British-American actress and director Amanda Tapping is best known for her role in Stargate SG-1 but has continued to add credits to her name since first appearing on screen. Fans will also remember her for her roles in The X-Files and Goosebumps.
Early Life
Amanda Tapping was born in Rochford, Essex, England, on August 28, 1965; however, her family moved to Canada when the actress was three years old, and she grew up with three brothers, one of whom died in 2006.
Tapping would attend North Toronto Collegiate Institute for Environmental Science and drama, but when she furthered her education at the University of Windsor, she would keep her focus on acting.
Her mother noted how Tapping always wanted to be an actress, and while she excelled in math at an early age, her main interest was in the arts.
Tapping had said, "I always had this sort of inkling I’d like to be a doctor when I was younger…..but acting was always in the forefront."
The actress appeared in several theater productions after graduation and landed parts in television commercials before appearing in recurring roles on both the small and big screen.
Acting Career
The actress first started appearing on screens in the mid-90s, but has continued acting and has added director and producer to her resume.
While Tapping is best known for her role in the Stargate series, she also has made a name for herself on the big screen in films like Booty Call, Life or Something Like It, and Kid Cannabis.
While the actress vowed never to appear on television, that quickly changed after landing an agent and booking her first commercial.
Here’s a look at some of her most notable roles.
Goosebumps
In 1996, Tapping played Mrs. Merton in the "It Came from Beneath the Sink" episode of the children’s horror series Goosebumps.
The show was based on the popular book series by R.L. Stine and followed teens who found themselves in unusual and creepy circumstances. The series lasted for four seasons and was primarily filmed in Canada.
The X-Files
1996 also brought the actress to the set of The X-Files, where she played Carina Sayles in the "Avatar" episode.
The science fiction television series starred David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson and spanned nine seasons.
The series revolved around Duchovny’s character, Fox Mulder, believing in the existence of aliens and Dana Scully (Anderson) being the skeptic and medical doctor assigned to investigate Mulder’s findings.
Flash Forward
Tapping had a recurring role from 1996-1997 in the Disney Channel Original Series Flash Forward.
The actress played Miss Yansouni and starred alongside Ben Foster and Jewel Staite. The series only aired for one year and was based on the science fiction novel Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer.
Stargate SG-1
Tapping starred as Samantha Carter in the science fiction television series Stargate SG-1.
The role would become one of her best-known parts, and she had a recurring role from 1997-2007, appearing in over 200 episodes.
Her character was an engineer, pilot, and astrophysicist of the Atlantis Expedition, following her part in bringing the Stargate Program into existence.
Fans considered Samantha Carter to be a strong, intelligent person who is capable of showing her vulnerability while displaying mental toughness.
The actress was vocal about how she would leave the show if she were made to wear push-up bras and low-cut tops instead of the traditional battle dress uniforms.
Stargate: Atlantis
The actress reprised her role of Samantha Carter between 2005-2009 in the series Stargate: Atlantis. While Tapping had guest roles in seasons 1-3 & 5, she had a main role in season 4.
Stargate: Atlantis was a spinoff of Stargate SG-1 and followed the events of Stargate’s final season. The series was successful and has been nominated for over 60 awards, winning 19.
Stargate: Universe
Tapping made two guest appearances in Stargate: Universe between 2009-2010. The actress reprised her role of Samantha Carter but didn’t involve herself as much as in earlier series.
The show ran for two seasons with 40 episodes and held a decent rating amongst critics. While viewers were unhappy with the cancellation, Syfy network pointed to the decreasing ratings as the cause.
Sanctuary
The actress scored a leading role in the television series Sanctuary and appeared in 59 episodes between 2007-2011 as Dr. Helen Magnus.
The science fiction fantasy series was produced by a Canadian television production company and was an expansion of a web series that played on the internet in 2007.
Dr. Helen Magnus was a 157-year-old teratologist studying abnormal physiological development who ran the sanctuary with her team.
Supernatural
Tapping had a recurring role in the fantasy drama television series Supernatural, appearing between 2012-2013, and in 2018.
In the series, the actress played Naomi and showed off her directing talents in four episodes between 2017-2019.
The series follows two brothers who hunt supernatural beings like monsters, ghosts, and demons.
Travelers
The actress put on her director hat to participate in the science fiction television series Travelers.
Tapping directed nine episodes between 2016-2018 and had guest roles on the series, including Katrina Perrow in season two.
The actress went on to appear in five episodes of the show that starred Eric McCormack, MacKenzie Porter, and Nesta Cooper.
What is Amanda Tapping doing now?
Tapping has not left the bright lights of Hollywood and continues to act, direct, and produce.
Most recently, the actress appeared in Freeform’s fantasy series Motherland: Fort Salem, which centers around a group of witches who turn into combat warriors in an alternate history. She also directed seven episodes of the series between 2020-2022.
She has also directed numerous television series like The Flash, Batwoman, and First Kill. Furthermore, she has produced episodes of Motherland: Fort Salem and the TV series Sanctuary.
Fans of the actress have enjoyed seeing her at many conventions, including A Salute to Stargate, Inspirations 2022, and Palmerston North Armageddon.
While it has since closed, Tapping opened a Sanctuary for Kids in 2009 that raised funds for the Nepal Orphans Home and Watari programs.
While the non-profit closed in 2018, the actress used sales of auction items from the Sanctuary series to benefit at-risk youth.
Tapping has an Instagram where she posts to over 30K followers.
Personal Life
Amanda Tapping married Allan Kovacs in 1994 and have been together ever since. Kovacs had a small role in a single episode of Stargate SG-1 but kept his day job as a builder.
Tapping and her husband have one child together, Olivia Kovacs.
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