Amanda Tapping

 (born 28 August, 1965) is an English-born Canadian actress. She is an executive producer and the leading lady of Sanctuary, playing Dr. Helen Magnus. She is widely known for her role as Samantha Carter on "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis".

Biography
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.

She has a husband named Alan Kovacs and a daughter Olivia B, born 22 March, 2005. She has three brothers called Richard, Christopher and Steven. Chris is her fraternal twin. Sadly, her brother Steven died in December 2006.

Amanda's first directing experience was on "Stargate SG-1" episode "Resurrection" (Season 7 episode 19), written by co-star Michael Shanks.