Tricia Helfer was once a model but has long since made the transition to being both an actress and a voice actress. It is interesting to note that some of Helfer’s most famous roles come from speculative fiction, with examples ranging from Number Six on the more recent Battlestar Galactica to Sarah Kerrigan in the Starcraft franchise from 2010 to 2015. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Tricia Helfer:
1. Born in Donalda, AB
Helfer was born in a village called Donalda that can be found in the Canadian province of Alberta. Once upon a time, the place was called Eidswold because of the Norwegian settlers who founded it. However, that changed when it was connected to the railroad in 1910, which resulted in it being renamed for the niece of a Canadian Northern Railway Official named Donalda Crossway.
2. Grew Up On a Grain Farm
It is interesting to note that Helfer and her sisters were raised on a grain farm where they would pitch in when they had the time. Generally speaking, the Albertan economy is known for oil production, but it is very reliant on agriculture as well. Primarily, Albertan farms produce wheat and canola, but other Albertan farm products of note include both beef and honey.
3. Went to High School in Stettler, AB
Donalda’s population is measured in the low hundreds. As a result, it is perhaps unsurprising to learn that Helfer went to high school in a town called Stettler that can be found in the same municipal district. With that said, Stettler isn’t very prominent, as shown by the fact that one of its most notable characteristics is that it is home to one of the last grain elevators that can be found in the province of Alberta.
4. Discovered While Waiting in Line
When Helfer was 17, she was discovered by a scout for a modelling agency while she was waiting in line for a movie. Due to this Helfer embarked on a very successful modeling career. For example, she walked for some of the most famous fashion shows in the entire world. Likewise, she has been featured on the covers of publications that range from ELLE and Cosmopolitan to Vogue and Marie Claire. Eventually, Helfer made the choice to retire from fashion modelling in 2002, though that hasn’t stopped her from showing up in relation to either her projects or her product endorsements since that time.
5. Played Number 6 On Battlestar Galactica
Even now, one of Helfer’s most famous roles remains Number 6 on Battlestar Galactica. In short, her character was one of the Cylon models that possessed human forms as well as human emotions, thus making them well-suited for the role of infiltrator. As such, Helfer played multiple characters with the same appearance, though it is interesting to note that Number 6s tended towards a certain sense of disdain for their assigned duties as well as a strong dislike for being designated as expendable when carrying out those duties. With that said, Number 6s tended to be quite good at their jobs, which was one of the reasons that they were so memorable.
6. Hosted Canada’s Next Top Model
When Battlestar Galactica was still being made, Helfer was chosen to host the first season of Canada’s Next Top Model, which was based on its American counterpart. On the whole, the choice made plenty of sense, seeing as how Helfer was a veteran of the business who happened to be pretty high-profile at the time. However, it seems that Helfer couldn’t spare enough time for the role, seeing as how she decided not to come back for the second season so that she could focus on Battlestar Galactica instead.
7. Was In Command & Conquer
On a related note, Helfer made it into Command & Conquer as well when Battlestar Galactica was still being made. For those who are unfamiliar, Command & Conquer was once one of the most famous strategy game franchises before its maker was absorbed by EA, which was rightly or wrongly blamed when the franchise went through a massive decline. One of the quirks of the Command & Conquer franchise was that it liked to have live-action cutscenes, which is how both Helfer and one of her Battlestar Galactica co-stars Grace Park winded up playing characters in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.
8. Was in Starcraft II
In more recent times, Helfer has been in the Starcraft franchise for which she voiced the character Sarah Kerrigan. In short, the first Starcraft saw the human psychic Sarah Kerrigan being assimilated by the alien species called the Zerg before regaining her independence when the Zerg Overmind was destroyed by another alien species called the Protoss. Thanks to this, Kerrigan proceeded to make herself the single most powerful person in her part of space by a combination of guile, brute force, and playing upon old loyalties. With that said, Helfer voiced Kerrigan in Starcraft II, which featured a presentation of the character that received a much more mixed response from the fan-base thanks to story beats that didn’t always manage to impress.
9. Has Been Cast As Dracula
Very curiously, there has been a recent announcement that Helfer was cast as Dracula in the dark fantasy drama Van Helsing. For those who are unfamiliar, Van Helsing is centered on a descendant of the vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing who is the last hope for a post-apocalyptic world that has been overrun by vampires. As such, it seems safe to say that Dracula will be very important, though it will be particularly interesting to see how the show will explain the character showing up in a female rather than a male form.
10. Has Six Artificial Disks In Her Spine
Helfer is said to have six artificial disks in her spine because of a couple of unfortunate incidents. One involved a piece of luggage falling on her head while she was seated on an airplane, while the other involved her getting injured while she was doing her own stunts for her projects.
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