Biography
Who is Michael Shanks?
Early life and education
Michael Garrett Shanks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He spent his childhood growing up in the city of Kamloops. His interest in the performing arts began after he watched Richard Dean Anderson prepare for a scene in the show MacGyver. This moment inspired him to pursue a professional acting career.
To develop his skills, he attended the University of British Columbia to study in their fine arts program. He remained a student there until 1994. After his time at university, he worked on various stage productions. During this period, he also completed a two-year apprenticeship with the Stratford Festival located in Ontario.
Television and film career
His work on television started with guest roles on programs such as The Commish and Highlander. He also appeared in the television movies A Family Divided and The Call of the Wild. These roles eventually led to his most famous part as the archaeologist Daniel Jackson in the science fiction series Stargate SG-1.
Michael Shanks played Daniel Jackson during the first five seasons of the Stargate franchise. Although he left the show due to creative differences regarding his character, he returned for guest spots and voiced the character Thor. He later rejoined the cast for the seventh season and stayed through the tenth season. In 2004, he earned a Leo Award for his performance in the episode Lifeboat.
Other work and interests
Michael has worked across many genres, from the Netflix series Altered Carbon to the comedy The Good Guys. He also starred in the adventure film The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon alongside Shannen Doherty. His filmography includes disaster movies like Arctic Blast and the science fiction film Sumuru, where he played Adam Wade.
Outside of acting, he has a strong interest in ice hockey. He once considered a professional career in the sport. While filming Stargate SG-1, he participated in a hockey team that played against other Vancouver productions like Smallville. He even portrayed a hockey coach in the film Under the Mistletoe and played the lead in the 2013 film Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story.
Family and personal life
In 2001, while working on the series Andromeda, he met actress Lexa Doig. The two played romantic android characters in the episode Star-Crossed. They eventually married on August 2, 2003. The couple has two children together.
Michael also has a daughter from a previous relationship with Vaitiare Bandera. Bandera is an actress and model who appeared on Stargate SG-1 as the character Sha're. He took a brief hiatus from filming during the tenth season of Stargate to be present for the birth of his third child.
Birthday and age
Michael Shanks was born on December 15, 1970, which makes Michael 55 years old today. That birthday falls under the Sagittarius sign. Michael shares the date with 56 other famous people.
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