Julia O'Hara Stiles, an accomplished American actress, began her acting career at the tender age of 11 as part of New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. She made her film debut in 'I Love You, I Love You Not' (1996), and quickly gained recognition for her performance in 'Wicked' (1998), for which she received the Karlovy Vary Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Her breakthrough role was in teen films such as '10 Things I Hate About You' (1999), 'Down to You' (2000), and 'Save the Last Dance' (2001), earning her a Teen Choice Award and two MTV Movie Awards. Furthermore, she has been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Stiles continued to enrich her portfolio with movies such as 'The Business of Strangers' (2001), 'Mona Lisa Smile' (2003), and 'The Omen' (2006). Most notably, she is recognised globally for her role as Nicky Parsons in the Bourne franchise (2002–2016).

Beyond the big screen, Stiles has also made her mark in television and theatre. She played Lumen Pierce on the fifth season of 'Dexter' (2010), earning a Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nomination for her performance. From 2012 to 2014, she took on the titular role in the web series 'Blue', earning two IAWTV Awards for Best Actress. More recently, from 2017 to 2020, she starred as Georgina Ryland on the Sky Atlantic series 'Riviera'. Despite her prolific screen career, Stiles has not forgotten her theatre roots; she began acting at New York's La MaMa Theatre Company at age 11 and has performed in high-profile productions such as Eve Ensler's 'The Vagina Monologues' and David Mamet’s play 'Oleanna' on Broadway. Additionally, Stiles has demonstrated her creativity through writing and directing, making her directorial debut with Elle magazine's short 'Raving' in 2007.