Sara Canning (born July 14, 1987) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

actress. She co-starred 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 m ...

television series ''

The Vampire Diaries ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural teen drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the The Vampire Diaries (novel series), book series ...

'' as

Jenna Sommers ''The Vampire Diaries'' is an American fantasy-drama television series which was first broadcast on The CW from 2009 to 2017, airing 171 episodes over 8 seasons. Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec adapted the TV series from L.J. Smith's no ...

, and appeared in the 2009 feature film, '' Black Field''. She starred as Dylan Weir in the Canadian television series, '' Primeval: New World'', and as Dr. Melissa Conner on the

Global Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

medical drama '' Remedy''. Canning appeared in the 2017 theatrical film ''

War for the Planet of the Apes ''War for the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2017 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay by Reeves and Mark Bomback, and produced by Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is the sequel to ''Daw ...

''. She is also known for her role as Jacquelyn Scieszka in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

TV series ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their p ...

''.

Early life

Canning was born in Gander,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Canada, the daughter of Wayne and Daphne Canning.Hall, Jamie (July 27, 2010).
Canning sinks her teeth into television and movie career
". ''

The Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

''. Retrieved on October 2, 2013. She lived in Brown's Arm, Newfoundland until age eleven, and was then raised in Sherwood Park, near

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

. She competed as a figure skater in her childhood and early adolescent years, and became interested in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

as a student at F.R. Haythorne Junior High. Canning starred in several stage productions while attending Bev Facey Community High School, and acted in shows at her hometown stage at Festival Place. Canning made her professional acting debut in

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalitar ...

's ''

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

'' at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton at the age of 18. She began studying general arts at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, and considered going into journalism. Still interested in performing, Canning left university at 19 and moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to pursue a career in acting. She graduated from a year-long screen acting program at

Vancouver Film School Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a private entertainment arts school located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 1987, it has achieved international recognition. The Vancouver Film School has campus locations around Downtown Vancouver ...

in 2007.

Career

Canning found an

agent Agent may refer to: Espionage, investigation, and law *, spies or intelligence officers * Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another ** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...

and began acting in television series and

TV film 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 produced in Vancouver. She worked in a restaurant and would take time off to film.Proulx, Ben (September 1, 2010).
Vampires draw in Park actor
". ''Sherwood Park News''. Retrieved on September 4, 2010. Her first role was in 2008, playing

Nicky Hilton Nicholai Olivia Rothschild ( Hilton, October 5, 1983) is an American socialite, fashion designer and model. She is a member of the Hilton family by birth, and a member of the Rothschild family through her marriage to James Rothschild, a grands ...

in ''Paparazzi Princess: The Paris Hilton Story''.Acting Like A Hilton
". January 29, 2008.

. Retrieved on October 9, 2009. In 2009, she guest-starred on ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' and ''

Kyle XY ''Kyle XY'' is an American science fiction television series produced by ABC Family. The central character is a teenage boy (Matt Dallas) who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattle, Washington, with no more knowledge or abilities than a newb ...

'', and starred in the based-on-real-events TV movie, '' Taken in Broad Daylight''. She played Anne Sluti, a 17-year- old girl who was abducted by a demented criminal (

James Van Der Beek James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of hi ...

). In 2009, Canning filmed a

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

for the CW network television series ''

''. She then starred in the feature film, '' Black Field'', a 19th-century

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

period piece directed by

Danishka Esterhazy Danishka Esterhazy (born in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian screenwriter and film director. She is best known for her thriller and horror movies, such as '' Black Field'' (2009), '' Level 16'' (2018), ''The Banana Splits Movie'' (2019), and the ...

. Canning shot the drama near

Tyndall Tyndall (the original spelling, also Tyndale, "Tindol", Tyndal, Tindoll, Tindall, Tindal, Tindale, Tindle, Tindell, Tindill, and Tindel) is the name of an English family taken from the land they held as tenants in chief of the Kings of Engla ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada in May 2009. She played Maggie McGregor, the older of two British sisters struggling take make their way on the

Canadian Prairies The Canadian Prairies (usually referred to as simply the Prairies in Canada) is a region in Western Canada. It includes the Canadian portion of the Great Plains and the Prairie Provinces, namely Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These provin ...

. The film premiered at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

in 2009.Mithrush, Fawnda (April 30, 2010).
Vampire Vixen
. ''Avenue Magazine''. Retrieved on May 1, 2010. ''The Vampire Diaries'' series was picked up three weeks after she completed work on the film. Canning co-starred on ''The Vampire Diaries'' as

, the aunt and guardian of Elena Gilbert (

Nina Dobrev Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva ( bg, Николина Каменова Добрева, ; born January 9, 1989), credited professionally as Nina Dobrev ( ), is a Canadian actress. She is best known for portraying Elena Gilbert and Katherine Pierce on ...

), and her younger brother Jeremy ( Steven R. McQueen). Canning was younger or the same age as her fellow cast members who played high school students. Makeup artists and the wardrobe team worked to make her look older. Canning also downplayed her

Canadian accent Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the varieties of English native to Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder spoke French (2 ...

for the role.

Matthew Davis Matthew Davis, also professionally known as Matt Davis, is an American actor. He is mostly known for his roles as Warner Huntington III in ''Legally Blonde'', Adam Hillman on the ABC comedy-drama ''What About Brian'' from 2006 to 2007 and Alari ...

played her character's love interest, Alaric.MacKenzie, Carina (March 25, 2010).
'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning makes her own luck
". ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' Retrieved on May 8, 2010. Canning appeared on the second season of ''The Vampire Diaries'' from 2010–2011, until her character was killed in the episode "

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is a 1926 novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, his first, that portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the bu ...

". Canning is interested in writing and directing. As of September 2010, she was co-writing a love story set in the

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

time period. In 2011, she worked on a short

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

, titled ''Corvus'', and shot the Lifetime network film, ''Hunt for the I-5 Killer'', in Vancouver.Wilkinson, Amy (May 5, 2011).
'Vampire Diaries' Post-Mortem: Sara Canning Talks About Last Night's Shocking Episode
".

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Retrieved on May 13, 2011. She filmed the

Hallmark Movie Channel Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (formerly known as Hallmark Movie Channel, and also known as HMM) is an American digital cable and satellite television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings. The channel was spun off from sister network Hallmark Cha ...

Western, ''

Hannah's Law ''Hannah's Law'' is a 2012 American/Canadian Western television film from the Hallmark Movie Channel. The movie stars Cameron Bancroft, Sara Canning, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Julian Black Antelope. Synopsis The film is centered on the charac ...

'', in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

in late 2011, starring alongside Greyston Holt.Nordyke, Kimberly (October 3, 2011).
'Vampire Diaries' Actress to Star in Hallmark Movie Channel Western (Exclusive)
". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. Retrieved on November 9, 2011. Canning appeared in ''I Think I Do'', which began filming in January 2012 in

. She starred as Audrey, an event planner who runs a business alongside her two sisters ( Mia Kirschner and

Jenny Cooper Jenny Cooper (formerly credited as Jenny Levine) is a Canadian actress. She made her professional debut in 1995 as series star Molly in the Canadian TV series ''Jake and the Kid'' as the series regular Molly, went on to star in the Showtime seri ...

). The romantic comedy aired in 2013 on the W and Lifetime networks. She filmed the independent romantic comedy, '' The Right Kind of Wrong'', in

Banff, Alberta Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise. At above Banff is the community with the second highest e ...

in late 2012, starring alongside

Ryan Kwanten Ryan Christian Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series '' ...

and

Catherine O'Hara Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her comedy work on ''Second City Television'' (1976–84) and ''Schitt's Creek'' (2015–2020) and in films such as '' After Hours'' (1985), ''Beetleju ...

, directed by

Jeremiah Chechik Jeremiah S. Chechik (born 1955 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada) is the director of such films as ''National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation'', ''Benny & Joon ''Benny & Joon'' is a 1993 American romantic comedy-drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Maye ...

. Canning starred in the 2012–2013

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

channel television series '' Primeval: New World'', a

spin-off of the British sci-fi series ''

Primeval Primeval may refer to: * Primeval forest, an area of forest that has attained great age * Primeval number, a positive integer satisfying certain conditions * Primeval history, name given by biblical scholars to the first eleven chapters of the Bo ...

''. She played predator control expert Dylan Weir, a member of a

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

hunting team; the series was filmed in Vancouver.Leiren-Young, Mark (January 3, 2013).
Hollywood North: Vancouver’s Sara Canning takes a vacation from vampires and velociraptors
". ''

The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published si ...

''. Retrieved on January 5, 2013. Canning also starred in 2012 with

Aaron Ashmore Aaron Richard Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles on American television series such as Jimmy Olsen on ''Smallville'', Steve Jinks on '' Warehouse 13'' and Johnny Jaqobis on the Canadian television series ...

in the dark romantic comedy, ''I Put a Hit on You''. In 2013, she joined the cast of the psychological drama film, '' Eadweard'', starring

Michael Eklund Michael Eklund is a Canadian television and film actor who is known for playing the role of the villain or antihero. His characters are often described as being "creepy". His roles include a kidnapper who terrorizes characters played by Halle ...

. She played Flora, the wife of 19th-century photographer

Eadweard Muybridge Eadweard Muybridge (; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection. He adopted the first ...

. Canning played

general surgeon General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid g ...

Mel Conner in the

medical drama, '' Remedy'', co-starring

Sarah Allen Sarah Allen is a Canadian actress. She studied acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and graduated in 2002. ''Being Human'' Allen is perhaps best known for playing vampire Rebecca Flynt on SyFy's '' Being Human''. For the role ...

Dillon Casey Dillon Francis Casey (born October 29, 1983) is an American-born Canadian actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Sean Pierce in The CW action-thriller television series ''Nikita''. Early life Casey was born in Dallas, Texas and ra ...

, and

Enrico Colantoni Enrico Colantoni (born February 14, 1963) is a Canadian actor and director, best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom ''Just Shoot Me!'', Keith Mars on the television series ''Veronica Mars'', Louis Lutz on the short-lived sitcom ''H ...

. The television series was in production in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

from October 2013–January 2014. Broadcast company

Shaw Media Shaw Media was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice (TV channel), Sli ...

renewed the series for a second 10-episode season. Canning won the 2014 UBCP/

ACTRA The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has 25,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media. The org ...

best actor and the 2015

Leo Award The Leo Awards are the awards program for the British Columbia film and television industry. Held each May or June in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the Leo Awards were founded by the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British C ...

for Best Lead Performance for her role. Canning co-starred in ''

'' (2017), a sequel to 2014's ''

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ''Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'' is a 2014 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. It is the sequel to ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' (2011), and the second ins ...

''. She appeared in '' On the Farm'', a

Rachel Talalay Rachel Talalay (born July 16, 1958) is a British-American film and television director and producer. She is also a University of British Columbia film professor. Early life and education Talalay was born in Chicago, Illinois. Her father Paul T ...

-directed TV film about serial killer

Robert Pickton Robert William "Willy" Pickton (born October 24, 1949) is a Canadian serial killer and former pig farmer. He is suspected of being one of the most prolific serial killers in Canadian history. After dropping out of school, Pickton left a butcher ...

, and in ''

Hello Destroyer ''Hello Destroyer'' is a 2016 Canadian drama film written and directed by Kevan Funk. It had its world premiere in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Jared Abrahamson as an enforcer on a hocke ...

'', which premiered at the

2016 Toronto International Film Festival The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 8 to 18 September 2016. The first announcement of films to be screened at the festival took place on 26 July. Almost 400 films were shown. Awards The festival's final awards were ...

. Canning played Jacquelyn Scieszka in the 2017

series ''

'', based on

Daniel Handler Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970) is an American author, musician, screenwriter, television writer, and television producer. He is best known for his children's book series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and ''All the Wrong Questions ...

's book series of the same. She also starred as the head of a boarding school, Ms. Brixil, in the dystopian thriller, '' Level 16'', written and directed by

. Canning collaborated with Esterhazy a third time in ''

The Banana Splits Movie ''The Banana Splits Movie'' is a 2019 American comedy horror film directed by Danishka Esterhazy from a screenplay written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. Serving as a horror reimagining of Hanna-Barbera's 1968 children's television series ''The ...

'', a film shot in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, South Africa. Canning was nominated for the 2020 UBCP/

award for best female lead performance for her work on the Web series ''

Hospital Show ''Hospital Show'' is a Canadian comedy web series about the cast of the fictional hit primetime medical drama ''Critical Condition''. The series was created, written, directed, produced and edited by Adam Greydon Reid. The short form series premi ...

''. She starred in the 2021 film ''Superhost'' and stated that she had hard time filming the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

vlogging A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in ...

scenes.

Personal life

Canning relocated to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

to film ''The Vampire Diaries''. She stated to ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'' that she found that the

Southern U.S. The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

had "a much different culture than the west coast of Canada", but it became like her "second home".Hill, Erin (January 28, 2010).
Sara Canning: 'Vampire Diaries' Will Pave Its Own Way
". ''

''. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. Canning lived in Atlanta for two years and returned to

, British Columbia after finishing the series.MacKenzie, Carina Adly (May 6, 2011).
'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning says goodbye to Jenna Sommers
". Zap2it. Retrieved on November 9, 2011.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canning, Sara 1987 births Living people 21st-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Alberta Actresses from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Motion capture actresses People from Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador People from Sherwood Park University of Alberta alumni Vancouver Film School alumni