Early life

Durance was born in Calgary to parents Gail and Joel Durance, and was raised on a turkey farm with her older brother and sister in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Durance was trained as a classical singer from childhood. After graduating from high school, in 1999, Durance moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to pursue her interest in acting professionally. "I wanted to get my feet wet in a smaller area than Los Angeles when I gave it a try," Durance has said. She continued to study acting at the "Yaletown Actors Studio" for many years with her coach and husband, David Palffy.

Career

Durance began her career with background work, graduating to commercials and guest-starring roles. She made her feature film debut in the 2002 movie The Untold, co-starring Lance Henriksen. In 2004, she guest-starred on television series, The Chris Isaak Show playing Ashley, a woman on a date with Chris. And appeared on the supernatural drama series The Collector. In Tru Calling, her character was a contender in a beauty pageant opposite Eliza Dushku's character. On the SyFy Channel, she played an intergalactic librarian in Andromeda and a love interest for Teal'c on Stargate SG-1.

Durance first gained fame in 2004, after being cast as Lois Lane on the popular CW Superman series, Smallville. Playing a sassy and street-smart teenage Lois Lane at the start of the 4th season of Smallville. Durance play the character for seven seasons. Executive Producer Kelly Souders recalled hiring Durance stating "There were a lot of wonderful actresses who came in for the role, but I remember sitting and watching her tape and everybody was like, 'That’s her. There's no question.'" Fellow producer Brian Peterson added that from the moment Durance was hired they knew she would be Lois for the series. Durance was a frequent guest star as Lois in season four of Smallville. She was promoted to series regular in the 5th season of the show, and became part of the regular cast for the remainder of the series run. Durance on playing the iconic character Lois Lane in the Smallville series, Durance said "Everyone has their specific idea of who Lois Lane is for them, and you have your overall blueprint, but then you have to try to make it your own. That's the only way to try to stay truthful to what you're doing." "It’s an experience I will cherish always and never forget. Lois is a beloved character. I took that seriously and put my heart and soul into her for seven years. I enjoyed every minute and am forever changed by it." Durance has received three Saturn Award nomination for her portrayal of Lois Lane on the Smallville series.

Along with starring in the Smallville series, Durance also appeared in number of films. Including playing Julie Miller in the 2006 film The Butterfly Effect 2, and starring in Lifetime movie Island Heat: Stranded. In 2007, Durance played Isabel Darden in the Lifetime movie, I Me Wed. Playing a successful, attractive 30-year-old woman, who decides to marry herself. After growing tired of family and friends asking her "when are you going to get married?". Durance was nominated for a Gemini Awards for her performance in the film. Durance appeared in the 2009 TV movie Beyond Sherwood Forest as Maid Marian. In 2010, she stars in the film Sophie and Sheba as an Aerial silk performer in the circus.

After 7 years, 2011 saw Durance complete her stint on Smallville as Lois Lane. And at the same time guest starred as CIA operative Samantha Masters on the ABC remake of Charlie's Angels series. In January 2012, she guest stars again, this time in the NBC TV series Harry's Law. 2012 also saw Durance do a cameo in Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. In March 2012, she played twin sister Angela / Christine in the Italian TV mini-series 6 passi nel giallo in the episode Gemelle.

In the summer of 2012, Durance began playing the lead role in the CTV medical drama series Saving Hope as Chief Surgical Dr. Alex Reid. Durance is also a producer on the television series. The series also stars Michael Shanks and Daniel Gillies. Saving Hope premiered on NBC and CTV on June 7, 2012. In season 3, Durance's real life pregnancy was worked into her character Alex Reid and the series. In December 2015, CTV has renewed the series for a fifth season.

Durance played Carnegie Kincaid, a wedding planner and a perfectionist, in the 2014 Hallmark movie Wedding Planner Mystery. The story follows Carnegie Kincaid trying to clear her name, after she became a murder suspect. As her life exploding into a whirlwind mix of danger, mystery, and romance. The movie is based on Deborah Donnelly's novel Veiled Threats. In 2015, Durance stars in the thriller film Painkillers, co-starring with Tahmoh Penikett and Colm Feore.

Awards and accolades

Durance was nominated for Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2005 and 2006 for the Smallville series. In 2008, she was nominated for Gemini Awards in Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, for the film I Me Wed. In February 2011, Durance was nominated for another Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television for Smallville. This was followed by a Teen Choice Award nomination in June 2011, for Best Actress in a Fantasy/Sci-Fi Show. In 2013, Durance was nominated for best actress by the Canadian Screen Awards Academy for her work in Saving Hope.

FHM magazine ranked Durance #38 on FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World" in 2006, and ranked her #20 in 2007, #15 in 2008, and #14 in 2009. She has also appeared on the cover of FHM and Maxim magazine. In 2009, Durance was named by Entertainment Weekly's Sci-fi Hotties Women. BuddyTV ranked her #26 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2009 list, and #16 on its 2010 list. In May 2012, BuddyTV ranked Durance #9 on their list of Summer 2012's Sexiest Stars: TV's Hottest Women. Durance was named one of Canada's 50 Most Beautiful People by the Canadian edition of Hello! magazine's special issue in 2012.

Personal life

Durance was married to Wesley Parker from 1996 to 1999. Durance began dating Canadian actor, writer and director David Palffy in April 2001 and married him on January 8, 2005. She has a teenage stepson from her husband's previous relationship. In September 2014, Durance revealed she was pregnant with the couple's first child, and gave birth to a boy in February 2015. Durance and her husband reside in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Durance is a supporter of World Vision Canada. In August 2006, Durance co-hosted the Superman/Batman #26 art auction at the Wizard World Chicago convention, with comic book writer and Smallville producer Jeph Loeb. Durance refused her appearance fee and donated the money towards the auction. The auction raised $70,000. The event honored Loeb's son, Sam Loeb, who died at age 17 after a long battle with bone cancer. With all the proceeds going to the "Sam Loeb College Scholarship Fund".

Filmography

List of film credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002	Untold, TheThe Untold	Tara Knowles
2003	House of the Dead	Johanna
2003	Devil Winds	Kara Jensen	Television film
2003	111 Gramercy Park	Maddy O'Donnell	Television film
2004	Bridge, TheThe Bridge	Amy	Short film
2006	Island Heat: Stranded	Carina	Television film
2006	Butterfly Effect 2, TheThe Butterfly Effect 2	Julie Miller
2007	I Me Wed	Isabelle Darden	Television film Nominated—Gemini Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series (2008)
2009	Building, TheThe Building	Jules Wilde	Television film
2009	Final Verdict	Megan Washington	Television film
2009	Beyond Sherwood Forest	Maid Marian	Television film
2010	Sophie and Sheba	Natalia
2012	Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie	Paris Waitress
2014	Wedding Planner Mystery	Carnegie Kincaid	Television film
2015	Painkillers	Trudy

List of television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	The Lone Gunmen	Dancer	Episode: "Maximum Buyers"
2004	Chris Isaak Show, TheThe Chris Isaak Show	Ashley	Episode: "Let the Games Begin"
2004	Tru Calling	Angela Todd	Episode: "Drop Dead Gorgeous"
2004	Andromeda	Amira	Episode: "Time Out of Mind"
2004	Stargate SG-1	Krista James	Episode: "Affinity"
2004	The Collector	Rachel Slate	Episode: "Another Collector"
2004-2011	Smallville	Lois Lane	Season 4, recurring Season 5-10, series regular 141 episodes Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television (2005-06) Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (2011) Nominated—Teen Choice Award for TV Actress - Fantasy/Sci-Fi (2011)
2011	Charlie's Angels	Samantha Masters	Episode: "Angels in Chains"
2012	Harry's Law	Annie Bilson	Episode: "Gorilla My Dreams"
2012	6 passi nel giallo	Angela/Christine	Episode: "Gemelle"
2012-present	Saving Hope	Dr. Alex Reid	67 episodes Nominated—Canadian Screen Awards for Best Actress in a Drama Series (2013)

Producer credits

Year	Title	Episode	Notes
2012-present	Saving Hope	Season 1-present	60 episodes

Director credits

Year	Title	Episode	Notes
2016	Saving Hope	Torn and Frayed	Season 4

[ Source: Wikipedia ]