finale as her latest regular Arrowverse appearance as Felicity.
That return gave the series an opportunity to close the emotional story between Oliver and Felicity.
Felicity's Ending
The final moments of Arrow bring Felicity and Oliver back together in the afterlife.
For fans who had followed the relationship for years, it provided emotional closure.
The room in which they reunite echoes an important earlier moment from their relationship.
The story that had begun with an awkward IT employee answering strange technical questions ended with Felicity becoming the person waiting to spend eternity with Oliver Queen.
Whether viewers loved or disliked the romance, it had undeniably become one of the defining narratives of the show.
Life After Arrow
Leaving such a large television franchise can be difficult.
A role played for years can become inseparable from the actor.
Rickards did not immediately rush into another long-running superhero series.
Instead, she pursued smaller and more varied projects.
That eventually led her into historical characters.
And one of those roles created a reunion that Arrow fans immediately noticed.
Calamity Jane Reunited Her With Stephen Amell
In the 2024 Western Calamity Jane, Rickards portrayed the legendary American frontierswoman.
Stephen Amell appeared as Wild Bill Hickok.
Entertainment Weekly highlighted the reunion because Rickards and Amell had spent years playing Felicity and Oliver as one of Arrow's central couples.
This time, however, there were:
no computers,
no vigilante bunker,
no Star City.
Rickards had to embody a completely different historical archetype.
Playing Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane is one of the legendary figures of the American frontier.
The historical Martha Jane Cannary became surrounded by myths involving guns, drinking, adventure, and her association with Wild Bill Hickok.
The film places Rickards directly inside a revenge Western.
For viewers accustomed to seeing her sitting at a computer as Felicity, the transformation is significant.
A Western requires a different physicality.
Different posture.
Different rhythm.
Different world.
That willingness to move away from the familiar was an important step.
Then Came Queen of the Ring
Rickards' most substantial post-Arrow transformation arrived with Queen of the Ring.
She plays Mildred Burke, one of the most important female professional wrestlers of the twentieth century.
The film is directed by Ash Avildsen and based on the life of Burke, a pioneering athlete who fought against an industry that often refused to take women's wrestling seriously.
People described Rickards' transformation into Burke when the film's trailer was released, highlighting the physical and historical demands of the role.
The movie was released theatrically on March 7, 2025.
Who Was Mildred Burke?
Mildred Burke was a groundbreaking professional wrestler.
She became one of the biggest female wrestling attractions of her era and helped establish women's wrestling at a time when women were frequently excluded from athletic competition and wrestling regulation.
Her career included:
championship success,
bouts with male opponents,
international wrestling,
promoting women's wrestling,
and efforts to expand the sport into Japan.
People's coverage of Queen of the Ring describes Burke as a trailblazer who became the first million-dollar female athlete and helped bring women's professional wrestling to Japan.
For Rickards, it was a role requiring much more than impersonation.
She had to become physically credible inside a wrestling ring.
The Physical Transformation
Professional wrestling may be scripted entertainment, but taking bumps and physical contact is very real.
Rickards trained extensively for the role.
She had to learn:
- wrestling movement
- ring positioning
- grappling
- bumps
- strikes
- body language
- the physical confidence of a professional athlete
That is radically different from playing Felicity Smoak.
The transformation demonstrates how much Rickards wanted the role to feel physically convincing.
She Took a Real Wrestling Chop
One of the more memorable production stories involved professional wrestler Kamille.
Rickards described receiving a genuine wrestling chop from the AEW star during filming.
WrestlingInc reported that Rickards ranked the experience among the most thrilling moments she had encountered.
Anyone who has watched professional wrestling knows that a chop can sound brutal.
That sound is not entirely theatrical.
The hand actually connects with the chest.
Rickards' willingness to take that contact is a reminder that portraying Mildred Burke required real physical commitment.
Queen of the Ring Had a Wrestling-Heavy Cast
The movie also surrounds Rickards with performers connected directly to professional wrestling.
The cast includes wrestling names such as:
- Toni Storm
- Kamille
- Naomi
- Mickie James
alongside actors including:
- Josh Lucas
- Walton Goggins
- Tyler Posey
- Francesca Eastwood
That meant Rickards was performing wrestling scenes alongside people who actually understand the physical language of the sport.
For an actor, that raises the standard considerably.
Why Mildred Burke Is Important for Rickards' Career
Felicity Smoak became popular partly because Rickards felt immediately natural in the role.
Mildred Burke requires almost the opposite strategy.
The character is historical.
Physical.
Combative.
Athletic.
The film depends heavily on Rickards as its lead.
That makes Queen of the Ring an important test of her post-Arrow identity.
Could she carry a feature film without relying on the personality audiences already knew?
The role provided the opportunity to answer that question.
From Felicity Smoak to Mildred Burke Is a Huge Leap
Compare the two characters.
Felicity:
- computer genius
- fast-talking
- modern
- technologically driven
- frequently comic
Mildred:
- professional wrestler
- physically confrontational
- historically grounded
- determined to survive a male-dominated sport
- defined by athletic ambition
The distance between them demonstrates range.
That is exactly what an actor needs after spending seven years associated with one television character.
A New Generation May Know Her From Wrestling
This is another interesting development.
For years, Rickards' fanbase was dominated by superhero television.
Queen of the Ring introduced her to wrestling audiences.
Some viewers who never watched Arrow may discover her first as Mildred Burke.
That creates a new identity.
Instead of permanently being “Felicity Smoak,” she becomes:
the actress who played Felicity,
and Calamity Jane,
and Mildred Burke.
That is how a long career gets built.
2026 Brought a Personal Milestone Too
Rickards enters her 35th birthday as a newlywed.
People reported in July 2026 that she married Riley Howlett, approximately a year after the couple became engaged.
According to the report, Rickards had proposed during a trip to Tofino, British Columbia, a place meaningful to the couple.
Their wedding was held outdoors, and her representative confirmed the marriage shortly before her birthday.
It adds a particularly happy personal note to her 35th birthday.
From Vancouver to Global Fandom
Rickards' career is also a reminder of how unpredictable acting success can be.
She trained in Vancouver.
She appeared in a Nickelback video.
She worked smaller roles.
Then she walked into Arrow.
The character was not supposed to dominate the series.
But audiences reacted.
That reaction changed the writers' plans.
Those plans changed Rickards' career.
And eventually Felicity Smoak became one of the most recognizable female characters in the Arrowverse.
There is something wonderfully fitting about that.
Felicity herself was often the underestimated person in the room.
Then she became essential.
Rickards' career on Arrow followed almost exactly the same pattern.
Felicity Helped Change the Arrowverse
It would be easy to say Felicity was simply popular.
Her importance goes beyond popularity.
She helped establish that a superhero television universe did not need every important character to wear a mask.
Technical intelligence could be heroic.
Emotional intelligence could be heroic.
The person at the computer could matter as much as the person firing arrows.
That archetype existed before Felicity, of course.
But the character became one of its most visible examples in 2010s superhero television.
Why Fans Still Love Felicity
Felicity's appeal is surprisingly easy to understand.
She was smart without being emotionally cold.
Funny without being useless.
Vulnerable without being weak.
Romantic without existing only as a love interest.
She made mistakes.
She occasionally frustrated fans.
She changed.
And she felt human inside a universe increasingly filled with super-soldiers, speedsters, aliens, assassins, and alternate realities.
For many viewers, Felicity was the person who kept Arrow grounded.
Emily Bett Rickards at 35
At 35, Rickards has already experienced something most actors never do.
She has played a character beloved by a global fandom.
That alone could define a career.
But her recent work suggests she is interested in creating a second chapter.
Calamity Jane moved her into Western storytelling.
Mildred Burke made her the center of a sports biopic.
Queen of the Ring demanded physical transformation and placed her beside experienced professional wrestlers.
Those choices suggest a performer deliberately testing what else she can do.
And she is still young enough for that next phase to become much larger.
She Has Time to Surprise Audiences Again
This may be the most exciting thing about Emily Bett Rickards at 35.
Fans know what she already accomplished.
But they do not yet know what the defining role of her thirties or forties will be.
Perhaps it will be another drama.
Perhaps a comedy.
Perhaps historical film.
Perhaps stage work.
Perhaps a completely unexpected project.
Felicity Smoak was not originally expected to become what she became.
That makes predicting Rickards' future particularly pointless.
Her biggest opportunity may once again arrive in a form no one expects.
Happy 35th Birthday, Emily Bett Rickards
So today, July 24, 2026, we celebrate Emily Bett Rickards.
The young Canadian performer who trained at Vancouver Film School.
The actress whose small Arrow role refused to remain small.
The woman who helped turn Felicity Smoak into one of the Arrowverse's most beloved characters.
The performer who spent years standing beside Oliver Queen without ever allowing Felicity to disappear into his shadow.
The actress who later traded computers for six-shooters in Calamity Jane.
Who stepped into the wrestling ring as Mildred Burke in Queen of the Ring.
And who reaches 35 with both professional evolution and a joyful new personal chapter underway.
Felicity Smoak may always remain special.
There is no reason she should not.
Playing a character that audiences continue loving years after a series ends is an extraordinary accomplishment.
But Emily Bett Rickards' career has already begun demonstrating something equally important:
Felicity was her breakthrough—not her limit.
Happy 35th birthday, Emily Bett Rickards. 🎂🎉✨
Here's to happiness, health, love, challenging roles, unexpected opportunities, and whatever wonderful next chapter comes after the one nobody originally expected to last beyond a guest appearance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Emily Bett Rickards
How old is Emily Bett Rickards in 2026?
Emily Bett Rickards turns 35 years old on July 24, 2026. She was born on July 24, 1991.
Where was Emily Bett Rickards born?
She was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, and grew up in Vancouver.
Did Emily Bett Rickards attend acting school?
Yes. She attended Vancouver Film School after graduating high school early.
What was Emily Bett Rickards' first professional acting job?
Apple TV's biography lists her first professional screen job as an appearance in Nickelback's 2008 music video for “Never Gonna Be Alone.”
What is Emily Bett Rickards best known for?
She is best known for playing Felicity Smoak in Arrow and the wider Arrowverse.
When did Felicity Smoak first appear in Arrow?
Felicity first appeared during Arrow Season 1 in the episode “Lone Gunmen.”
Was Felicity Smoak originally supposed to be a main character?
No. The role was originally intended to be much smaller. Rickards' chemistry with the cast and audience response led producers to expand the character dramatically.
When did Emily Bett Rickards become an Arrow series regular?
She became a series regular beginning with Season 2.
Why did Felicity Smoak become so popular?
Fans responded strongly to her intelligence, humor, vulnerability, chemistry with Stephen Amell, and the lighter emotional energy she brought to Arrow.
What was Felicity Smoak's superhero codename?
She eventually operated under the codename Overwatch.
Was Emily Bett Rickards in other Arrowverse shows?
Yes. She appeared as Felicity in The Flash, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl, in addition to Arrow.
Did Emily Bett Rickards play another version of Felicity?
Yes. She also portrayed Felicity's Earth-X counterpart during the Crisis on Earth-X storyline.
What is Olicity?
“Olicity” is the fandom name for the romantic pairing of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak.
Did Oliver and Felicity get married?
Yes. Their relationship eventually led to marriage within Arrow.
Why did Emily Bett Rickards leave Arrow?
Rickards left as a regular after Season 7, choosing to move on from the long-running series.
Did Emily Bett Rickards return for the Arrow finale?
Yes. She returned as Felicity Smoak for the series finale, “Fadeout.”
What happened to Felicity at the end of Arrow?
The final episode reunites Felicity with Oliver in the afterlife, providing closure to their long-running relationship.
Did Emily Bett Rickards play Calamity Jane?
Yes. She starred as Calamity Jane in the 2024 Western of the same name.
Was Stephen Amell in Calamity Jane with her?
Yes. Her former Arrow co-star Stephen Amell played Wild Bill Hickok.
Who does Emily Bett Rickards play in Queen of the Ring?
She plays pioneering professional wrestler Mildred Burke.
What is Queen of the Ring about?
The film dramatizes Mildred Burke's rise in professional wrestling and her fight to establish women's wrestling in a male-dominated industry.
When was Queen of the Ring released?
The film opened theatrically on March 7, 2025.
Did Emily Bett Rickards actually learn wrestling?
Yes. She underwent wrestling training to portray Mildred Burke convincingly.
Did she take real wrestling moves during filming?
Yes. Rickards discussed taking a genuine wrestling chop from professional wrestler Kamille during filming.
Are real professional wrestlers in Queen of the Ring?
Yes. The film includes wrestling performers such as Kamille, Toni Storm, Naomi, and Mickie James.
Why is Queen of the Ring important for Emily Bett Rickards?
It gives her a substantial leading film role far removed from Felicity Smoak and requires an unusually physical dramatic performance.
Is Emily Bett Rickards married?
Yes. Rickards married Riley Howlett shortly before her 35th birthday in July 2026.
When did Emily Bett Rickards get married?
Her representative confirmed the marriage in July 2026, shortly before her July 24 birthday.
Who proposed?
People reported that Rickards had proposed to Howlett during a beach trip to Tofino.
What are Emily Bett Rickards' most notable roles?
Her best-known roles include:
- Felicity Smoak in Arrow
- Felicity/Overwatch across the Arrowverse
- Calamity Jane in Calamity Jane
- Mildred Burke in Queen of the Ring
Is Emily Bett Rickards still acting in 2026?
Yes. Her recent career has included major film roles such as Queen of the Ring, and she remains active professionally.
What makes Emily Bett Rickards' career unusual?
Her breakthrough character was originally intended as a minor appearance but became one of the most important characters in Arrow because of audience response and her chemistry with the cast.
What is Emily Bett Rickards' legacy so far?
For many fans, it will always begin with Felicity Smoak—a character who helped shape Arrow and became part of the foundation of the Arrowverse.
But her post-Arrow work increasingly shows an actress willing to move into historical, physical, and dramatically different roles.
At 35, that second chapter is only beginning.
