Jewel Staite

Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in FOX television series Firefly (2002–03) and its spin-off theatrical film Serenity (2005), and as Dr. Jennifer Keller on Sci-Fi Channel's science-fiction television series Stargate Atlantis (2007–09). Staite has also starred in her youth as Catalina in Space Cases (1996) and as "Becca" Fisher in Flash Forward (1996–97), and more recently as Raquel Westbrook in the Canadian drama The L.A. Complex (2012) and Caroline Swift in AMC's crime drama The Killing (2013–14).

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 4.1 Film 4.2 Television 5 References 6 External links

Early life
Staite was born in White Rock, British Columbia. The youngest of seven children, she modeled as a child and has acted since age six. She has stated that she is of British, Irish, French Canadian, and Iroquois ancestry.[1] Staite attended the Vancouver Film School and worked at the Vancouver Youth Theatre.

Career
Staite began her career as a child actress, with appearances in television movies such as CBC's Liar, Liar in 1993 (which was later reaired in the United States the same year on CBS),[2] and ABC's The Only Way Out.[3] In 1995, Staite had a key guest starring role in the third season episode of The X-Files, "Oubliette".

Staite's first co-starring role on a television series was as Catalina, the ship's engineer, in the first season of Nickelodeon science fiction television series Space Cases in 1996. This was immediately followed by her role as Rebecca "Becca" Fisher on the 1995–97 Disney Channel series Flash Forward, a series in which Staite was the co-lead with Ben Foster.[4] In 2000, she was cast in a main role on the FOX Family Channel drama series Higher Ground.[5] She was a voice actress in the animated TV series Mummies Alive! and Sabrina: The Animated Series for DIC Entertainment.

Staite at the 2005 Serenity Flanvention Staite played Kaylee Frye in the short-lived space western television series Firefly[6][7] and its subsequent 2005 film, Serenity.[8] She wrote a chapter in the book Finding Serenity, called "Kaylee Speaks: Jewel Staite On Firefly".[9] She played the recurring role of Heidi Gotts in the television series Wonderfalls in 2004.

Staite played the role of head medical doctor Jennifer Keller in the Stargate SG-1 spinoff Stargate Atlantis,[10] making her the third actor from the Firefly series to move on to appear in a Stargate series (the first being Adam Baldwin, who had a brief role as a colonel in the Stargate SG-1 Season Seven episode "Heroes", and the second being Morena Baccarin, who played Adria, the main villain in the tenth season of SG-1), and the second to take a recurring role. She replaced Paul McGillion (Dr. Carson Beckett). In the fifth season her character was changed from recurring status to part of the main cast. Before taking on the role as Dr. Keller she previously played the Wraith child Ellia in the Stargate Atlantis episode "Instinct".[11] She also appeared in the 2010 Sci-Fi film, Mothman, under direction from Sheldon Wilson.[9][12] In 2010, Staite guest starred in an episode of Warehouse 13 as the love interest of Sheldon (played by Sean Maher, who played her love interest in Firefly), and in 2011, she guest-starred on an episode of Supernatural as a former love-interest of Sam's.[13]

In 2012, Staite was a series regular on The L.A. Complex, in which she portrayed Raquel Westbrook, a struggling actress.[14] The show aired in Canada on CTV and MuchMusic and in the U.S. on The CW.[15] She also appeared recently in an episode of The Listener. Staite appeared in 10 episodes of the AMC crime drama, The Killing, as Detective Stephen Holder's girlfriend Caroline Swift, from 2013–14.[16]

Personal life
Staite was married to actor Matt Anderson from 2003 to 2011.[17] In May 2015, she became engaged to her boyfriend Charlie Ritchie.[18][19] Later the same month, she announced she was pregnant with her first child, a boy.[20][21] On December 9, 2015 she announced the birth of her son Wilder Cathcart Ritchie.[22]

Filmography
Film

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1995 Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain Samantha 1996 Carpool Soap Opera Actress 2002 Cheats Teddy Blue 2005 Serenity Kaylee 2009 After Dusk They Come Liz Straight-to-video 2011 The Pact Anna Short film 2015 She Who Must Burn Margaret [23] 2015 40 Below and Falling Kate Carter 2016 How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town Cassie Cranston [24]

Television

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1991 Posing: Inspired by Three Real Stories Jennifer Lanahan TV film 1992 The Odyssey Labelia Episode: "The Believers" 1993 Liar, Liar Dorianna TV film; aired in the U.S. as Liar, Liar: Between Father and Daughter 1993 The Only Way Out Alexandra Carlisle TV film 1994 The Odyssey Labelia Episode: "The Prophecy" 1994 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Kelly Episode: "The Tale of Watcher's Woods" 1995 Are You Afraid of the Dark? Cody Episode: "The Tale of the Unfinished Painting" 1995 The X-Files Amy Jacobs Episode: "Oubliette" 1996 The Prisoner of Zenda, Inc. Theresa TV film 1996 Space Cases Catalina Main role (season 1), 15 episodes 1996–97 Flash Forward Rebecca "Becca" Fisher Lead role, 26 episodes 1997–99 Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show Tiara VanHorn Recurring role, 5 episodes 1998–2001 Da Vinci's Inquest Gabriella Da Vinci Recurring role, 13 episodes 1999 So Weird Callie Snow Episode: "Siren" 1999 Sabrina: The Animated Series Voice role, 4 episodes 1999 Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy Sally Prentiss Episodes: "Happy Trails", "Fools for Love" 2000 Higher Ground Daisy Lipenowski Main role, 22 episodes 2001 The Immortal Danielle Jenkins Episode: "Learning Curve" 2001 2gether: The Series Josie Episode: "Kiss" 2001 Seven Days Molly Episode: "Empty Quiver" 2002 Roughing It Susan Olivia Clemens TV film 2002 Damaged Care Bryanna (15–20 years) TV film 2002 Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Carly / Shannon Episode: "Second Sight" 2002 Just Deal Laurel Recurring role, 8 episodes 2002–03 Firefly Kaylee Frye Main role, 14 episodes 2003 Dead Like Me Goth Girl Episode: "Rest in Peace" 2004 Huff Carolyn Episode: Pilot 2004 Cold Squad Thora Andrews Episode: "Girlfriend in a Closet" 2004 Wonderfalls Heidi Gotts Recurring role, 4 episodes 2005 Widow on the Hill Jenny Cavanaugh TV film 2005 Stargate Atlantis Ellia Episode: "Instinct" 2007–09 Stargate Atlantis Dr. Jennifer Keller Recurring role (season 4), main role (season 5), 33 episodes 2010 Mothman Katharine Grant TV film 2010 Warehouse 13 Loretta Episode: "Mild Mannered" 2010 Call Me Mrs. Miracle Holly TV film 2011 Doomsday Prophecy Brook Calvin TV film[25] 2011 Supernatural Amy Pond Episode: "The Girl Next Door" 2012 The L.A. Complex Raquel Westbrook Main role, 19 episodes 2012–13 Animism: The Gods' Lake Melody Ravensfall Main role, 6 episodes 2013 The Listener Lori Black Episode: "Blast from the Past" 2013 The Christmas Ornament Jenna TV film 2013 State of Syn Annika Drake TV shorts, 6 episodes[26] 2013–14 The Killing Caroline Swift Recurring role, 10 episodes 2016 Legends of Tomorrow Dr. Bryce [27] 2016 Castle Erin Cherloff Episode: "Much Ado About Murder" TBA Blown Cover Monica Boland TV film, filming