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.