- Michael Shanks
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This article is about the actor. For the archaeologist, see Michael Shanks (archaeologist).
Michael Shanks 
Born Michael Garrett Shanks
December 15, 1970
Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaOccupation Actor, Writer Years active 1993–present Spouse Lexa Doig (2003–present) Michael Garrett Shanks (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian actor who achieved fame for his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson in the long-running Canadian-American military science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.
Contents
Biography
Early life
Shanks was born in Kamloops, British Columbia. After graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre in 1994, he appeared in several stage productions, serving a two-year apprenticeship with the prestigious Stratford Festival in Ontario. He made guest appearances on TV series like Highlander, University Hospital, and The Outer Limits, appeared in the TV movie A Family Divided and had a small role in The Call of the Wild, before winning the role of Daniel Jackson on Stargate SG-1.
Career
Stargate franchise
Shanks played archaeologist Dr. Daniel Jackson throughout the first five seasons of Stargate SG-1 before leaving the show, citing creative differences concerning the under-use of his character and the direction of the show as a whole. He made several guest appearances throughout the sixth season playing his own character, as well as voicing the Asgard character Thor. Shanks returned for the seventh and subsequent seasons, winning the Leo Award for Best Lead Performance By A Male in a Dramatic Series in 2004 for the seventh season episode "Lifeboat".[1] During the series' tenth and final season, he signed up for 16 of the 20 episodes, taking some time off in March 2006 for the birth of his third child (second with wife and occasional co-star Lexa Doig).
He appeared in both direct-to-DVD Stargate films released in 2008; Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum, and won the 2009 Leo Award for Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama for Continuum.[2]
In 2004, Shanks made a crossover appearance (as Daniel Jackson) in the Stargate Atlantis pilot, "Rising". He also appeared in the tenth and eleventh episodes of Atlantis' fifth and final season,[3] and made a cameo appearance in the pilot of the third Stargate series Stargate Universe. He also appeared in the episodes "Human" and "Subversion".[4]
Other appearances
In 2001, Shanks guest starred in the episode "Star-Crossed" in the Sci-Fi series Andromeda, during which he met his wife, Lexa Doig. Coincidentally, they played two androids who fell in love with each other.
In 2002, Shanks starred in the German/UK/South African co-production Sumuru, a science fiction B-movie, as astronaut Adam Wade. He also auditioned for the role of Shinzon in Star Trek Nemesis and was a fan favorite to play the role of Tobin Dax on Star Trek: DS9 (although it is unknown if he was ever actually approached for the role).
In 2007, Shanks joined the Fox Network series 24, guest-starring as lobbyist Mark Bishop in a three-episode arc for season 6.
In 2008–2009, Shanks had a recurring role on the second season of the USA Network spy series Burn Notice, playing Victor, spy and maniacal counterpoint to series lead Jeffrey Donovan's character.
In 2008, Shanks had a guest starring role in one episode of the SciFi Channel series Eureka, as an alchemist somewhat responsible for the near destruction of the town due to a student's mixing chemicals in his lab and thereby creating the 'Alchemist curse'. He appeared in the episode "All That Glitters...", with a mention of his character in the episode "A Night At Global Dynamics".
Shanks was featured in a lead role in the SciFi Channel’s adventure film, The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon as Jacob Thain opposite Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed alumnus Shannen Doherty. The film premiered on the cable network on December 20, 2008.
In 2010, Shanks appeared in an episode of Sanctuary, which stars fellow Stargate actor Amanda Tapping.
Shanks' latest television guest roles were as archaeologist Carter Hall, DC Comics' superhero Hawkman, in the Smallville episode "Absolute Justice".[5] He later reprised the role in the final episode of the ninth season, and then in guest spots during the tenth season episodes "Shield" and "Icarus" as well as appearing in Supernatural season 5 episode "99 Problems". Shanks stars in the Canadian thriller Faces in the Crowd.[6]
Shanks has also starred in the Fox comedy The Good Guys as the pompous leader of the Strike Force.
In 2011, Shanks is the guest star in the third episode of the Showcase show Endgame where he plays an amnesiac.
Personal life
Shanks' eldest child is daughter Tatiana (b. August 1998). She was conceived from his relationship with model and actress Vaitiare Bandera, who portrayed Sha're, his character's wife, on Stargate SG-1.
On August 2, 2003, Shanks married actress Lexa Doig, whom he met in 2001 while guest-starring on the series Andromeda, in which she starred. (They would also work together on Stargate SG-1, when Doig was cast as Dr. Carolyn Lam, a recurring character in seasons nine and ten.) They have two children together: daughter Mia Tabitha Shanks (b. September 13, 2004) and son Samuel David Shanks (b. March 19, 2006).
Shanks enjoys playing ice hockey, and once considered playing professionally. He was on the Stargate SG-1 hockey team, competing against the teams of other Vancouver-based productions such as Smallville, and also displayed his aptitude for the sport in the 2006 TV movie Under the Mistletoe, in which he played the part of a school hockey coach.
Filmography
Starring roles
Year Title Role Other notes 1995 A Family Divided Todd 1997 The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon Fellow Gambler #1 Stargate SG-1 Dr. Daniel Jackson / Voice of Thor 1997–2002, 2003–2007 1999 Escape from Mars Bill Malone, Mission Architect 2000 Suspicious River Ball cap man Mr. Fortune's Smile James The Artist's Circle Artist 2001 Suddenly Naked Danny Blair/Donny Blitzer 2002 All Around the Town Justin Donnelly Door to Door John Brady 2003 Sumuru Adam Wade 2005 Swarmed Kent Horvath TV Stargate SG-1: The Alliance (Canceled) Dr. Daniel Jackson (voice) Video Game – cancelled 2006 Under the Mistletoe Kevin Harrison 2006 Burn Notice Victor 2007 Judicial Indiscretion Jack Sullivan Mega Snake Les 2008 Stargate: The Ark of Truth Dr. Daniel Jackson Stargate: Continuum Dr. Daniel Jackson The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon Dr. Jacob Thain 2009 Living Out Loud Brad Marshall Desperate Escape Michael Coleman Arctic Blast Jack Tate 2011 Tactical Force Demetrius Faces in the Crowd Bryce Red Riding Hood Adrien Lazar Guest-starring roles
Year Title Role Episode 1993 Highlander Jesse Collins 2.6 "The Zone" The Commish Sean 3.6 "Rising Sun" 1994 Madison Gordon 2.5 "Junior Partner" 1995 University Hospital Jake 1.9 "Shadow of a Doubt" Eye Level Simon 1998 The Outer Limits Melburn Ross 4.15 "Mary 25" 2000 Dr. Will Olsten 6.4 "Manifest Destiny" 2001 Andromeda Gabriel 1.20 "Star-Crossed" 2002 The Chris Isaak Show Trevor 2.14 "The Hidden Mommy" The Twilight Zone Donnie 1.3 "Shades of Guilt" 2003 Andromeda Remiel/Balance of Judgment 3.21 "Day of Judgement, Day of Wrath" 2004 Gabriel (archive footage) 4.19 "A Symmetry of Imperfection" Stargate Atlantis Daniel Jackson 1.1 "Rising: Part 1" 2004 CSI: Miami Doug Stets "Payback" 2007 24 Mark Bishop 6.20 "1:00AM – 2:00AM "
6.21 "2:00AM – 3:00AM "
6.22 "3:00AM – 4:00AM "Eureka Christopher Dactylos 2.12 "All That Glitters..." 2008 Stargate Atlantis Daniel Jackson 5.10 "First Contact"
5.11 "The Lost Tribe"Burn Notice Victor 2.06 "Bad Blood" 2009 2.14 "Truth and Reconcilliation"
2.15 "Sins Of Omission"
2.16 "Lesser Evil"Stargate Universe Daniel Jackson 1.1 "Air" 2010 Sanctuary Jimmy 2.09 "Penance" Smallville Carter Hall / Hawkman 9.11 "Absolute Justice"
9.22 "Salvation"
10.2 "Shield"
10.11 "Icarus"Supernatural Rob 5.17 "99 Problems" Stargate Universe Daniel Jackson 1.14 "Human"
1.18 "Subversion"
1.19 "Incursion Part 1"2011 Endgame Casey Roman 1.3 "The Caffeine Hit" Director
Year Title Other Notes 2001 Stargate SG-1 TV Series (episode 4.21 "Double Jeopardy") Writer
Year Title Other Notes 2003 Stargate SG-1 (TV Series) (story) (episode 7.11 "Evolution: Part 1") 2004 (TV Series) (episode 7.19 "Resurrection") Theatre
Stanley Theatre Arts Club Vancouver
- Hamlet .... Hamlet
Stratford Festival Ontario
- Merchant of Venice .... Lorenzo
- King Lear .... Cast
- Amadeus .... Cast
- Macbeth .... Cast
- The Merry Wives of Windsor .... Mentieth
University of British Columbia
- Love's Labour's Lost .... Don Armando
- Leonce and Lena .... Leonce, Frederick Wood Theatre
- Love of the Nightingale .... Tereus
- You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown .... Schröder, Frederic Wood Theatre
- Wait Until Dark .... Roat, Dorothy Somerset Studio
- Dombey and Son .... Walter Gray
- Sure Thing .... Clarke, Vancouver Men's Festival
- Loot .... Dennis, Dorothy Somerset Studio
- Translations .... Lt. Yolland
- Hopscotch .... Will, Frederick Wood Theatre
- The Lion in Winter .... ???, Western Canada Theatre Company
References
- ^ Leo Awards official website, last accessed October 24, 2007.
- ^ Leo Awards, 2009 Winners
- ^ GateWorld.net: Shanks set for mid-season Atlantis visit
- ^ Writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi's April 5th blog entry
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2009-10-19). "Exclusive: Two of Smallville's Justice Society". IGN. http://tv.ign.com/articles/103/1036548p1.html. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ Barton, Steve (2010-05-11). "Faces in the Crowd Starts Shooting! Full Cast Announced!". Dread Central. http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37449/faces-crowd-starts-shooting-full-cast-announced. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
External links
Categories:- 1970 births
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian television actors
- Canadian voice actors
- Living people
- People from Vancouver
- University of British Columbia alumni
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