Richard Dean Anderson
Anderson, probably best known for
his title role in the long-running series "MacGyver," is a native of Minneapolis.
After studying drama at St. Cloud (Minn.) State College and Ohio University,
Anderson moved to Los Angeles, where, as a struggling actor, he supported
himself a mime, juggler and jester/singer in a Renaissance fair. His big
break came in 1976, when he was cast as Dr. Jeff Webber on the daytime
drama "General Hospital," a role he played for five years. He subsequently
starred in the series "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" and "Emerald Point,
N.A.S." Anderson made his TV movie debut in 1986 in "Ordinary Heroes,"
opposite Valerie Bertinelli. He has also starred in "Through the Eyes
of a Killer" (opposite Marg Helgenberger) and two MacGyver films -- "MacGyver:
Trail to Doomsday" and "MacGyver: Lost Treasure of Atlantis." He won critical
acclaim for his portrayal of a wife beater in 1994's "Beyond Betrayal."
Anderson is an active supporter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is also
a supporter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Challenger Boys and Girls
Club, and Special Olympics. In his free time Anderson is an avid skier,
race car driver and hockey player. He is co-founder of the Celebrity All-Star
Hockey Team, which raises funds for charity in conjunction with the National
Hockey League, and has twice served as Honorary Captain of Team USA, the
U.S. Olympic hockey team.
Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping is probably best known for her role in the MGM sci-fi television series Stargate SG-1 as Captain/Major Samantha Carter. Born in Rochford, Essex in England (the maps of it can be seen here) on August 28, she spent a short time in South Benfleet, Essex, was relocated to Ontario, Canada, at the age of 3. She is blonde, the colour of her eyes is blue, and is 5' 9'' (175 cm) tall.
Amanda is married to Mr. Alan Kovacs. She has three brothers (Richard, Christopher and Stephen), of whom two are older than herself and one is her twin brother. One of her elder brothers is a biochemist, and her twin brother is a computer programmer. Amanda has a dog named Abbie. She prefers to keep her private life private.
Since she can remember, she says, her parents always begged her to go into science. At the same time, however, Amanda adds, according to her mother, she always wanted to be an actress. She excelled in math when she was younger but then got to high school and became more interested in arts. At high school (North Toronto High) she won the Dramatic Arts Award and Environmental Science Award. She says, "I always had this sort of inkling I'd like to be a doctor when I was younger, and then, of course, like everyone else, wanted to be a marine biologist, but acting was always in the forefront." As a child, Amanda liked to watch Little House on a Prairie and also, with her mother, Coronation Street. She confesses she got totally hooked on it during her university days and she would love to have a guest appearance on the series. Her father was a huge Monty Python fan.
Amanda studied drama at the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Arts in Windsor, Ontario. After graduation she spent four more years studying theater and appearing in several stage productions At this time she was still vowing never to do television. After 6 more months she secured an agent and got her first commercial (Tim Horton's Oat Bran Muffins). A couple more commercials followed, and the payment Amanda received for them allowed her to help finance the existance of Random Acts, an improvisational comedy troupe, which she formed in the early 90s in Toronto with two other women (Katherine Jackson and Anne Marie Kerr). The group performed sketch comedy in small venues around Toronto including The New Ideas Festival and Tarragon Spring Arts Fair. Its existance ceased when all members of the group relocated elsewhere. However, quite recently, the group has been revived and has been working on a documentary.
In years 1995-1997 Amanda appeared in a number of television productions (including Flash Forward, Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story, Remembrance, episodes of various shows like Due South, The Newsroom and The X-Files) and film productions (The Donor, Rent-a-Kid, Booty Call). Her major breakthrough, however, came in 1997 when she won the role of Captain Samantha Carter in television show Stargate SG-1.
For the part of Samantha Carter she auditioned initially in Toronto and was put on tape for a casting director there. She was short-listed and so she sent the producers her demo tape containing a selection of what she feels is some of her best work in films and on television. She ended up being one of three finalists and attended a screen-test in Los Angeles. Then the waiting came. It eventually came down to two finalists - herself and another person, so she auditioned again. About two weeks before the start of filming the pilot of Stargate SG-1 she received a phone call telling her to pack her bags and move to Vancouver.
Amanda Tapping has been playing Samantha Carter for 4 years now. Her typical day of work on the show lasts 14 hours. To appear as realistic as possible as Samantha Carter, a soldier and a scientist, she talked to an ex-Navy-SEAL and was learning specifically about astrophysics.
Amanda's stand-in on the show is Tracy Westerholm. For a couple of pictures of Ms. Westerholm please visit Amanda's stand-in section of this page.
During the hiatus following filming of the first season of the science fiction series Amanda shot an episode of The Outer Limits and during the next hiatus she shot an episode of Millennium.
Currently, she is filming Stargate SG-1's fifth season. Of late, she has finished shooting a motion picture drama The Void, also starring Malcolm McDowell and Adrian Paul. Random Acts is currently editing the documentary mentioned above, called Miss Blind River Pageant. Amanda says live theater is still her passion.
Amanda relishes camping, skiing, hiking, reading and riding horses and supports Multiple Sclerosis Society, Pollution Probe and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Amanda Tapping has talked many times about her views on her Stargate SG-1 character and on women in today's world. She counts one of her own heroes feminist author Gloria Steinem. She says, "The last time I heard her speak, it was all about doing it yourself. We can sit here in this society and say, 'People treating us this way is wrong.' But so much of the responsibility is on us to make it right. That's a huge amount of pressure for women, but it's also the way it has to be. We're always going to run across bigots in this world and we're always going to run across misogynists who are threatened by female power, but I think if I were to describe myself in pure feminist forms, I would say I want equality. We want respect not because we're women, but simply because we're human beings. I feel very strongly about equality and I also feel, as Steinem said, we have to take responsibility for ourselves."
With such an interesting personality, ambition and plans for the future as Amanda has, her fans may look forward to many more works and appearances of this creative and talented actor.
Michael Shanks
A native of Vancouver, Shanks
studied Commerce before deciding to pursue his true passion, acting, at
the University of B.C., where he graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of
Fine Arts degree. Upon graduation he performed at the world renowned Stratford
Shakespeare Festival for two seasons. His performances there included
Lorenzo in "Merchant of Venice," Menteith in "Macbeth'' as well as roles
in "King Lear," "Amadeus," and "The Merry Wives of Windsor." Other theatre
credits include "Love of the Nightingale," "Translations," "Wait Until
Dark," and "Loves Labors Lost." One of Shank's first episodic television
experiences occurred while on his way to his first theatre school auditions
where he happened upon the set of the television series "MacGyver." Stopping
to observe, Shanks was struck by the professionalism of the crew and cast.
How could he know that several years later he would find himself co-starring
with the star of "MacGyver," Richard Dean Anderson in "Stargate SG-1."
Shanks reprises the role of Daniel Jackson in the series which was originated
by James Spader in the "Stargate" feature film. Shanks made his film debut
in the feature "Call of the Wild" and has guest-starred on such television
series as "The Commish," "The Highlander," "University Hospital" and most
recently the critically acclaimed "The Outer Limits." Television movie
credits include "A Family Divided" and the mini-series "Eye Level."
Christopher Judge
Although Christopher Judge
seemed pre-destined to have a career in football after receiving a football
scholarship from the University of Oregon, becoming a three time All-American
and playing in the Hula Bowl, he always knew he wanted to be an actor.
While in Oregon, Judge entered a contest to host the West Coast FOX KLR
Morning Show. His witty five-minute monologue helped him beat out thousands
of other hopefuls for the job. This break lead him to several guest star
appearances on such television sitcoms as "MacGyver" "Martin," "The Fresh
Prince of Bel-Air," "Lush Life," and "The Jamie Foxx Show." His guest
star roles on dramatic series included "The Burning Zone," "Wise Guy,"
"21 Jump Street," and "Gabriel's Fire" before becoming a series regular
on "Sirens" where he played Richie Styles. His movie work "Cadence," "Bird
On A Wire," "Little Feet," "The Glory Years, " and "House Party II," where
he played the memorable antagonist Miles.
Corin Nemec
First introduced in the Season Five finale, Nemec portrays "Jonas Quinn," a human leader from another planet who visits Earth and becomes entangled with the SG-1 team. He will join "Colonel Jack O'Neill" (Anderson), "Major Samantha Carter" (Amanda Tapping) and "Teal'C" (Christopher Judge) as they continue to explore the uncharted regions of the universe - searching for clues to save the Earth from destruction.
Best known for his television series Parker Lewis Can't Lose, which ran for three seasons on FOX, Nemec received critical acclaim for his gripping performance in the title role of the Emmy-nominated miniseries I Know My First Name is Steven. A television veteran, Nemec also starred in Stephen King's The Stand and Webster. He has made guest appearances on NYPD Blue, Beverly Hills 90210 and Tales from the Crypt. Nemec has also done extensive feature film work, including Operation Dumbo Drop with Danny Glover and Ray Liotta, and Drop Zone opposite Wesley Snipes.
Don S. Davis
Don S. Davis is a multi-talented man who is a respected character actor, a nationally exhibited painter, a former theater professor, and a Captain in the United States Army. He has appeared in numerous feature films including The Fan, Alaska, A League of Their Own, Hook, Hero, Needful Things, Mystery Date, and Look Who's Talking. His television credits include recurring roles in The X-Files where he plays father to Gillian Anderson's Agent Scully, Twin Peaks where he played "Major Briggs," Madison, Slick Air, and Broken Badges in addition to guest starring on such programs as Northern Exposure, L.A. Law, Knots Landing, Wiseguy, and MacGyver.
Davis has had featured roles in the television movies Fire on the Mountain, Stepsister, Tricks, Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue, In Cold Blood, Showtime's The Prisoner of Zenda, A Dream is a Wish the Heart Makes, The Ranger, The Cook and the Hole in the Sky, One More Mountain, Columbo: A Bird in Hand, Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster, Omen IV: The Awakening, Posing, Kurt Vonnegut's Theatre: All the King's Horses, and the mini-series Atomic Train.
Teryl Rothery
A Vancouver native, Teryl Rothery always knew she wanted to be an entertainer. Her career began as a dancer at age thirteen when she performed in her first musical Bye Bye Birdie. Her role in Annie Get Your Gun earned her a Most Outstanding Performer award with her theater company. At age 18, Teryl made her first television appearance in the CBC Halloween Special Boo. It was at this time she decided that her place was in front of the camera.
Teryl has had lead roles in the made for television movies Race Against Fear, Hunt in Full Cry with Rosanna Arquette, Dead Man's Gun with John Ritter, Badge of Betrayal with Michele Greene, Deceived By Trust with Stephanie Kramer, and Tailhook with Gail O'Grady and Hal Holbrook which was based on the real-life Tailhook scandal. Television series guest starring roles include Traders, Viper, The X-Files, The Commish, multiple episodes of The Outer Limits and a recurring role on the critically acclaimed FOX series Profit. She has also appeared in the feature films Warriors of Virtue, Magic in the Water with Mark Harmon, Mastermind with Patrick Stewart, and Andre with Keith Carradine. Her most recent feature film role was with David Bowie in Exhuming Mr. Rice which is scheduled to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2000.
Ben Browder
Ben Browder was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He attended Myers Park High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, earned a BS in psychology at Furman University, and then went on to study drama at Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England, where he met his wife, Francesca Buller. As of 2002, he resides in Australia, where the SciFi television series "Farscape" (1999) is filmed. He and Buller have two children, whose names and ages are not disclosed to the press.
After several appearances on stage, including traditional Shakespeare, Browder garnered a few minor appearances in feature films, including a small part as a rookie captain in Memphis Belle (1990) and the role of a short-lived boyfriend in A Kiss Before Dying (1991), with Sean Young and Matt Dillon. He was first widely exposed to the American and Canadian television viewing audience as the recurring character of "Sam" on the series "Party of Five" (1994). In 1999, Jim Henson productions teamed with the SciFi channel to produce "Farscape" (1999), where Browder was cast to play the main character, American astronaut John Crichton.
Beau Bridges
Ben Browder 9 December 1941, is een Amerikaans acteur.
Beau Bridges is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his wife, who was his college sweetheart, Dorothy Dean Bridges. Born just two days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, he was delivered by candlelight because of a power blackout. Named Lloyd Vernet Bridges III, his parents immediately started calling him Beau after Ashley Wilkes' son in Gone with the Wind (1939), a book they were reading at the time. His younger brother, actor Jeff Bridges, was born in 1949 and a sister, Cindy Bridges, the following year.
Although only 5'10", Beau played basketball for UCLA his freshman year. The following year he transferred to the University of Hawaii, but dropped out to pursue acting and got his first major role in 1967. During his first marriage to Julie Landifield, they adopted Casey Bridges and then had Jordan Bridges. He and his second wife, Wendy Treece Bridges, have three children from this marriage: Dylan Bridges (born 1985); Emily Bridges, (born 1987) and Ezekiel Jeffry Bridges.
Beau likes to play guitar and collects Native American percussion instruments. He also loves the ocean, including swimming and surfing. He is also active in environmental causes and handgun control.
Claudia Black
Claudia Lee Black is born on 11 October 1972, Sydney, Australia
Claudia Black is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun and Vala Mal Doran in the science fiction television series Farscape and Stargate SG-1 respectively.
For her role in Farscape, Black was nominated Best Actress by Saturn Award in 2001 and 2002, and won the award in 2005. She has appeared in the feature films Queen of the Damned and Pitch Black. Black also appears as Vala Mal Doran in Stargate SG-1 as a regular cast member starting in season 10; she portrayed the same character in one season eight episode ("Prometheus Unbound") and eight season nine episodes. In 2004, she was voted "#7 Hottest Scifi Babe" by Scifi WorldNet.
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