Katee Sackhoff

Katee Sackhoff

Active - 1998 - 2021  |   Born - Apr 8, 1980 in Portland, Oregon, United States  |   Genres - Drama, Action, Thriller

Share on

Biography by AllMovie

Born April 8th, 1980, Oregon native Katee Sackhoff made her first onscreen appearance with a small role in the 1998 Lifetime original movie Fifteen and Pregnant when she was 18. She continued to build up her resumé with minor appearances like a role in the USA film Hefner: Unauthorized and a number of appearances on MTV's Undressed, but it was a supporting role on the TV series The Education of Max Bickford that proved to be her big break. Playing daughter to veteran actor Richard Dreyfuss' character provided both valuable tutelage and incredible exposure for the young actress, setting her up for her next project.

Accepting the role of Lt. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace in the 2003 miniseries Battlestar Galactica became one of the best moves of Sackhoff's career. The miniseries was so successful, it was sold as a standard TV show and began airing in 2004, with Sackhoff in the same leading role. With a regular paycheck and a base of devoted fans, she explored other projects when her show wasn't filming, taking on the role of Sherry Clarke in the 2007 sequel to White Noise, White Noise 2: The Light, alongside fellow sci-fi TV vet Nathan Fillion.

Movie Highlights

See Full Filmography

Factsheet

  • Was a competitive swimmer in high school until sidelined by a dislocated knee at age 15.
  • Auditioned to be an extra on the movie Fifteen and Pregnant, but the director asked her if she could act and gave her a speaking part instead.
  • Worked on the TV series The Education of Max Bickford with Richard Dreyfuss, who introduced her to classic black and white movies such as On the Waterfront and Casablanca.
  • When she got the role of Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the new Battlestar Galactica, she based her fighter-pilot character on the bravado of male athletes she knew from her high-school days.
  • Had never watched the original Galactica as a young girl, and was floored to discover that the Starbuck character was originally a man and was played by Dirk Benedict from The A-Team, whom she'd had a crush on in the 1980s.