- Sara Canning
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Sara Canning 
Sara Canning in 2011.Born July 14, 1987
Gander, Newfoundland, CanadaOccupation Actress Years active 2008–present Sara Canning (born July 14, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She co-starred on The CW television series The Vampire Diaries as Jenna Sommers, and starred in the 2009 feature film, Black Field.
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Early life
Canning was born in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, the daughter of Wayne and Daphne Canning, and was raised in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, Alberta.[1][2] She competed as a figure skater in her childhood and early adolescent years, and became interested in theatre as a student at F.R. Haythorne Junior High.[3] Canning starred in several stage productions while attending Bev Facey Community High School, and acted in shows at her hometown stage at Festival Place.
Canning made her professional acting debut in George Orwell's 1984 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton at the age of 18. She began studying general arts at the University of Alberta, and considered going into journalism. Still interested in performing, Canning left university and moved to Vancouver at 19, to pursue a career in acting.[2] She graduated from a year-long acting program at the Vancouver Film School.[3]
Career
Canning found an agent and began acting in television series and in TV films produced in Vancouver. She worked in a restaurant and would take time off to film.[4] Her first role was playing Nicky Hilton in Paparazzi Princess: The Paris Hilton Story in 2008.[5] In 2009, she guest-starred on Smallville and Kyle XY, and starred in the based-on-real-events TV movie Taken in Broad Daylight as Anne Sluti, a 17-year- old girl who is abducted by a demented criminal (James Van Der Beek).
Canning filmed a television pilot for The CW series The Vampire Diaries. She then starred in the feature film Black Field, directed by Danishka Esterhazy, a gothic 19th Century period piece. Canning shot the drama in May 2009 near Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada for close to 20 days.[6] She played Maggie McGregor, the older of two Scottish sisters struggling take make their way on the Canadian Prairies. The film premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2009.[7] Three weeks after filming Black Field, Canning got the news that The Vampire Diaries had been picked up as a television series.[2]
Canning co-starred on The Vampire Diaries as Jenna Sommers, the aunt and guardian of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and her younger brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen).[8] Canning was the same age, or younger, than her fellow cast members who played high school students.[9] Makeup artists and the wardrobe team worked to make her look older than she usually did.[10] Canning also downplayed her Canadian accent for the role. Her character's love interest, Alaric, was played by Matthew Davis.[10]
Canning appeared on the second season of The Vampire Diaries from 2010–2011. Her character was killed in the episode, "The Sun Also Rises". As of 2011, Canning was working on a short film noir. She shot a Lifetime Network film in Vancouver, Hunt for the I-5 Killer, that year,[11] and signed on to play the lead in the Canadian horror film, Blitzed.[12] She will also star alongside Greystone Holt in the Hallmark Movie Channel TV movie, Hannah's Law. The Western began filming in October 2011 in Calgary, Alberta.[13]
Canning is also interested in writing and directing. As of September 2010, she was co-writing a love story set in the Western time period.[4]
Personal life
Canning relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to film The Vampire Diaries. She stated to Parade that she found the Southern U.S. to have "a much different culture than the west coast of Canada", and that it became like her "second home".[9] Canning lived in Atlanta for two years and returned to Vancouver after finishing the series.[14]
Filmography
List of acting performances in film and television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Paparazzi Princess: The Paris Hilton Story Nicky Hilton TV film 2008 Smallville Tess' Assistant - TV series, episodes:
- "Odyssey"
- "Plastique"
2008 Slap Shot 3: The Junior League Hope Direct-to-video film 2009 Black Rain Dorothy TV film 2009 Taken in Broad Daylight Anne Sluti TV film 2009 Kyle XY Redhead TV series, episode: "In the Company of Men" 2009 Come Dance at My Wedding Andrea Merriman TV film 2009 Black Field Maggie McGregor Feature film 2009–2011 The Vampire Diaries Jenna Sommers TV series: 31 episodes 2011 The Hunt for the I-5 Killer Beth Williams TV film References
- ^ Brioux, Bill (August 13, 2009). "TV brimming with Canadians". The Toronto Star. Retrieved on October 17, 2009.
- ^ a b c Hall, Jamie (July 27, 2010). "Canning sinks her teeth into television and movie career". The Edmonton Journal. Retrieved on July 31, 2010.
- ^ a b "The Vampire Diaries - Cast - Sara Canning". The CW. Retrieved on October 17, 2009.
- ^ a b Proulx, Ben (September 1, 2010). "Vampires draw in Park actor". Sherwood Park News. Retrieved on September 4, 2010.
- ^ "Acting Like A Hilton". January 29, 2008. Vancouver Film School. Retrieved on October 9, 2009.
- ^ Caddell, Ian (October 2009). "Field of Dreams". Reel West. Retrieved on October 9, 2009.
- ^ Mithrush, Fawnda (April 30, 2010). "Vampire Vixen". Avenue Magazine. Retrieved on May 1, 2010.
- ^ Gilovoy, Jackie (September 25, 2009). "In Review: The Vampire Diaries". Ponte Vedra Recorder. Retrieved on October 17, 2009.
- ^ a b Hill, Erin (January 28, 2010). "Sara Canning: 'Vampire Diaries' Will Pave Its Own Way". Parade. Retrieved on January 30, 2010.
- ^ a b MacKenzie, Carina (March 25, 2010). "'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning makes her own luck". Los Angeles Times Retrieved on May 8, 2010.
- ^ Wilkinson, Amy (May 5, 2011). "'Vampire Diaries' Post-Mortem: Sara Canning Talks About Last Night's Shocking Episode". MTV. Retrieved on May 13, 2011.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (June 23, 2011). "State of the Arts: Director blazing his own trail in film". Calgary Herald. Retrieved on June 25, 2011.
- ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (October 3, 2011). "'Vampire Diaries' Actress to Star in Hallmark Movie Channel Western (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved on November 9, 2011.
- ^ MacKenzie, Carina Adly (May 6, 2011). "'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning says goodbye to Jenna Sommers". Zap2it. Retrieved on November 9, 2011.
External links
The Vampire Diaries Episodes Characters Elena Gilbert · Stefan Salvatore · Damon Salvatore · Jeremy Gilbert · Jenna Sommers · Bonnie Bennett · Caroline Forbes · Matt Donovan · Vicki Donovan · Tyler Lockwood · Alaric Saltzman · Katherine Pierce · KlausStarring cast Nina Dobrev · Paul Wesley · Ian Somerhalder · Steven R. McQueen · Sara Canning · Kat Graham · Candice Accola · Zach Roerig · Kayla Ewell · Michael Trevino · Matt Davis · Joseph MorganCreators Categories:- 1987 births
- Actors from Alberta
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian television actors
- Living people
- Canadian people of English descent
- People from Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Actors from Newfoundland and Labrador
- People from Strathcona County, Alberta
- Vancouver Film School alumni
- University of Alberta alumni
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