Before she became Nikita, Peta Wilson grew up in a military family, spent much of her childhood in Papua New Guinea, modelled in her native Sydney and across Europe, then moved to Los Angeles, where she trained under Arthur Mendoza for six years.

In 1997, selected from more than 200 actors, she was cast as the title character in La Femme Nikita, USA Network’s adaptation of Luc Besson’s 1990 film. Creator Joel Surnow said what set her apart was her ability to move seamlessly between danger and vulnerability, later describing her performance as “like watching lightning in a jar.” Her portrayal helped define the series, which ran for five seasons and 96 episodes, became the highest-rated drama on American basic cable, and earned her two Gemini Award nominations.

She went on to play Mina Harker opposite Sean Connery in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), appeared in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006), and starred as Sherrie in Beautiful (2009), a role Australian writer-director Dean O’Flaherty wrote specifically for her after seeing her in a talk show appearance.

Alongside acting, she founded Wylie Wilson, a handmade lingerie label shaped by years of collecting couture fabrics around the world, a pair of U.S. Marine trousers, and the influence of her grandmother.

Most recently, she appeared in the Australian crime series Troppo and Shane Black’s Play Dirty (2025).