Leah Cairns
Encyclopedia
Leah Cairns is a Canadian
actress. She is best known for her role as one of the Raptor
pilots, Lieutenant Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
, on the Sci Fi Channel
television program Battlestar Galactica.
, British Columbia
, and grew up in Kamloops BC, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, which were dashed when she broke her back in a car accident at 16. When her dance team went to an international competition in her graduating year, rather than sit and mope at home, she headed off to Costa Rica
, starting an eight-year backpacking odyssey that took her to 36 countries. Prior to returning to Canada, she stumbled into an improvisation class at an ashram
in India
.
Cairns has appeared in CTV
's anthology series Robson Arms
, in CityTv
's Godiva's
, where she was nominated for a 2006 Leo Award (British Columbia's version of the Emmys) for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series, and opposite Al Pacino
in the feature 88 Minutes
. She also appeared in the vampire thriller Blood Angels (aka Thralls
). During her season 3 BSG hiatus, she signed on to play the role of Emily Hollander on the ABC Family series Kyle XY
. Cairns is also a cast member of Sanctuary, created by Damian Kindler of Stargate SG-1
and Stargate Atlantis
. It is billed as "the first broadcast quality, HD drama series designed specifically for the internet". Eight webisodes have been filmed so far. She also appeared in the TV show Supernatural
in season 2, episode 8 "Crossroad Blues" as a minor character.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actress. She is best known for her role as one of the Raptor
Colonial Raptor
The Raptor is a multipurpose military spacecraft featured in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica. According to producer Ronald D. Moore, the Raptor is analogous to the U.S. Navy's EA-6B Prowler.-Description:...
pilots, Lieutenant Margaret "Racetrack" Edmondson
Margaret Edmondson
Margaret Edmondson is a fictional character in the television series Battlestar Galactica, portrayed by actress Leah Cairns.- Character biography :...
, on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
television program Battlestar Galactica.
Biography
Cairns was born in North VancouverNorth Vancouver, British Columbia
There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and grew up in Kamloops BC, with dreams of becoming a professional dancer, which were dashed when she broke her back in a car accident at 16. When her dance team went to an international competition in her graduating year, rather than sit and mope at home, she headed off to Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, starting an eight-year backpacking odyssey that took her to 36 countries. Prior to returning to Canada, she stumbled into an improvisation class at an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Cairns has appeared in CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
's anthology series Robson Arms
Robson Arms
Robson Arms is a Canadian television series that began airing on CTV on June 17, 2005 and ended on June 30, 2008. Robson Arms is a co-production between Vancouver-based Omni Film Productions Limited and Halifax's Creative Atlantic Communications....
, in CityTv
Citytv
Citytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
's Godiva's
Godiva's
Godiva's is an hour long Canadian television comedy-drama series, which debuted on Bravo! and Citytv in 2005. It completed a successful two-season run in 2006, but though the show received rave reviews, it was cancelled by CHUM broadcasting...
, where she was nominated for a 2006 Leo Award (British Columbia's version of the Emmys) for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series, and opposite Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
in the feature 88 Minutes
88 Minutes
88 Minutes is a 2007 American thriller film directed by Jon Avnet starring Al Pacino, Benjamin McKenzie, Alicia Witt, Leelee Sobieski, Deborah Kara Unger, Amy Brenneman, and Neal McDonough. Filming began in the Vancouver area on October 8, 2005 and wrapped in December 2005...
. She also appeared in the vampire thriller Blood Angels (aka Thralls
Thralls (film)
Thralls is a 2004 horror film....
). During her season 3 BSG hiatus, she signed on to play the role of Emily Hollander on the ABC Family series Kyle XY
Kyle XY
Kyle XY is an American television series with a science fiction premise and mystery-drama style. The central character is a teenage boy who awakens naked in a forest outside Seattle, Washington, with no more knowledge or abilities than a newborn. He is taken in by a family and given the name Kyle...
. Cairns is also a cast member of Sanctuary, created by Damian Kindler of Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1
Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
and Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
. It is billed as "the first broadcast quality, HD drama series designed specifically for the internet". Eight webisodes have been filmed so far. She also appeared in the TV show Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
in season 2, episode 8 "Crossroad Blues" as a minor character.