Michael Shanks

Michael Shanks played the Washington lobbyist Mark Bishop during Day 6 of 24. He is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1, which ended after ten seasons and has entered the record books as the longest running sci-fi TV show in North America. He's been nominated seven times for his portrayal of Dr. Daniel Jackson and won a Leo Award for his performance in an episode in which he played four distinct personalities.

Biography
Michael Garrett Shanks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up with his older brother in Kamloops, British Columbia. As with many Canadian boys, Shanks considered pursuing a career as an ice hockey player, but found that the aggression required in professional competition threatened to destroy his love of the game. Instead, he pursued acting and obtained a Fine Arts degree at the University of British Columbia. Shanks said that one of the contributing factors in his decision to become an actor was when he was 19 and watched his future Stargate SG-1 co-star Richard Dean Anderson film on the beach for the hit TV show MacGyver.

After receiving his degree, he spent two seasons in Ontario's Stratford Festival, home of the largest classical repertory theatre in North America, where he happened to meet future 24 co-star and fellow Canadian Kari Matchett. In an interview concerning his role on 24 and playing the love interest of Matchett's character Lisa Miller, Shanks said, "It was nice to work with somebody like Kari in that kind of capacity, because there was already a rapport there. We're friends from long ago, so it's easier than 'Hello, stranger, nice to meet you. By the way, I'll be taking your clothes off.' There's always an awkwardness on day one."

Shanks returned to the stage to play the highly-coveted leading role in Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Stanley Theatre in Vancouver during the summer of 1998. Opening night reviewer Ryan Roddy stated, "Michael Shanks, also seen regularly on the TV series Stargate SG-1, has temporarily shelved his intergalactic escapades and sports a brooding disposition as the timeless character Hamlet. Giving one of the most consistent and cohesive performances of the entire cast, Shanks explores the pensive, despondent character in great depth." Shanks welcomes opportunities to return to theatre as that is where he feels one has the chance to refine his character and the acting process in general.

In 2005, he and his Stargate SG-1 co-star and best friend Christopher Judge started the production company Slacktwaddle Entertainment for which Shanks is business manager and producer. Their first project was to publish Judge's photography featuring actresses they knew from their work in television science fiction (including Shanks's wife Lexa Doig) in the Women of Sci Fi Calendar. Currently, they are pursuing the production of television pilots written by Judge, as well as a Men of Sci Fi Calendar for which Shanks will pose.

Selected filmography

 * Stargate: Continuum (2007)
 * Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2007)
 * Judicial Indiscretion (2007)
 * Under the Mistletoe (2006)
 * Swarmed (2005)
 * Sumuru (2003)
 * Door to Door (2002)
 * All Around the Town (2002)
 * Suddenly Naked (2001)
 * Suspicious River (2000)
 * Escape from Mars (1999)
 * The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997)
 * A Family Divided (1995)

Television appearances

 * 24 (2007)
 * Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
 * CSI: Miami (2005)
 * Stargate Atlantis (2004)
 * Andromeda (2001 and 2003)
 * The Twilight Zone (2002)
 * The Outer Limits (1998 and 2000)
 * NYPD Blue (1995)
 * Highlander (1993)

Trivia

 * Michael met Vaitiare Bandera, the mother of his first child, Tatiana, during the filming of the pilot for Stargate SG-1 in which she played his character's wife. Tatiana has appeared in Stargate SG-1 episodes twice: once before she was born and another as a young girl playing frisbee in the park.
 * Michael met his wife Lexa Doig during the filming of his first guest appearance on her sci-fi show Andromeda. Together, they have two children, Mia and Samuel. Lexa joined Stargate SG-1 during its ninth season in a recurring role as a medical doctor.
 * Stargate SG-1 co-creator Brad Wright said that Michael was hired to play Dr. Daniel Jackson partly because he perfectly mimicked James Spader's Daniel from the original 1994 movie Stargate. When signing an anniversary edition of the movie for an auction, Michael thanked James for ten years of work.
 * It has been documented in magazines that the telephone switchboard at MGM was overwhelmed whenever the episode in which Daniel died was aired around the world in the fifth season of Stargate SG-1. Michael guest starred in the sixth season, and after a successful international fan campaign, he returned to the regular cast in the seventh season. Daniel's sci-fi manner of death permitted the character to return in the flesh.
 * In addition to his role as Dr. Daniel Jackson in Stargate SG-1, Michael wrote and directed episodes and provided the voice for the alien character Thor.
 * Michael is one of the most popular guests on the international sci-fi convention circuit and has had several standing-room only appearances. He was brought to tears when he was greeted with a five-minute standing ovation at his first convention appearance following the announcement of his Stargate character's death.