Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Morrison is the actress who played , mother of , in J . J . Abrams ' in . Some of her lines from this film were later used in the sequel , . She is best known for her role as Dr . Allison Cameron on the hit medical drama series , " House M . D . " ( 2004 - 2012 ) , and for her leading role as Emma Swan on the fantasy drama series " Once Upon a Time " ( 2011 - 2016 ) . Morrison was among the performers present during the first day of shooting on " Star Trek " . She was spotted by spy photographers who were capturing pictures of the shoot , which took place at a secret location in Southern California . After some guessing , IESB . net confirmed that it was , indeed , Morrison and that she had been cast in the film . As part of the " Star Trek " cast , Morrison received a Boston Society of Film Critics Award in the category Best Ensemble Cast in 2009 . Personal life . Morrison was born in Chicago , Illinois , and raised in Arlington Heights , Illinois . From 1993 through 1997 , she attended Prospect High School , where her parents worked as teachers . She went on to major in Theater at Loyola University in Chicago , graduating in 2000 . After studying with the Chicago - based , Tony Award - winning Steppenwolf Theatre Company , Morrison moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional acting career . Morrison and her " House " co - star , Jesse Spencer , were engaged to be married in December 2006 . In August 2007 , however , the engagement was called off . Career . Early career . Morrison began her career in front of the camera when she was a child , modeling for print advertisements and appearing in commercials . Just before she began attending high school , Morrison made her film debut in the 1994 Paramount Pictures drama " Intersection " as the daughter of the main characters , played by and . Her next film appearance came in John Hughes ' remake of " Miracle on 34th Street " , which also features guest star William Windom . A few years later , Morrison returned to film to portray the ghost of a young girl in the 1999 suspense thriller " Stir of Echoes " . She had her first starring role in the 2000 horror film " Urban Legends : Final Cut " . She subsequently worked with Clint Howard in the 2002 independent comedy " Girl Fever " and in 2004 ' s " The Sure Hand of God " ; the former also featured Jimmie F . Skaggs ) , while the latter co - starred Gordon Clapp and Daniel Roebuck . She also made two movies with Stephen Root : the 2003 skateboard comedy " Grind " ( co - starring Christopher McDonald ) and the 2004 comedy " Surviving Christmas " . In addition to her film credits , Morrison made guest appearances on such television shows as " The Chronicle " ( 2001 , with Cliff DeYoung ) , " Touched by an Angel " ( 2001 ) , and " Dawson ' s Creek " ( 2001 - 2002 ) . She also appeared in an episode of the Lifetime drama " Any Day Now " in 2002 along with guest actor Geoffrey Blake and guest actress Cristine Rose as well as John P . Connolly and Olivia Hack . " House " and concurrent work . In 2004 , Morrison was cast as Dr . Cameron on the FOX Network ' s hit medical drama , " House M . D . " . Executive produced by Bryan Singer ( who also directed two episodes of the first season ) , " House " premiered in November 2004 and ended in May 2012 . Morrison ' s character on " House " was written out of the show in 2009 ; her final episode as a regular cast member featured a guest appearance by s Jolene Blalock . Morrison made return appearances on " House M . D . " late in the 2009 - 2010 season and in the series finale in 2012 . In 2009 , she received a Screen Actor ' s Guild Award nomination in the category Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series for her work on " House M . D . " Outside of " House M . D . " , Morrison appeared in the hit 2005 action film " Mr . & Mrs . Smith " which , like " Star Trek " , features costumes designed by Michael Kaplan . She also co - starred in the Rob Schneider comedy " Big Stan " , along with Henry Gibson and Richard Riehle . During the summer of 2006 , Morrison worked with her " House " co - star and one - time fiance Jesse Spencer on the independent film " Flourish " , which Morrison also produced . Morrison also served as associate producer on the first season of the hit musical / drama series " Glee " between 2009 and 2010 . After leaving " House M . D . " and following her work on " Star Trek " , Morrison co - starred with actor Tom Hardy in the acclaimed mixed martial arts drama " Warrior " ( 2011 ) . Her other films include the drama " Knife Fight " ( 2012 ) and the comedy - drama " Some Girl ( s ) " ( 2013 ) . She can also be seen opposite Jude Ciccolella in the thriller " Event 15 " ( 2013 ) and is currently filming the romance " The List " ( 2014 , with Bob Gunton and Michael Nouri ) . During the 2010 - 2011 television season , Morrison played the recurring role of Zoey Pierson on the CBS Studios sitcom " How I Met Your Mother " . Currently , she plays the role of Emma Swan , the daughter of Snow White , on the ABC drama " Once Upon a Time " . Others who appear on this series include Raphael Sbarge , Alan Dale , Lee Arenberg , and Tony Amendola .