Tatiana Maslany

Early life

Maslany was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, the daughter of Dan, a woodworker, and Renate, a translator. She has two younger brothers, Daniel (an actor) and Michael. She has Austrian, German, Polish, Romanian, and Ukrainian ancestry. For elementary school, Maslany was in French immersion, and was taught in German by her mother before learning English. Additionally, her grandparents spoke German around her as a child. She also speaks some Spanish. She has danced since age four and started community theatre and musicals at the age of nine.

Maslany attended Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School, where she participated in school productions and improvisation, and graduated in 2003. While attending high school, she found paying acting jobs that allowed her to travel all over Canada with her parents' approval. She would work for a few months at a time and then return to school in Regina. She stated, "It wasn't an easy transition. I felt a little outside of it. Outside of both experiences, really."

After completing high school, she spent some time doing theatre performances and travelling before settling in Toronto, Ontario at the age of 20.

Career

Maslany was one of the stars of the 2002 Canadian TV series 2030 CE. She appeared as the character Ghost in the 2004 film Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed. Maslany performed comedic improvisation for ten years. She participated in improvisational theatre, including the Canadian Improv Games, and has since become a member of the General Fools Improvisational Theatre. She is now a certified improvisation trainer.

In 2007, Maslany appeared in The Messengers as Lindsay Rollins. She also starred in the CBC series Heartland where she plays a barrel racer, Kit Bailey, with her horse Daisy. During 2008, she had a recurring role in the Instant Star TV series. She had a lead role in the Hallmark Channel movie, An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. In September 2008, she portrayed Penny, a kidnapping victim in the Canadian series Flashpoint.

Maslany appeared as Sarah Wexlar, the heroin-addicted daughter of Dr. Tom Wexlar in the second season of the Canadian comedy drama television series Being Erica in 2010. Also in 2010, she appeared as the protagonist Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the British four-part television series The Nativity, which received excellent ratings.

Maslany appeared in Grown Up Movie Star as Ruby, a role which earned the actor a special jury breakout role award at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. She played Hannah Simmons in one episode of The Listener. In 2010, she appeared in the direct-to-video film Hardwired as Punk Red. In late 2011, she co-starred in the film adaptation of John Sandford's Certain Prey as a contract killer named Clara Rinker. In 2012, Maslany appeared as lead character Claire in the full-length feature Picture Day, for which she won a Phillip Borsos Award for Best Performance at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival.

In 2013, Maslany guest starred on Parks and Recreation for a two-episode arc as Dr. Nadia Stasky. She portrayed the lead character Dylan in the independent film Cas and Dylan, for which she won a Phillip Borsos Award for Best Performance at the 2013 Whistler Film Festival.

On June 11, 2013, Maslany signed with the US talent agency Resolution, which serves as her United States representation. In Canada, she continues to be managed by Magnolia Entertainment and represented by Characters Talent Agency. The 2013 Juno Award ceremonies were held in Regina, Maslany's home town, and Maslany was chosen as one of the presenters.

On May 17, 2014, Maslany guest starred on the season 39 finale of Saturday Night Live. She played the character Bridget in the episode's second digital short entitled Hugs. She guest starred alongside Pharrell Williams and The Lonely Island.

Maslany co-starred in the 2015 film, Woman in Gold, in the WWII flashbacks as a younger version of Maria Altmann, Helen Mirren's character. The film also starred Max Irons, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, and Katie Holmes. She almost exclusively spoke German in the film.

Maslany also starred in the independent film The Other Half. The film, written by Joey Klein, was produced by Motel Pictures with A71 and Sienna Films and co-stars partner Tom Cullen. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 2016.

Maslany played the leading role of Lucy in the 2016 indie drama film Two Lovers and a Bear, starring alongside Dane DeHaan as Roman. The film follows the two characters as they come together in Apex, Iqaluit to find peace in their lives.

Maslany starred in the 2017 film Stronger, as Erin Hurley, the love interest of Jeff Bauman, a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing; Bauman was played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Orphan Black

From 2013 to 2017, Maslany starred in the BBC America and Space original series Orphan Black. She plays the lead character, Sarah Manning, as well as Sarah's cohort of clones: Cosima Niehaus, Alison Hendrix, Helena, Rachel Duncan, Elizabeth Childs, Krystal Goderitch, Veera "M.K." Suominen, Katja Obinger, Jennifer Fitzsimmons and Tony Sawicki. Maslany won two Critics' Choice Television Awards and one TCA Award for her performance in the series. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for these roles, but lost to Robin Wright for House of Cards. In 2015, Maslany received a nomination for an Emmy award for her performance, but lost to Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder. She was again nominated in 2016 and won the category. Maslany received a nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 7th Critics' Choice Television Awards, her third total nomination from the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. In 2014, The Guardian praised Maslany's performance in the series, calling it "Olympic-level acting," writing:

Maslany plays half a dozen different clones over season one, with who knows how many more promised for the imminent second season ... Delivering one creditable performance for a show is tough enough, but Maslany nails several here, often appearing in scenes as multiple versions interacting seamlessly. This is Olympic-level, endurance acting.

Personal life

Maslany has been dating Welsh actor Tom Cullen since 2011. The two met in Budapest while filming the Channel 4 miniseries World Without End. They currently reside in Los Angeles, California.