Tricia Helfer
Tricia Helfer | |
---|---|
Born | Tricia Janine Helfer April 11, 1974 |
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation(s) | Model, actress |
Years active | 1992–2002 (modeling) 2000–present (acting) |
Notable work | Number Six in Battlestar Galactica |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Spouse | Jonathan Marshall (m. 2003) |
Website | www |
Tricia Janine Helfer (born April 11, 1974)[1] is a Canadian model and actress. She is best known for playing the humanoid Cylon Number Six in Ronald D. Moore's re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series (2004–2009).
Early life
Helfer was born in rural Donalda, Alberta to Dennis and Elaine Helfer.[2]She studied at William E Hay Composite High School in Stettler, Alberta. She lived and worked on the family's grain farm with her three sisters, Trina, Tammy, and Tara. She was discovered at age 17 by a modelling agency scout while standing in line at a local movie theatre.[2] She is of German, English, Swedish and Norwegian descent.[3]
Career
Modelling
In 1992, she won Ford Models' Supermodel of the World Contest and was subsequently signed to Elite Model Management and later to Trump Model Management.[4] Helfer retired from fashion modelling in 2002 and claimed all her shoots since then are related to projects or product endorsements. She has appeared in ad campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Versace, Chanel, and Giorgio Armani.[4]
Helfer has walked for top fashion shows such as Carolina Herrera, Christian Dior, Claude Montana, Givenchy, John Galliano, and Dolce & Gabbana.[4] Helfer has appeared on the covers of Flare, Amica, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Vogue, among others.[4] She also regularly appeared in photo shoots by Maxim magazine, was the magazine's wall calendar girl for 2005, and was ranked #57 on the Maxim's Hot 100 Women of 2007.[5] Helfer was also featured as the cover model for the February 2007 issue of Playboy.[6]
Acting
Helfer hosted a Canadian television fashion program, Canada's Next Top Model.[7] She relocated to Los Angeles in 2002 to pursue a full-time acting career.[8] Her first acting assignment was a co-starring role as Sarah on the television series Jeremiah. She later played a model named Ashleigh James on the May 16, 2002 episode of CSI ("The Hunger Artist"). In 2002, she played "Eva" in the independent film White Rush.[9]
In 2003, she played Number Six on Battlestar Galactica. In 2004, she portrayed Farrah Fawcett in the telemovie The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels'.[10] Concurrent with her role in Battlestar Galactica, Helfer began producing and hosting Canada's Next Top Model on May 31, 2006. She appeared in Spiral and The Green Chain later the same year.
In October 2006, it was announced that Helfer would not return to host the second season of Canada's Next Top Model so she could concentrate on Battlestar Galactica.[11] Helfer also played a major role in Electronic Arts Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, as the high-level Nod general Kilian Qatar, along with her Battlestar Galactica co-star, actress Grace Park.[12] She also starred in the episode "Roadkill" on the second season of Supernatural.
Helfer had a recurring role on CBS' Two and a Half Men. She played Gail, best friend of Charlie's (Charlie Sheen) fiancé Chelsea (Jennifer Bini Taylor). When Chelsea finds out that her friend is recovering from a breakup, she says she should do so at Charlie's house.[13] Shortly after Chelsea and Charlie begin a trial separation, Gail begins a sexual relationship with Charlie.
Battlestar Galactica
In 2003, the television series Battlestar Galactica was used as the basis for a three hour miniseries on the Sci Fi channel. The project was written and produced by Ronald D. Moore and directed by Michael Rymer. Helfer played the role of Number Six, a humanoid Cylon operative. She continued that role as a regular cast member in the TV series, which completed its fourth and final season on March 20, 2009. Due to the special nature of the Number Six character – there are many "copies" of Number Six with distinct personalities – Helfer has, in effect, played numerous roles on the series. In 2009, she reprised her role as Number Six in Battlestar Galactica: The Plan – a television movie that tells the story of the series from the Cylons' point of view. In 2012, she voiced a prototype Cylon in the prequel Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome.
Awards:
- Leo Awards, Best Lead Performance By A Female in a Dramatic Series, Tricia Helfer ("Pegasus")
Nominations:
- Scream Awards, Breakout Performance, Tricia Helfer as Number Six
- Scream Awards, Best Television Actress, Tricia Helfer
2008–present
In August 2008, Helfer appeared on the stage of NVISION 08, an event sponsored by NVIDIA, where she discussed her role in Battlestar Galactica as well as the use of computer graphics on the show.[14] Helfer appeared as Chuck’s Season 2 secret agent "handler" in the NBC series Chuck,[15] and as Michael Westen's Season 2 nemesis in the USA Network series Burn Notice as "Carla". She appears as herself in Old 97's music video for their song, "Dance with Me".
She guest starred in "Resonance", the second episode of Warehouse 13 as FBI Agent Bonnie Belski on Syfy. She made a guest appearance in the pilot episode of Fox's 2009 mid-season series Human Target. She has played several prominent video game roles in recent years; including Kilian Quatar in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Veronica Dare in Halo 3: ODST and EDI, the ship-borne artificial intelligence aboard the Normandy SR-2 in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. She voices Sarah Kerrigan in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty as well as the expansion sets Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm and Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void. Helfer voices the "Black Cat" in The Spectacular Spider-Man and she reprises the role in Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and Ultimate Spider-Man.[9]
Helfer joined the cast of Jerry Bruckheimer's TNT drama, Dark Blue,[16] as FBI Special Agent Alex Rice. The show was cancelled in November 2010 because of its very low ratings.[17] In October 2010, she made a guest appearance on Lie to Me.[18]
In 2011, she starred in The Black Keys' music video for "Howlin' for You".[19] She made guest appearances in No Ordinary Family (2011),[20] and Franklin & Bash (2011).[21] In 2011, Helfer starred as Morgana, a necromancer, in the TV series pilot 17th Precinct from Ron Moore with Galactica's co-stars James Callis and Jamie Bamber.[22]
In October 2011, she got the lead role in the TV Pilot Scent of the Missing as Susannah, a K-9 Search and Rescue Volunteer.[23] In November 2011, she appeared in the Hallmark TV Movie Mistletoe Over Manhattan.[24] For 2012, she signed for the recurring role of Alex Clark in the new NBC TV Series The Firm.[24]
On May 16, 2012, she appeared in the two-part finale of season 7 of the CBS series Criminal Minds, in which she led a team of bank-robbing serial killers. She guest starred in the second season of the Jane Espenson scripted romantic comedy web series, Husbands.[25]
In 2014, she played Molly Parker on ABC´s Killer Women, a remake of Argentinian drama Mujeres Asesinas, with producer Sofia Vergara.[9] On April 30, the Syfy network announced Helfer has been cast in the miniseries Ascension, slated to air in November and December 2014. She will play Viondra Denniger, the steward and wife of the captain of the titular starship on its long journey carrying people to populate a new world.[26]
Personal life
She is married to Johnathan Marshall, a lawyer whom she met at a mutual friend's birthday party.[3]
She has four artificial discs in her back and two in her neck, resulting from an incident in which a piece of luggage was dropped on her head while sitting on a commercial airliner, and two in her lower back from mishaps while doing her own stunts.[27]
She co-founded the charity web site "Acting Outlaws"[28] with former Battlestar Galactica co-star Katee Sackhoff, which is open for donations for different causes and charity events.[29] She is also involved in various causes, from animal rescue[30] to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.[31]
In 2014, she appeared in a PETA video campaign, encouraging cat owners to keep their pets indoors.[32]
Filmography
Film
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Eventual Wife | Inga | Short film |
2003 | White Rush | Eva | |
2004 | Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels | Farrah Fawcett | TV movie |
2006 | The Genius Club | Ally Simon | |
2006 | Memory | Stephanie Jacobs | |
2007 | Spiral | Sasha | |
2007 | The Green Chain | Leila Cole | |
2007 | Walk All Over Me | Celene | |
2007 | Battlestar Galactica: Razor | Number Six | TV movie |
2008 | Inseparable | Rae Wicks | |
2009 | Green Lantern: First Flight | Boodikka | Voice |
2009 | Battlestar Galactica: The Plan | Number Six | TV movie |
2009 | Hidden Crimes | Julia Carver | TV movie |
2009 | Open House | Lila | |
2010 | A Beginner's Guide to Endings | Miranda | |
2011 | Bloodwork | Dr. Wilcox | |
2011 | Mistletoe over Manhattan | Lucy Martel | TV Movie |
2011 | PostHuman | Kali (voice role) | Short film |
2012 | The Forger | Sasha | |
2012 | Scent of the Missing | Susannah | TV movie |
2012 | Scribble | Sigrid Hagenguth | |
2012 | 37 | Christina | |
2013 | Finding Christmas | Ryan Harrison | TV movie |
2014 | Authors Anonymous | Sigrid Hagenguth | Completed |
Television
Year | Program | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Jeremiah | Sarah | Episode: "The Long Road: Part 1" |
2002 | CSI | Ashleigh James | Episode: "The Hunger Artist" |
2003 | Battlestar Galactica | Number Six | Mini-series |
2006 | The Collector | Janis Eisner | Episode: "The V.J." |
2006 | Canada's Next Top Model | Host, Judge | Cycle 1 |
2007 | Them | Naomi Tyler Moore | TV pilot |
2007 | Supernatural | Molly McNamara | Episode: "Roadkill" |
2009 | The Dealership | Rachel Carson | TV pilot |
2007–2009 | Burn Notice | Carla | 8 episodes |
2008–2009 | The Spectacular Spider-Man | Felicia Hardy/Black Cat (voice) | 3 episodes |
2004–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | Number Six | Main cast |
2009 | Chuck | Alex Forrest | Episode: "Chuck Versus the Broken Heart" |
2009 | Warehouse 13 | Bonnie Belski | Episode: "Resonance" |
2010 | The Super Hero Squad Show | Sif (voice) | Episode: "O, Brother!" |
2010 | Human Target | Stephanie Dobbs | Episode: "Pilot" |
2010 | Dark Blue | Alex Rice | 10 episodes |
2010 | Lie to Me | Naomi Russell | Episode: "Double Blind" |
2010 | The Whole Truth | Bitsie Katz | Episode: "Liars" |
2011 | No Ordinary Family | Sophie Adler | Episode: "No Ordinary Love" |
2011 | Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated | Amanda Smyth/Aphrodite (voice) | Episode: "Where Walks Aphrodite" |
2011 | Franklin & Bash | Brett Caiman | Episode: "Go Tell It on the Mountain" |
2009–2011 | Two and a Half Men | Gail | 3 episodes |
2011 | 17th Precinct | Morgana Kurlansky | TV pilot |
2012 | The Firm | Alex Clark | Recurring cast |
2012 | Criminal Minds | Izzy Rogers | 2 episodes |
2012 | Husbands | Pillow Girl #2 | 2 episodes |
2012 | Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome | Cylon Prototype | Episode: "Pilot" |
2012–2013 | Tron: Uprising | The Grid (voice) | Main cast |
2013 | Community | Lauren | Episode: "Conventions of Space and Time" |
2014 | Killer Women | Molly Parker | Main character |
2014 | The Librarians | Ms. Willis | Episode: "And the Horns of a Dilemma" |
2014 | Ascension[26] | Viondra Denninger | Main character |
Video games
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2007 | Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars | Kilian Qatar |
2007 | Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath | Kilian Qatar |
2008 | Spider-Man: Web of Shadows | Felicia Hardy/Black Cat |
2009 | Halo 3: ODST | Captain Veronica Dare |
2010 | Mass Effect 2 | EDI |
2010 | StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty | Sarah Kerrigan |
2012 | Mass Effect 3 | EDI |
2013 | StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm | Sarah Kerrigan |
2013 | Marvel Heroes | Black Cat |
References
- ^ "Thanks for all the bday wishes. Feeling lots of love today". Tricia Helfer Verified Twitter. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ a b Profile, tvguide.com; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b Eric J. Leech (Spring 2008). "Tricia Helfer profile" (PDF). Urban Male Magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ a b c d "Tricia Helfer profile at". Fashionmodeldirectory.com. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ Maxim's Hot 100 Women of 2007, maxim.com; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/02/the-50-hottest-celebrities-whove-posed-for-playboy/tricia-helfer
- ^ "Tricia Helfer – Canada's Top Model". BigBTV.com
- ^ Bio. TriciaHelfer.com (official).
- ^ a b c Tricia Helfer at IMDb
- ^ "The Unauthorized Story of 'Charlie's Angels'". Flixster.com. 2005-06-14. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ "Toronto's Jay Manuel To Host Second Season Of Canada's Next Top Model". CityNews.ca. Retrieved January 3, 2006.
- ^ "EA Reveals Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars: Kane Edition". Yahoo Business News. Retrieved 2006-01-03.
- ^ Natalie Abrams. "Tricia Helfer to Guest Star On Two and a Half Men". TVGuide.com.
- ^ Tricia Helfer official site, "NVISION 08"[dead link]
- ^ "Tricia Helfer to Handle Chuck", TV Guide, November 24, 2008.
- ^ "Dark Blue Review « Tricia Helfer". Triciahelfer.com. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ "Exclusive: TNT Cancels "Dark Blue", Nthefutoncritic.com; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Exclusive: Tricia Helfer to Crush on Lie to Me's Lightman". tvguide.com; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ The Black Keys' "Howlin' For You" February 10, 2011, IFC News
- ^ "Michael Chiklis Faces No Ordinary Cylon Invasion", ugo.com, March 1, 2011; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Go Tell it on the Mountain", clicker.com; August 3, 2011.
- ^ "Tricia Helfer 17th Precinct Pilot", aoltv.com, March 4, 2011.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (October 12, 2011). "'Battlestar Galactica's' Tricia Helfer Nabs Lead in TNT Pilot", HollywoodReporter.com; accessed April 10, 2014.
- ^ a b "Battlestar Galactica Babe Tricia Helfer to Appear in THE FIRM" Daemons TV
- ^ Vary, Adam B (June 28, 2012). "'Husbands': EP and star on season 2 of their gay-marriage web series". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ a b Bibel, Sara (April 30, 2014). "Tricia Helfer to Star in New Syfy Event Series 'Ascension'". TV by the Numbers (Press release). Retrieved April 30, 2014.
- ^ "Nerd Heroes Unite Behind George!". Lopez Tonight. September 1, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- ^ "Who We Are". The Acting Outlaws. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ "Our Mission". The Acting Outlaws. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
- ^ "KittenRescue.org". Retrieved 2011-03-01.
- ^ "Acting OutLaws.org". Retrieved 2011-03-01.
- ^ Steven Shehori, "Tricia Helfer And PETA Urge Pet Owners To Keep Their Cats Indoors," ET Canada, April 10, 2014.
External links
- Canadian film actresses
- Canadian voice actresses
- Canadian television actresses
- Canada's Next Top Model participants
- Canadian female models
- 20th-century Canadian actresses
- 21st-century Canadian actresses
- Canadian people of German descent
- Canadian people of English descent
- Canadian people of Swedish descent
- Canadian people of Norwegian descent
- People from the County of Stettler No. 6
- Actresses from Alberta
- 1974 births
- Living people