Amanda Stepto

Amanda Felicitas Stepto (born 31 July 1970) is a Canadian former actress who gained nationwide fame for her role as teen mother Christine "Spike" Nelson in the ''Degrassi'' franchise. Having no previous acting experience, Stepto rose to national prominence in the late 1980s portraying Spike on ''Degrassi Junior High'' (1987-89) and its follow-up ''Degrassi High'' (1989-91), of which were critical and commercial successes for the CBC.

Spike's controversial teenage pregnancy storyline, as well as her trademark spiked hair, afforded Stepto a period of significant media attention. ''Degrassi Junior High'' was largely truncated and later dropped by the BBC in large part due to episodes about Spike's pregnancy, in spite of a UK publicity tour by the actress. As part of the Playing With Time Repertory Company, Stepto was made a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF Ontario and visited the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. In the early 1990s, Stepto was a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood and helped promote the organization by undertaking a controversial tour of Albertan high schools.

Stepto left acting later in the 1990s due to typecasting and loss of interest, returning to reprise the role of Spike as an adult in the first seven seasons of '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' (2001-08). ''Degrassi'' remains Stepto's only major role. She was praised for her performance and was nominated for a Young Artist Award (as part of an ensemble) and a Gemini Award.

Biography

Early life (1970-1986)

Amanda Felicitas Stepto was born on 31 July 1970 in Montreal, Quebec, the child of a young local woman and an "American jazz musician passing through" Her birth mother put her up for adoption at three months old.. She spent her early years residing in Meadowvale, Mississauga. As a teenager, Stepto was a fan of punk rock music, having discovered the genre when attending a concert by The Police in Oakville, Ontario in August 1981, where she developed a fascination with the styles of the punks in the audience. To identify with the punk movement, Stepto began to sport large spiked hair at age fourteen, citing Colin Abrahall, vocalist of the UK82 band GBH, as her chief stylistic inspiration. In 1987, she cited her favorite bands and artists as being Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Sex Pistols, Platinum Blonde, and The Cult. She attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts for three years, where she majored in dance and minored in drama. She later transferred to a school in Mississauga while starring on ''Degrassi.''

''Degrassi'' (1987-1992)

At Etobicoke School of the Arts, Stepto's drama teacher notified her class about an open audition for the teen drama series ''Degrassi Junior High.''The preface to ''Degrassi Talks:'' ''Sex'' was written by writer Catherine Dunphy. Stepto gave her own account in a 1998 interview with ''Degrassi'' fan site owner Natalie Earl, where she says she discovered the audition via an announcement posted in Etobicoke School Of The Arts' drama department.

She was the only student to act on it. She did not have a resume or professional headshots, and was required to send in a photo of herself to the production company. According to Stepto, she argued with her parents over her hairstyle, which they felt was unsuitable for television; she insisted her picture be taken with the spiked hair, telling her parents: "This is my hair! If they don't like me, fuck them!". She was ultimately accepted into the first series of acting workshops.

When her character became pregnant, fans mistook her for being pregnant in real life, and would often send the actress toys. She was also often asked for advice from parents and teenage mothers on sex and pregnancy as if she was a counselor. In the United Kingdom, where ''Degrassi Junior High'' experienced its highest viewership, the BBC
...