Women Premium In Fantastic Series

Born In England, raised in Canada. BFA Acting University of Windsor. Amanda spent 12 seasons on Stargate SG-1 (1997) and its spin-offs, Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and Stargate Universe (2009), as "Samantha Carter". She then took on the lead role of "Dr. Helen Magnus" on the television series Sanctuary (2008), a project she had been nurturing from its inception on the internet.

Tapping has come to secure a strong and direct influence on her projects from behind the lens. She was an Executive Producer of Sanctuary (2008) and also sat in the director's chair for several episodes. She previously directed the Stargate SG-1 (1997) episode, Resurrection (2004), in 2004, which garnered her a Leo Award nomination for Best Director. She has also directed three episodes each of Primeval: New World (2012), Arctic Air (2012) and Continuum (2012). She has also directed Strange Empire (2014), Olympus (2015), Dark Matter (2015) and X Company (2015). Tapping has also earned four Leo Awards for Best Actress, has been nominated for two Gemini Awards and four Saturn Awards and won the 2005 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Amanda's love of comedy lead her to co-found the all female Canadian comedy troupe, Random Acts. Her work in the short film Breakdown (2006) earned her the Canadian Comedy Award in 2007. She also did films like Space Milkshake (2012), Random Acts of Romance (2012), Taken Back: Finding Haley (2012) and Kid Cannabis (2014). She was Naomi on 7 episodes of the 8th season of Supernatural (2005). She also played a recurring character on the sitcom Package Deal (2013).

Tapping has had the pleasure of supporting various charities and organizations such as The Coast Foundation, a support agency for people with mental disabilities, The Canadian Cancer Society, UNICEF and V-Day by performing in "The Vagina Monologues" to help end violence against women and girls worldwide. She also sits on the leadership council for The Waterkeeper Alliance. Amanda launched the charitable foundation "Sanctuary for Kids" in 2009 to support both local and global children's charities helping children in crisis. To date they have raised over $650,000. Their work takes them to Nepal, Haiti and the downtown east side of Vancouver. She was honored with Women in Film's "Woman of Vision" award. She also received the YWCA Women of Distinction "Connecting the Community" Award. She was awarded The Jules Verne Award in Paris for her humanitarian work. She was offered an Honorary Life Membership from the University College of Dublin Law Society and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of Windsor.

Rachel Luttrell is an accomplished actress and singer who has worked in film, television, and on stage. Rachel Zawadi Luttrell was born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and is the second-born of four daughters of Veronica Makihiyo Shenkunde Luttrell, the daughter of a powerful medicine man of the Washambala tribes people, and William Leon Luttrell Jr., a Bossier City, Louisiana, native and then well-respected professor of economics at the University of Dar es Salaam. Shortly after her fifth birthday, Rachel and her family immigrated to Canada, settling in the cosmopolitan city of Toronto. As a child in Toronto, Rachel studied piano at the Royal Conservatory and ballet at the Russian Academy of Classical Ballet. Her father, a former member of both the critically acclaimed Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Canadian Opera Company, trained Rachel's soprano voice. Later, she studied with other fine vocal coaches. Rachel played the alto saxophone in high school and also studied English horseback riding. As a young girl, Rachel was always hamming it up for the camera and would often entertain guests at her parents' dinner parties by staging self-produced shows with her three sisters, Gillian, Amanda, and Erica. The Luttrell house was always full of music and laughter. Everyone sang and most played an instrument.

Luttrell landed her first film role while still in high school, playing Billy Dee Williams's daughter in the made-for-television movie Courage (1986), which also starred Sophia Loren. From there, Luttrell appeared in commercials and starred on popular Canadian television programs, including the long-running drama Street Legal (1987). Upon graduating from high school, Luttrell enrolled in the musical theater program at Sheridan College to pursue her passion for dancing, singing, and acting. However, after a year of study, Luttrell felt the call of a more academic education and left the college to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in English literature at the University of Toronto. While studying at U. of T., she auditioned for the Canadian premiere production of "Miss Saigon" alongside her older sister Gillian and several hundred other young hopefuls. Luttrell and her sister were both cast, and thus she began her musical theater career as a chorus girl and understudy for the lead character of Ellen. Luttrell went on to perform in the Canadian premiere production of Walt Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" (once again with big sister Gillian), and later to star in the American productions of "Once On This Island," "Goblin Market," and alongside Richard J. Alexander in his workshop musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's "Great Expectations."

In the summer of 1995, Luttrell moved from Toronto to Los Angeles to continue to pursue her career in film and television. She was kept very busy guest-starring on several popular TV shows, including ER (1994) and Charmed (1998), and in the short-lived but well-received show Sleepwalkers (1997), alongside Naomi Watts and Bruce Greenwood. In 2001, Luttrell appeared in Anne Rice's critically acclaimed TV movie The Feast of All Saints (2001), in which she played Peter Gallagher's on-screen daughter in a cast that also included Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Beals, and Ossie Davis. Later that same year, Luttrell appeared in a small but memorable role in the feature film Impostor (2001), opposite Gary Sinise.

Despite all of this success, Luttrell became frustrated with the life of a struggling young actress in Hollywood, and almost gave it up to pursue architecture at UCLA. Before throwing in the towel, Luttrell auditioned for BADA (British American Drama Academy) and won a spot in its prestigious President's Group. She spent a glorious summer in Oxford, UK, studying at Balliol College with some of the industry's best directors, teachers, and performers, including Alan Rickman and John Barton, one of the world's most esteemed Shakespearean scholars. When Luttrell returned to Los Angeles, she was cast in the premiere production of Lynn Nottage's "Las Meninas," earning wonderful reviews.

Shortly thereafter, Luttrell was cast in the role of Teyla Emmagan in the Sci-Fi Channel's spin-off series Stargate: Atlantis (2004), a show that won the loyalty of a worldwide fan base and ran for five seasons (2004 - 2009). In 2011, Luttrell completed her first CD titled "I Wish You Love," on which she collaborated with many of the music industry's finest performers, world-renowned percussionist Jeff Hamilton and stand-up bass virtuoso Jennifer Leitham among them. The CD was a grand collaborative effort spanning three countries and recorded in part at legendary Capitol Records in Hollywood. After Stargate: Atlantis (2004) finished, Luttrell made guest appearances on True Justice (2010), NCIS (2003), NCIS: Los Angeles (2009), No Sleep Till 18 (2015), and Arrow (2012).

When not in front of the camera, Luttrell indulges her love of writing, something that has always brought her great joy and reward.

Born in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada, Jewel Staite spent the first three years of life living in Maui, Hawaii. She started out as a model and was recommended at the age of six to act. She won an award as best actor in "Meeting Dad," a Vancouver, British Columbia Film School short.

Summer is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She's been a ballerina most of her life. Her debut was in various commercials and a guest appearance on the WB's Angel (1999). She has gone on to star on the TV series Firefly (2002) as well as its follow-up movie Serenity (2005) and the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008).

Alyson Hannigan was born in Washington, D.C. to Emilie (Posner), a real estate agent, and Al Hannigan, a truck driver. She began her acting career in Atlanta at the young age of 4 in commercials sponsoring such companies as McDonald's, Six Flags, and Oreos. She is a seasoned television actress, guest starring in Picket Fences (1992), Roseanne (1988), Touched by an Angel (1994) and the The Torkelsons (1991) before starring in her most notorious roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) as "Willow Rosenberg" and How I Met Your Mother (2005) as "Lily Aldrin."

Trachtenberg grew up in Brooklyn and started her acting career young; she began appearing in commercials at the age of 3.

She continued to act and dance through her school years, making regular television appearances from the age of 10. She landed a recurring role in the kids' TV show The Adventures of Pete & Pete (1992) and starred in Harriet the Spy (1996), but it was her role as Buffy's sister Dawn from the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) that really brought her to worldwide attention, and all before she was 18 years old.

More high profile TV and movie work followed.

Charisma Carpenter first made her television debut with a guest spot on Baywatch (1989), before receiving a call from legendary producer Aaron Spelling and subsequently being cast on the prime time soap opera, Malibu Shores (1996). But her big break - and the one that would forever change the trajectory of her life - came shortly thereafter when she was cast as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997), a role she would portray for three seasons before migrating to its spin-off series, Angel (1999), and continuing on for four more seasons. In total, Carpenter portrayed Cordelia in 140 episodes across both franchises. The former series has been ranked by Time, The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly among their lists of greatest television series' of all time.

Carpenter went on to recur on Charmed (1998) as the demon Kyra and on Veronica Mars (2004) as gold digging stepmother Kendall Casablanacas as well as Greek (2007) and, most recently, CW's Pandora (2019). While working as a series regular on ABC Family's The Lying Game (2011), Carpenter subsequently served as host and producer of Investigation Discovery's Surviving Evil (2013), a series featuring survivors who fought back against their attackers. Additional guest starring roles include CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000), Burn Notice (2007), Supernatural (2005), Blue Bloods (2010), Sons of Anarchy (2008), Scream Queens (2015), Chicago P.D. (2014), Lucifer (2016), and 9-1-1 (2018).

Carpenter has also segued into movies, with a supporting role as Lacey in The Expendables (2010) and its sequel, The Expendables 2 (2012), as well as roles in over 12 made for television movies for Lifetime, Syfy and more.

Offscreen, Carpenter is the proud founder of MyCon, a platform intended to lift the spirits of socially isolated fans throughout the pandemic by connecting them with their favorite actors. Additionally, she works closely with the Thirst Project, an international water charity bringing safe, clean drinking water to the most vulnerable people around the world, as well as The Ronan Thompson Foundation, which is dedicated to researching pediatric cancer. In addition to her first love, that of a devoted mother, Carpenter spends much of her time working as a philanthropist, political activist, and social justice advocate. So passionate about these causes, she recently completed a course on administrative justice.

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas where she graduated Lake Highlands High School, Amy Acker is the oldest of four children; she has two sisters and one brother. An acting major at Southern Methodist University, Amy acted in several college theater productions. She appeared in various roles during the fantasy segments for the popular award-winning children's TV series Wishbone (1995), which was filmed in Texas and consisted of Dallas theater actors. Upon graduation she worked in Wisconsin and New York before winning the role of "Fred" on Angel (1999).

Gina was born in New York City and is youngest of three children in a close-knit Cuban American family. Attended New York City's High School of Music and Art She is a gifted mezzo soprano and was trained in opera and jazz and also sang in a gospel choir.

Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo is an American actress who has appeared on television and in independent films. Forbes first gained attention for her dual role in daytime soap opera Guiding Light (1952), for which she received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination. She is also a Saturn Award winner with three nominations.

Forbes is known for her recurring appearances on genre and drama shows such as Ensign Ro Laren in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and her regular role as medical examiner Julianna Cox on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) during the 1990s, while building her career with recurring roles throughout the 2000s in Battlestar Galactica (2004), 24 (2001), In Treatment (2008), Durham County (2007), Prison Break (2005) and her series regular role as Maryann Forrester on True Blood (2008). She has appeared in significant roles in movies such as Escape from L.A. (1996), Kalifornia (1993), Swimming with Sharks (1994) and Columbus (2017).

She starred in the 2011-2012 AMC television series The Killing (2011), for which she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. On June 18, 2019 it was announced that Forbes would join USA Network's action drama series Treadstone (2019), a prequel/sequel to the Bourne franchise.

Kathryn Ann "Katee" Sackhoff (born April 8, 1980) is an American actress known for playing Lieutenant Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). She was nominated for four Saturn Awards for her work on Battlestar Galactica and won the award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2005.

Sackhoff has also starred in the short-lived TV series The Fearing Mind (2000-2001) and The Education of Max Bickford (2001-2002); had recurring roles in the TV series Bionic Woman (2007), Nip/Tuck (2009), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2010-2011), and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2012-2013); and had a lead role in the eighth season of 24 as Dana Walsh (2010). She voices several characters including Bitch Pudding on Adult Swim's stop motion animated series Robot Chicken. Between 2012 and 2017, she starred in the A&E and Netflix series Longmire as Deputy Sheriff Victoria "Vic" Moretti before recurring on The Flash as Amunet.

She had lead roles in the films Halloween: Resurrection (2002); White Noise: The Light (2007); Batman: Year One (2011); The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Sexy Evil Genius, Riddick, Oculus (2013) and Don't Knock Twice (2016).

Sackhoff was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in St. Helens, Oregon. Her mother, Mary, worked as an English-as-second-language (ESL) program coordinator, and her father, Dennis, is a land developer. Her brother, Erick, is co-owner of a vehicle modification shop near Portland. She graduated from Sunset High School in Beaverton in 1998. She began swimming at an early age and by high school, was planning to pursue a career in the sport until her right knee was injured. This led her to begin practicing yoga-which she continues today-and to pursue an interest in acting.

Her first acting role was in the Lifetime movie Fifteen and Pregnant in which she played a teenager with a baby. The movie starred Kirsten Dunst and motivated her to move to Hollywood and pursue a career in acting after graduating high school. Sackhoff's first recurring role was Annie in MTV's Undressed, next gaining a supporting role as Nell Bickford in The Education of Max Bickford. Sackhoff made her motion picture debut in My First Mister, and next appeared in film as Jenna "Jen" Danzig in Halloween: Resurrection.

In August 2012, Sackhoff became the co-host of the Schmoes Know Movies podcast on the Toad Hop Network. One of her first shows was with guest Sean Astin.

Sackhoff announced in April 2015 a new TV-series project, Rain, which she wrote and is executive-producing through her Fly Free Productions. She also had a role in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops III, performing voice over and motion capture as Sarah Hall. She portrayed Pink Ranger Kimberly in Power/Rangers, a short depicting a dystopian future in the Power Rangers universe.

In 2017, Sackhoff joined The CW series The Flash in the recurring role of villainess Amunet (Blacksmith), for which she is billed as a special guest star.

Grace Park (born March 14, 1974) is an American-Canadian actress. She gained recognition as Lt. Sharon 'Boomer' Valerii and Lt. Sharon 'Athena' Agathon on Battlestar Galactica (2004), as well as Shannon Ng in the Canadian television series teen soap Edgemont (2000). From 2010 to 2017, Park starred as Officer Kono Kalakaua in the CBS television series Hawaii Five-0 (2010), which debuted on September 20, 2010. Born in Los Angeles, Park moved with her family to Canada when she was 22 months old. She was raised in the Vancouver neighborhood of Kerrisdale. Park is of Korean heritage. She graduated from Magee Secondary School in 1992 and holds a degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia.

Tricia Helfer is a Canadian cover girl model-turned-actress who has developed her resume beyond the catwalk to include many diverse roles highlighting her versatile and natural screen presence. Best known as the face of the series, and for her Leo award-winning lead performance as the humanoid, Cylon 'Number Six' in the critically acclaimed Syfy series, Battlestar Galactica (2004), Helfer has since gone on to book leading roles on a wide variety of networks. Tricia currently stars in FOX's "Lucifer", switching gears from the role as Lucifer's mother Charlotte, to an attorney by the same name.

Prior to "Lucifer," Tricia was recurring in season two of the Playstation & Sony Picture TV series, "Powers." Just before that, Helfer also played the lead of the Syfy channel's original miniseries "Ascension" co-starring Brian Van Holt. In early 2014, Helfer starred as the lead of the ABC series, "Killer Women". The Sofia Vergara-produced series followed beautiful badass Molly Parker (Helfer), in the notorious Texas Rangers frontier patrol, as she pursued justice despite being embroiled in a continuous fight for her peers' respect.

Born in Donalda, Alberta, Canada, Helfer launched her modeling career at age 17, and erupted into an international superstar after winning the Ford Models' Supermodel of the World Contest in 1992. Her modeling credits include appearances in high-end ad campaigns for Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Givenchy, and Dolce & Gabbana as well as covers for national publications such as ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Flare and Vogue.

In 2002, Helfer turned her focus to acting, moving to Los Angeles and quickly earning a guest star spot on the second season finale of "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation." The following year she earned her break with "Battlestar Galactica," achieving a remarkably fast and successful transition into acting. During her hiatus from "Battlestar Galactica," Helfer portrayed the legendary Farrah Fawcett in NBC's film, "Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels." She furthered expanded her portfolio by starring as 'Stephanie Jacobs' opposite Dennis Hopper and Billy Zane in the independent feature "Memory," and later starred alongside LeeLee Sobieski in another independent, "Walk All Over Me," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Helfer returned to the small-screen in 2008, joining the cast of the USA Network's hit series, "Burn Notice" for a multi-episode arc. The next year she filmed recurring guest spots on the award-winning CBS comedy, "Two and a Half Men," while appearing on Fox's crime shows "Chuck," and "Lie to Me." In 2010, Helfer booked a series regular role on the ten-episode arc of Jerry Bruckheimer's "Dark Blue," starring opposite Dylan McDermott and went on to do a variety of terrific roles on series such as "Suits," on USA Network, "Key and Peale," "The Librarians," "Community," "Chuck," "Jeremiah" and "Franklin & Bash," among others.

In addition to her vast array of television roles, Tricia starred in the film, "A Beginner's Guide to Endings," with Harvey Keitel, Scott Caan, and JK Simmons and ;ater, went on to star in "Authors Anonymous" with Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting. Next up, is another lead role in thriller, "Isolation" co-starring Luke Malby, a film that will portray the true events of a couple vacationing in the Bahamas. The getaway quickly spirals out of control, forcing the couple into survival mode.

Adding to her impressive resume, Helfer has done prolific voiceover work in mega-hit video game franchises including, playing the roles of Commander Veronica Dare in Halo: ODST, EDI in Mass Effect 2 and 3, Sarah Kerrigan in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, for which she won the 2010 VGA for Best Performance by a Human Female, as well as in StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm. She also showcased her voice talent in animated productions, "Green Lantern: First Flight," a Cartoon Network TV movie, on Disney XD's "The Spectacular Spiderman", and on Disney XD's TRON: Uprising.

In addition to acting, Helfer continues to support as many causes as she can, as she strongly believes in giving back. Tricia supports the Humane Society of United States, Best Friends Animal Society, AmFAR, PETA, Kitten Rescue and Richmond Animal Protection Society.

Tricia, who has dual citizenship in the US and Canada, and resides in Los Angeles.

New Zealand icon Lucy Lawless is most known for her role as "Xena the Warrior Princess." Lucy is married to producer Rob Tapert (Robert Gerard Tapert) and resides in New Zealand. They have two sons, Julius Robert Bay Tapert and Judah Miro Tapert, who were both born in New Zealand. Lucy also has a daughter, Daisy Lawless, from her first marriage to Garth Lawless.

Lucy was born Lucille Frances Ryan in Mount Albert, Auckland, to Julie, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, a banker and the city's mayor. She was awarded an Order of Merit in the New Zealand Queen's Birthday Honor List in June 2004. Lucy, whose role as Xena in "Xena: Warrior Princess" made her a cult television star, has been involved with the Starship Foundation and has held a role on its board of trustees. She was awarded the Order of Merit for services to entertainment and the community.

In 1995, Lucy landed the role of "Xena: Warrior Princess" in the show, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995), in a three-story arc, that led to her own spin-off show, Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), for six seasons.

Whilst she has been primarily known for her role on "Xena: Warrior Princess," Lucy has also appeared in the classic TV series, Battlestar Galactica (2004), in the semi-regular role of "D'anna Biers," among her other many and varied roles, including the hit Adam Sandler movie, Bedtime Stories (2008). Lucy was also in several made-for-TV movies including: Locusts (2005) and Vampire Bats (2005). She also lent her voice to the straight-to-video movies: Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) and Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2008). During 2011, Lucy appeared in the "No Ordinary Family" as the mysterious "Mrs. X" and also appeared in the prequel to Spartacus (2010), Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011) and "Spartacus Vengeance" as "Lucretia."

She portrayed "Caroline Platt" in Jane Campion's Top of the Lake (2013), a BBC Mini-Series in New Zealand, with Holly Hunter and Elisabeth Moss, the recurring character of "Diane Lewis" on NBC's Parks and Recreation (2009), and "Velma Kelly" in the Auckland Theatre Company's adaptation of "Chicago: The Musical," the latter from November 1-24, 2013.

As of 2019 she can be seen starring as Alexa Crowe in the light, colorful, Auckland-set mystery, "My Life is Murder."

Peyton List was born on August 8, 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up with her older sister Brittany, who works as a model in Germany, and her parents Sherri Anderson and Douglas "Doug" List. Peyton studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City and also played there on stage.

She began her career as a model and actress at the age of eight. Since then, she had various modeling jobs for "Dooney & Bourke", as well as "Clean & Clear". Peyton also belongs to the Eileen Ford modeling agency in New York. She has been on the cover of "Girl's Life" magazine more times than anyone else and was also a cover model for magazines like "Your PROM" (2002) and "Bridal Guide" (2004).

Besides her modeling career, she worked hard on her acting career, and on December 14, 2001, she landed her first role as "Lucy Montgomery" on the CBS soap opera, As the World Turns (1956). She played that role for four years and left the show when her contract expired and began to focus on bigger projects. She landed guest roles in series like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Sex and the City (1998) and Smallville (2001).

She had her first Hollywood role in the Disney movie, The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005), which was on top 9 with 3.7 million visitors on the U.S. cinema charts. Before that, she had small appearances in movies like Washington Square (1997) and "Conjuring Aurora".

Claudia Lee Black was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. Her parents Jules and Judy Black are both Australian Medical Academics Doctors. She has lived in Australia, New Zealand, England and the US. Throughout her career Black has played in many Australian and New Zealand films and guested on such Australian series as Police Rescue (1989) and Water Rats (1996), the American and New Zealand series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995) and Xena: Warrior Princess (1995), and a leading role in the New Zealand soap opera City Life (1996). Since then she has mostly played in science-fiction and fantastic series. She is probably best known for her roles as Aeryn Sun in the Australian series Farscape (1999) and Vala Mal Doran in the American series Stargate SG-1 (1997), in which she co-starred with Ben Browder.

Emmy-nominated director and executive producer Salli Richardson-Whitfield is poised to direct and executive produce the highly anticipated HBO series "Task," created by Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown). Starring Mark Ruffalo, this gripping drama explores the life of an FBI agent tasked with dismantling a wave of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia. Produced in association with wiip, the series is set to premiere in 2025, with Ingelsby, Ruffalo, and Paul Lee among the executive producers.

Salli will also return to direct the final two episodes of the third season of "The Gilded Age," premiering in 2025. Having directed half of the first season of Julian Fellowes' acclaimed series and served as an executive producer for all three seasons, Salli's contributions have been pivotal to its success.

With a career spanning over 30 years, Salli made history with her 2024 Emmy nomination for Best Director in a Drama Series for HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise and Fall of the Lakers Dynasty." This nomination marked a significant milestone as she became the first Black woman nominated in this category in the Emmys' forty-eight-year history. Additionally, she received a second nomination as an executive producer for season two of "The Gilded Age" for Best Drama. Her outstanding work has also garnered her two Gracie Award nominations. Before her impactful partnership with HBO, Salli directed across various genres. Her work on "Luke Cage" earned her an NAACP Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series, and she was nominated for a Hugo Award for Amazon's "Wheel of Time."

Inspired by director Ava DuVernay, Salli transitioned from a celebrated acting career to directing, beginning with two episodes of "Queen Sugar." Her extensive directing portfolio includes notable projects such as Hulu's "Reprisal," Apple's "SEE," Netflix's "Dear White People," "The Punisher," and "Altered Carbon," as well as Starz' "American Gods," Showtime's "The Chi," and ABC's "Scandal."

Previously one of Hollywood's most sought-after leading ladies, Salli starred in over 20 major motion pictures alongside icons like Samuel L. Jackson in "The Great White Hype," Denzel Washington in "Antwone Fisher," and Will Smith in "I Am Legend." On television, she is known for her roles in the long-running Syfy series "Eureka," "Family Law," and the award-winning "The Newsroom."

When she's not behind the camera or in front of it, the Chicago native enjoys golfing and cherishes time on the green with her husband, actor/activist Dondre Whitfield, and their two children, Parker and Dre.

Salli resides in Los Angeles, California, where she continues to inspire and break barriers in the entertainment industry.

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Erica Cerra discovered her love of acting by her 8th birthday. After appearing in numerous commercials Erica decided to take a break from acting. Returning to the business at 22, she decided to dedicate herself whole-heartedly to living as a professional actor. She has since committed herself to extensive study with the likes of Matthew Harrison and top acting coaches Larry Moss and Gina Chiarelli.

Erica has worked alongside the likes of Lolita Davidovich, Luis Guzman, and Hank Azaria. Her most recent credits include: New Line Cinema's Blade III; Showtime's The L Word; Adam Druxman's The Condemned; and MGM's Dead Like Me. In addition to appearances on Jake 2.0, The Collector, Dead Zone and Long Weekend.

Jordan Danger (born Jordan Danielle Hinson) was born in El Paso, TX. Growing up doing local theater, she developed a passion for acting and moved out to Los Angeles at age 11. She started out starring in Disney Channel original movie Go Figure (2005) and the hit SyFy series Eureka (2006). She also started writing screenplays at the young age of 15 and has since penned many. Her other credits include A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas (2011) and the Freeform series Kevin from Work (2015). Jordan resides in Los Angeles.

Krysten Ritter stars as Jessica Jones in the Peabody, Hugo, and Emmy Award-winning Netflix original series, Marvel's Jessica Jones (2015). Her performance, which earned her a prestigious Critics Choice nomination, a Saturn nomination, a Webby Award and a Glamour Best International TV Actress Award, has received rave reviews with the show being celebrated by critics and audiences alike for its groundbreaking depiction of a reluctant anti-super-heroine with an alcohol problem and a wicked case of PTSD who will not let a sexual assault from her past define her. She will also play Jessica Jones in The Defenders (2017) and the second season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones."

Additional acting roles include her critically acclaimed turn as Jane Margolis on AMC's hit series, Breaking Bad (2008), the titular character in the cult favorite Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 (2012), Big Eyes (2014) directed by Tim Burton, indie darling Listen Up Philip (2014), Life Happens (2011) which she co-wrote and co-produced, as well as roles in Veronica Mars (2014), The Blacklist (2013), Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009), and She's Out of My League (2010).

Growing up in a small-town farm in rural Pennsylvania, Ritter started her career in front of the camera as a model at 15-years-old. Her body of work has subsequently spanned film, television, theatre, writing, producing, music, and fashion design.

In 2012, Ritter launched her production company Silent Machine where she juggles many projects in various stages of development, always with the objective of highlighting complex female protagonists.

Ritter and her dog Mikey split their time between New York and Los Angeles.

Morena Baccarin was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to actress Vera Setta and journalist Fernando Baccarin. Her uncle was actor Ivan Setta. She is of Italian as well as Lebanese and Portuguese/Brazilian descent. She moved to New York at the age of 10, when her father was transferred there. She attended the LaGuardia High School of Music and Performing Arts and then the Juilliard School.

Staying in New York she worked in the theater, notably in the Central Park production of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull" where she was also Natalie Portman's understudy, and also appeared in several movies. After making Roger Dodger (2002), she moved to Los Angeles where she came to the attention of Joss Whedon, who cast her in his short-lived cult sci-fi show Firefly (2002). Since then she has rarely been off our TV screens.

Jane Badler, the American and Australian actress best known for her role as the evil reptilian Visitor leader "Diana" in the NBC mini-series V (1983), its sequel V: The Final Battle (1984), the subsequent TV series V (1984), and the last season of the latest series V (2009), was born on the last day of 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. She spent her teen years in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she attended Central High School. Jane won the Miss New Hampshire title and competed at the 1972 Miss America Pageant before going on to study drama at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

In 1977, Jane gained her first major role on the TV soap opera One Life to Live (1968), where she played "Melinda Cramer Janssen" until 1981, returning briefly to reprise the role in 1983. She also starred on the venerable soap opera The Doctors (1963). Jane's other TV roles included a stint on Falcon Crest (1981) as "Meredith Braxton" from 1986 to 1987 and as "Agent Shannon Reed" for the revival of the series Mission: Impossible (1988), which was shot in Australia. She also guest-starred on many TV series.

Jane relocated to Australia after filming Mission: Impossible (1988) Down Under, marrying businessman Stephen Haines. They have two sons, Sam and Harry. Her Australian TV roles include Cluedo (1992) (the British and Australian name of the board game known as "Clue" in the United States). She also had a guest-starring role in Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1994). In the 1990s, she launched a stage career and cabaret act, including the one-woman show "The Love Goddess: Rita Hayworth".

Lena Headey is a Bermudian-British actress. Headey is best known for her role as "Cersei Lannister" in Game of Thrones (2011) (2011-2019) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), Possession (2002), and The Remains of the Day (1993). Headey stars as "Queen Gorgo," a heroic Spartan woman in the period film, 300 (2006), by director Zack Snyder.

Headey was born in Hamilton, Bermuda, to British parents Sue and John Headey. Her father, a Yorkshire police cadet, was stationed in the Bermuda Police Service. She was raised there until age five, when her family returned to England. She was brought up in Yorkshire before moving to London in her teens. Headey had not gone to drama school before she became an actress. At the age of seventeen, Headey's performance in a one-off show in the company of six school friends caught the attention of a casting agent, who took a photo and asked her to audition. Eventually, Headey was cast in Waterland (1992), which became her big-screen debut. She honed her natural acting talent while filming and also took archery classes and horse training. She also took boxing classes in clubs in south London, where a former boxer had been teaching her to spar. During her film career, spanning over 15 years, Headey has shown her range in a variety of roles, playing characters from Amazon-type warriors and action-minded women in The Cave (2005) and The Brothers Grimm (2005), to a lesbian florist in Imagine Me & You (2005).

Headey's film career has taken her all over the world. She was in India for the filming of The Jungle Book (1994), then in St. Petersburg, Russia, for filming Onegin (1999), and in Norway for filming of Aberdeen (2000). In 2005 Headey was filming in Romania and in Mexico, then spent four months in Prague, Czech Republic, where a forest was designed and built for filming The Brothers Grimm (2005), with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. During 2006 Headey was in Canada for the filming of 300 (2006), then went to locations in Bulgaria for shooting The Contractor (2007), and Germany and in Czech Republic for the filming of The Red Baron (2008).

She also played Gina McVey in the horror thriller The Broken (2008), and Elizabeth in Tell Tale (2009). In addition to her film-work, Heady appeared as Sarah Connor in a TV spin-off of the popular "Terminator" film franchise, the FOX's television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008).

Outside of her acting profession, Headey continued taking boxing lessons in London. She is a vegetarian and also remains loyal to yoga, which she discovered during her work in India. She has never been back to her birthplace in Bermuda; she shares her time between her homes in London, England, and Los Angeles, California.

Marina Sirtis was born in London, England, to Greek parents, Despina (Yianniri), a tailor's assistant, and John Sirtis. Her parents did not want her to become an actress. As soon as Marina completed high school, she secretly applied to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. After her graduation, she worked in musical theater, repertory and television. In 1986, she moved to Los Angeles, California to boost her career. For six months, she auditioned for roles but was unsuccessful. Just before she planned to go back home, she got the role of Counselor Deanna Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987). After the series ended, she reprised her role for a string of successful Star Trek films: Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). In 1992, Sirtis married rock guitarist Michael Lamper. She occasionally attends Star Trek conventions so that her loving fans can meet her, and she can meet the fans.

Joanne can most recently be seen starring opposite Kevin Bacon in the third season of CITY ON A HILL for Showtime and in an episode of HUDSON & REX on Citytv. Joanne's impressive list of TV credits includes the Emmy-nominated series SEVERANCE for Apple TV+ as well as her recurring role in GODFATHER OF HARLEM for EPIX. Other TV work includes ABC's THE RESIDENT, the mini-series THE DISAPPEARANCE, CBS's ZOO, A&E's THE RETURNED, and CBS's HOSTAGES. She was also a series regular lead on Syfy's WAREHOUSE 13 and has been nominated for two Gemini Awards in her career--one for her lead role in the mini-series DIAMONDS and the other for her lead role in the mini-series PLAYING HOUSE. Joanne's feature credits include CLOSET MONSTER, which won the best Canadian Feature at TIFF 2015. On the stage, Joanne will next star as "Lady Macbeth" in Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's production of MACBETH. In the past, she has performed in ROMEO AND JULIET, JULIUS CAESAR, MACBETH, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, SEVEN STORIES, OLEANNA and PROOF. Additionally, she starred in the play THE FALL, which premiered at The Huntington Theatre in Boston. As a writer, Joanne was staffed on the Amazon series, ABSENTIA.