Erica Durance

Early life

Durance was born in Calgary to parents Gail and Joel Durance and was raised on a turkey farm with her older brother and sister in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. She was trained as a classical singer from childhood. After graduating from high school, in 1999, Durance moved to Vancouver to pursue her interest in acting professionally. "I wanted to get my feet wet in a smaller area than Los Angeles when I gave it a try," Durance has said. She continued to study acting at the Yaletown Actors Studio for many years with her coach and husband, David Palffy.

Career

Durance began her career with background work, graduating to commercials and guest-starring roles. Durance made her feature film debut in the 2002 movie The Untold. She guest-starred on the comedy series The Chris Isaak Show and the supernatural series The Collector. In Tru Calling, her character was a contender in a beauty pageant opposite Eliza Dushku. On the SyFy Channel, she played an intergalactic librarian in Andromeda and a love interest for Teal'c on Stargate SG-1.

Durance first gained fame in 2004, after being cast as Lois Lane on the popular CW television series, Smallville, playing a sassy, street-smart teenage Lois Lane in season four. Executive Producer Kelly Souders recalled hiring Durance stating: "There were a lot of wonderful actresses who came in for the role, but I remember sitting and watching her tape and everybody was like, 'That’s her. There's no question.'" Fellow producer Brian Peterson added that from the moment Durance was hired they knew she would be Lois for the series. Durance was promoted to series regular in season five and became part of the regular cast for the remainder of the series run. She played Lois for seven seasons and received three Saturn Award nominations for her portrayal of the character. On playing Lois Lane Durance said:

Everyone has their specific idea of who Lois Lane is for them, and you have your overall blueprint, but then you have to try to make it your own. That's the only way to try to stay truthful to what you're doing. It's an experience I will cherish always and never forget. Lois is a beloved character. I took that seriously and put my heart and soul into her for seven years. I enjoyed every minute and am forever changed by it.

Along with starring in the Smallville series, Durance also appeared in a number of films. In 2006, she starred in the films The Butterfly Effect 2 and Island Heat: Stranded. In 2007, Durance played Isabel Darden in the Lifetime movie I Me Wed. Playing a successful, attractive 30-year-old woman, who decides to marry herself, after growing tired of family and friends asking her "when are you going to get married?". She was nominated for a Gemini Awards for her performance in the film. Durance starred as Maid Marian in the 2009 movie Beyond Sherwood Forest. In 2010, she appeared in the film Sophie and Sheba as an Aerial silk performer in the circus.

In 2011, she guests starred in the Charlie's Angels television series as CIA operative Samantha Masters. In 2012, she appeared on the TV series Harry's Law. 2012 also saw Durance do a cameo in Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie and played twin sister Angela/Christine in the Italian TV mini-series 6 passi nel giallo.

In the summer of 2012, Durance began starring in the lead role in the CTV medical drama television series, Saving Hope, as Chief Surgical Dr. Alex Reid. She was also a producer on the series. In season 3, Durance's real life pregnancy was worked into her character Alex Reid and the series. Saving Hope ended its run in 2017.

Durance played Carnegie Kincaid, a wedding planner, and a perfectionist, in the 2014 Hallmark movie Wedding Planner Mystery. The story follows Carnegie Kincaid trying to clear her name after she became a murder suspect. The movie is based on Deborah Donnelly's novel Veiled Threats. In 2015, Durance starred in the thriller film Painkillers.

In July 2017, The CW television series Supergirl announced that Durance will be taking over the role of Kara's Kryptonian mother from Laura Benanti in a recurring role in season three.

Charity work

Durance is a supporter of World Vision Canada. In August 2006, she co-hosted the Superman/Batman #26 art auction at the Wizard World Chicago convention, with comic book writer and Smallville producer Jeph Loeb. Durance refused her appearance fee and donated the money towards the auction. The auction raised $70,000. The event honored Loeb's son, Sam Loeb, who died at age 17 after a long battle with bone cancer, and all of its proceeds went to the Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund.

Accolades

Durance was ranked #38 on FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" in 2006 and #20 in 2007, #15 in 2008, and #14 in 2009. She has also appeared on the cover of FHM and Maxim magazine. In 2009, Durance was on Entertainment Weekly's Sci-fi Hotties Women. BuddyTV ranked her #26 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2009, and #16 on its 2010 list. In 2012, BuddyTV ranked Durance #9 on their list of Summer 2012's Sexiest Stars. Hello! magazine listed her as one of Canada's 50 Most Beautiful People in 2012.

Personal life

Durance was married to Wesley Parker from 1996 to 1999. She began dating Canadian actor, writer and director David Palffy in 2001 and married him in 2005. In September 2014, Durance revealed she was pregnant with the couple's first child and gave birth to a boy in February 2015. Durance announced she was pregnant with her second child in June 2016. Her second son was born in December 2016. She also has a stepson from her husband's previous relationship. Durance and her husband reside in Vancouver, British Columbia.