Peta Gia Wilson (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian actress, lingerie designer, and model. She is best-known for her title role in the television series La Femme Nikita (1997–2001).
Biography
Early life Wilson was born in Sydney on 18 November 1970. She is the daughter of the caterer Karlene White Wilson and Darcy Wilson, a former Warrant Officer in the Australian Army. She spent several years in Papua New Guinea when her father was stationed there. Her parents divorced in 1982.
Career Wilson began her career as a model in Australia and Europe before relocating to the United States in 1991. There, she studied acting with Arthur Mendoza at the Actors Circle Theatre. She made her debut in a few independent films, such as the comedy/romance The Sadness of Sex (1995) and the drama Naked Jane (1995).
In 1996, while preparing to continue her studies in New York City, Wilson auditioned for a new television series produced for the USA cable TV channel. Chosen from over 200 candidates, she was cast in the lead role of La Femme Nikita (1997–2001), the television adaptation of the 1990 French thriller of the same name. The Canadian‑American co‑production, filmed primarily in Toronto, Ontario, ran for five seasons and 96 episodes. Wilson’s co‑stars included Roy Dupuis, Don Francks, Alberta Watson and Eugene Robert Glazer; her performance earned her two Gemini Award nominations for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role.
After La Femme Nikita, Wilson starred in the thriller Mercy and, before leaving Toronto, appeared in the Showtime mini-series A Girl Thing (2001).
In 2001, she attended the Moscow International Film Festival alongside Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn and Tilda Swinton. Russian President Vladimir Putin, also present at the festival, reportedly confessed to being a fan of her television series La Femme Nikita.
In 2002, she portrayed real-life actress Anny Ondra in the television movie Joe and Max. Following this, she returned to Australia to focus on family life and give birth to her son. In 2003, Wilson played the vampire Mina Harker in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen while on set in Prague with her one-year-old son. During her time in Australia, she also starred in the mystery mini-series Two Twisted (2006), appeared in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006), and took a leading role in the independent film Beautiful (2009).
Returning to Los Angeles in 2010, she made guest appearances on CSI: Miami and The Finder before launching her lingerie label Wylie Wilson in 2012, opening a flagship store in Los Angeles.
In the following years, she continued with smaller independent productions while maintaining a low public profile. She returned to television with a recurring role in the Australian series Troppo (2022). In 2025, Wilson appeared in Shane Black’s action film Play Dirty.
Personal life Wilson lived with her longtime boyfriend, director Damian Harris, from 1997 until their separation in 2002. They have a son.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1995 Girl of His Dreams Naked Jane Marissa 1996 Loser Alyssha Rourke 1997 One of Our Own Corporal Jennifer Vaughn 2000 Mercy Vickie Kittrie 2003 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Mina Harker 2006 Superman Returns Bobbie-Faye 2007 Gardens of the Night Sarah 2009 Beautiful Sherrie 2010 Errand Boy Genie Short film 2012 Liberator Marla Criswell Short film 2015 Dutch Kills Ladye Bishop Direct-to-video 2025 Play Dirty Madge
Television Year Title Role Notes 1996 Woman Undone The Receptionist TV movie Strangers Martha Episode: "Going Without" Highlander Inspector Episode: "Promises" 1997 Vanishing Point Motorcycle Girl TV movie 1997–2001 La Femme Nikita Nikita Title role 2001 Other People Harriet Stone Unsold pilot Alex Miniseries 2002 Joe and Max Anny Ondra TV movie 2004 False Pretenses Dianne / Deedee 2005 Jonny Zero Aly 2 episodes 2006 Two Twisted Mischa Sparkle Episode: "A Flash Exclusive" 2009 Malibu Shark Attack Heather TV movie 2010 CSI: Miami Amanda Episode: "Sudden Death" 2012 The Finder Pope Episode: "Little Green Man" 2017 Michael Hutchence: The Last Rockstar Herself TV documentary 2022 Troppo Eve Recurring role (season 1)
Nominations YearTV ShowAwardResult1998La Femme NikitaGemini Award – Best performance by an actress in a continuing leading dramatic roleOFTA Television Award – Best actress in a cable seriesSaturn Award – Best genre TV actress1999Gemini Award – Best performance by an actress in a continuing leading dramatic role2003The League of Extraordinary GentlemenSaturn Award – Best supporting actress
References
Further reading Heyn, Christopher. "A Conversation with Peta Wilson". Inside Section One: Creating and Producing TV's La Femme Nikita. Introduction by Peta Wilson. Los Angeles: Persistence of Vision Press, 2006. pp. 66–74. . In-depth conversation with Peta Wilson about her role as Nikita on La Femme Nikita, as well as her approach to acting. Connolley, Dawn. "Nuthin' Fancy Luv, I'm Australian". La Femme Peta: The Unauthorized Biography of Peta Wilson. Toronto, ECW Press, 2000. pp. 1–32. . Unauthorised biography of Peta Wilson culled from various pre-published sources. Edwards, Ted. La Femme Nikita X-Posed: The Unauthorized Biography of Peta Wilson and Her On-Screen Character. Prima Lifestyles, 1998, .
External links
Peta Wilson - catalog.afi.com Peta Wilson filmography - allmovie Peta Wilson - metacritic Peta Wilson - rottentomatoes Peta Wilson - tvguide