Jewel Belair Staite (born June 2, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her roles as
Kaylee Frye in the
Fox television series ''
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
'' (2002–2003) and its spin-off
theatrical film
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
''
Serenity'' (2005), and as
Jennifer Keller
Dr. Jennifer Keller is a fictional character from the Canadian-American military science fiction series ''Stargate Atlantis'', a spin-off series to ''Stargate SG-1''. She is played by Canadian actress Jewel Staite, who previously played the Wra ...
on
Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
's science fiction television series ''
Stargate Atlantis'' (2007–2009). Staite also starred as Catalina in ''
Space Cases'' (1996), as "Becca" Fisher in ''
Flash Forward'' (1996–1997), as Raquel Westbrook in the Canadian drama ''
The L.A. Complex
''The L.A. Complex'' (originally ''Highland Gardens'') is a Canadian drama television series that premiered on CTV on January 10, 2012, subsequently airing on MuchMusic. It also began airing in the United States on April 24, 2012, on The CW. Th ...
'' (2012), and as Caroline Swift in AMC's crime drama ''
The Killing'' (2013–2014). Since 2021, she has starred as Abigail Bianchi in the Canadian legal drama series ''
Family Law
Family law (also called matrimonial law or the law of domestic relations) is an area of the law that deals with family matters and domestic relations.
Overview
Subjects that commonly fall under a nation's body of family law include:
* Marriage ...
''.
Early life
Staite was born in
White Rock, British Columbia
White Rock is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It borders Semiahmoo Bay to the south and is surrounded on three sides by Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey. To the southeast acr ...
. The youngest of seven children, she
modeled as a child and has acted since age six. She has stated that she is of
British,
Irish,
French Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fre ...
, and
Iroquois
The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...
ancestry. Staite attended
Vancouver Film School and worked at the Vancouver Youth Theatre.
Career
Staite began her career as a child actress, with appearances in
television movie
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
s such as
CBC's ''
Liar, Liar'' in 1993 (which was later aired on
CBS in the United States that same year) and
ABC's ''The Only Way Out''. In 1995, Staite had a key guest-starring role in a third-season episode of ''
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'', titled "
Oubliette".
After appearing on ''
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' is a horror anthology television series. The original series aired on Nickelodeon from 1992 to 1996; the pilot episode aired respectively on YTV and Nickelodeon in 1990 and 1991. It led to two revival series, wi ...
'' (1994), Staite's first co-starring role on a television series was as Catalina, the ship's engineer, in the first season of
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
science fiction television series ''
Space Cases'' in 1996. This was immediately followed by her role as Rebecca "Becca" Fisher on the 1995–1997
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...
series ''
Flash Forward'', a series in which Staite was the co-lead with
Ben Foster.
In 2000, she was cast in a main role on the
FOX Family Channel drama series ''
Higher Ground''. She was also a voice actress in the animated TV series ''
Mummies Alive!'' and ''
Sabrina: The Animated Series'' for
DIC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment Corporation (; also known as DIC Audiovisuel, DIC Enterprises, DIC Animation City, DIC Entertainment, L.P., and DIC Productions), branded as The Incredible World of DIC, was an international film and television production com ...
.
Staite played
Kaylee Frye in the short-lived
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
''
Firefly
The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...
'' and its subsequent 2005 film, ''
Serenity''. She wrote a chapter in the book ''
Finding Serenity'', called "Kaylee Speaks: Jewel Staite On ''Firefly''".
She played the recurring role of Heidi Gotts in the television series ''
Wonderfalls'' in 2004.
Staite played the role of head medical doctor
Jennifer Keller
Dr. Jennifer Keller is a fictional character from the Canadian-American military science fiction series ''Stargate Atlantis'', a spin-off series to ''Stargate SG-1''. She is played by Canadian actress Jewel Staite, who previously played the Wra ...
in the ''
Stargate SG-1
''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...
'' spinoff ''
Stargate Atlantis'', making her the third actor from the ''Firefly'' series to move on to appear in a ''Stargate'' series (the first being
Adam Baldwin, who had a brief role as a colonel in the ''
Stargate SG-1
''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...
'' episode "
Heroes", and the second being
Morena Baccarin
Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin (; born 2 June 1979) is a Brazilian actress known for portraying Inara Serra in the sci-fi series '' Firefly'' and its follow-up film '' Serenity'', Vanessa in the superhero comedy franchise ''Deadpool'', Jes ...
, who played
Adria
Adria is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Rovigo in the Veneto region of northern Italy, situated between the mouths of the rivers Adige and Po. The remains of the Etruscan city of Atria or Hatria are to be found below the modern cit ...
, the main villain in the tenth season of ''SG-1''), and the second to take a recurring role. She replaced
Paul McGillion (Dr.
Carson Beckett
Dr. Carson Beckett is a fictional Scottish character in the 2004 Canadian-American science fiction television series '' Stargate Atlantis'', a spin-off series of '' Stargate SG-1''. He is portrayed by Scottish-born Canadian actor Paul McGillion ...
).
In the fifth season of ''Stargate'', her character was changed from recurring status to part of the main cast. Before taking on the role as Dr. Keller, she previously played the
Wraith child Ellia in the ''Stargate Atlantis'' episode "
Instinct
Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing both innate (inborn) and learned elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a v ...
". She also appeared in the 2010
Syfy
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...
film, ''
Mothman
In West Virginia folklore, the Mothman is a humanoid creature reportedly seen in the Point Pleasant area from November 15, 1966, to December 15, 1967. The first newspaper report was published in the ''Point Pleasant Register'', dated ...
'', under direction from Sheldon Wilson.
Also in 2010, Staite guest-starred in an episode of ''
Warehouse 13
''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Describ ...
'' as the love interest of Sheldon (played by
Sean Maher, who played her love interest in ''Firefly''), and in 2011, she guest-starred on an episode of ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'' as a former love interest of Sam.
In 2012, Staite was a series regular on ''
The L.A. Complex
''The L.A. Complex'' (originally ''Highland Gardens'') is a Canadian drama television series that premiered on CTV on January 10, 2012, subsequently airing on MuchMusic. It also began airing in the United States on April 24, 2012, on The CW. Th ...
'', in which she portrayed Raquel Westbrook, a struggling actress. The show aired in Canada on
CTV
CTV may refer to:
Television
* Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet
North America and South America
* CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media
** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
and
MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...
and in the U.S. on
The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
. She also appeared in an episode of ''
The Listener''. Staite appeared in 10 episodes of the
AMC crime drama
Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...
, ''
The Killing'', as Detective Stephen Holder's girlfriend Caroline Swift, from 2013–2014.
Personal life
Staite was married to actor Matt Anderson from 2003 to 2011. In May 2015, she became engaged to her boyfriend Charlie Ritchie. Later the same month, she announced she was pregnant with her first child, a boy. On December 9, 2015, she announced the birth of her son Wilder Cathcart Ritchie.
She married Charlie Ritchie on July 23, 2016.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Staite, Jewel
1982 births
Living people
Canadian child actresses
Female models from British Columbia
Canadian film actresses
Canadian television actresses
Canadian voice actresses
People from White Rock, British Columbia
Canadian people of Irish descent
Canadian people of British descent
Canadian people of French descent
Canadian people of Iroquois descent
Actresses from British Columbia
20th-century Canadian actresses
21st-century Canadian actresses