Amanda Tapping (born 28 August 1965) is an English-born Canadian actress. Born in Rochford, Essex in England, she moved with her family to Ontario, Canada when she was three years old. She attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute where she excelled in environmental science and drama. However, when she finished in 1984, she decided to focus her attention on drama when she attended the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Arts in Windsor, Ontario.
After graduation Tapping continued to study theatrical arts while performing in several stage productions. She appeared in several television commercials and played a variety of roles in television and film productions, such as The Outer Limits and The X-Files. She also formed a comedy troupe, the "Random Acts", with collaborators Katherine Jackson and Anne Marie Kerr, in Toronto in the early 90s.
Tapping is best known for her portrayal of Samantha Carter, in the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1, which debuted in 1997. In season four, Tapping took the place of Torri Higginson on Stargate Atlantis, as the Atlantis expedition commander. In season five, however, Tapping's role on the show will be reduced to that of "special guest-star" with only occasional appearances. . Instead of returning for Atlantis' 5th season Amanda chose to focus her attention on the development of a new series for the SCI FI Channel, "Sanctuary For All" for which she serves as both star and Executive Producer.
As of 2004, Amanda lives with her husband, Alan Kovacs, in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has one daughter, Olivia B., born on March 22 2005. Tapping had three brothers, Richard, Christopher and Steven. Chris is a fraternal twin, who works in Toronto as a database administrator. Tapping's brother Steven died in December 2006.
Amanda Tapping was born in Rochford, Essex in England on August 28, 1965. She spent a short time in South Benfleet, Essex, and was relocated to Ontario, Canada, at the age of 3. She attended North Toronto High School where she was awarded the Dramatic Arts Award and Environmental Science Award. Her parents always wanted her to go into the science field, but her first love was acting. Amanda studied drama at the University of Windsor School of Dramatic Arts in Windsor, Ontario. After graduation, she spent four more years studying theater and appearing in several stage productions. She has appeared in many movies and television shows such as Booty Call (1997), Life or Something Like It (2002), Rent-a-Kid (1995) (TV), "Outer Limits, The" (1995) and "X Files, The" (1993), however, her real success that seemed to launch her career came in 1997 with the start of the TV series "Stargate SG-1" (1997) where she plays Colonel Samantha Carter. She has three brothers, one of which is her twin. She has a dog named Abbie. On September 23, 1994 she married Alan Kovacs.
