Shore Leave 44 Guest: Amanda Tapping
Amanda Tapping enjoys a fulfilling career in television and film, having spent 12 seasons on Stargate: SG-1 and it’s spinoffs Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: Universe as Air Force Colonel Samantha Carter. She then took on the lead role of Dr. Helen Magnus on the television series Sanctuary; a project she had been nurturing from its inception on the internet. Tapping has come to secure a strong and direct influence on her projects from behind the lens. She was an Executive Producer of Sanctuary and also sat in the director’s chair for several episodes. She previously directed an episode of Stargate: SG-1 ("Resurrection") in 2004, which garnered her a Leo Award nomination for Best Director. This year she directed three episodes of Primeval: New World and an episode of Arctic Air. Tapping has also earned four Leo Awards for Best Actress, has been nominated for two Gemini Awards and four Saturn Awards and won the 2005 Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Amanda’s love of comedy lead her to co-found the all female Canadian comedy troupe, Random Acts. Her work in the short film Breakdown earned her the Canadian Comedy Award in 2007. She recently completed work on four films, Space Milkshake, Random Acts of Romance, Taken Back and Kid Cannabis. She is currently playing the character of Naomi on the hit TV series Supernatural.
She continues to advocate mentorship and improvement in the arts world through a number of professional organizations including WIFT-V and their “Flash Forward” program. She was honoured with Women in Film’s “Woman of Vision” award. She also received the YWCA Women of Distinction “Connecting the Community” Award.
Tapping has had the pleasure of supporting various charities and organizations such as The Coast Foundation, a support agency for people with mental disabilities, The Canadian Cancer Society, UNICEF and V-Day by performing in “The Vagina Monologues” to help end violence against women and girls worldwide. She also sits on the leadership council for The Waterkeeper Alliance. Amanda, who is a strong advocate for the often unheard “little voices,” launched the charitable foundation “Sanctuary for Kids” in 2009 to support both local and global children’s charities helping children in crisis. She was recently awarded The Jules Verne Award for her humanitarian work.