Michael Shanks
Michael Shanks plays Dr. Daniel Jackson
Dr. Daniel Jackson is one of the scientists working with SG-1. He is also a gifted paleo-linguist and anthropologist who speaks more than 20 languages. Working with Sam, they have the scientific bases fairly well covered for the team. His language abilities have saved the team many times as he pored over pictograms or hieroglyphs, looking for information that would help them. Daniel is an orphan. His grandfather is his only living relative, and he lives on another planet. Daniel is an optimist, and a bit of a romantic when it comes to history and life. While he is always seeking answers, he is really in search a place to call home.
Michael’s background
Michael Shanks was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on December 15, 1970. He grew up in the nearby town of Kamloops. He is a hockey fan, and played the game while in high school. His favorite hockey team is the Vancouver Canucks. He was inspired to turn to acting when he watched a scene of “MacGyver” being filmed at a nearby beach. After graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, he performed two years with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.
Michael has been married twice, and has three children, two daughters and a son. The mother of his first child played his wife on “Stargate: SG-1.” He met his current real-life wife while guest-starring on a television series she was acting on, “Andromeda.”
Michael’s filmography
Michael is currently in production on “Stargate Continuum,” the second “Stargate” movie based upon the television series. The first one, “Stargate: Ark of Truth” is in postproduction. He has recently been seen in the Sci-Fi series “Eureka,” in the television movie “Mega Snake,” and in the television series, “24.” In between seasons of “Stargate: SG-1” he has made appearances on “CSI: Miami,” “Stargate: Atlantis” and “Andromeda,” among many others. He has appeared in almost 200 episodes of “Stargate: SG-1.”
When he auditioned for the role of Dr. Daniel Jackson, he did a perfect impersonation of James Spader, who portrayed the same role in the original “Stargate” movie.
“Stargate: SG-1” has allowed Michael to try his hand at both directing and writing.
Michael’s awards
Michael has been nominated for three Leo Awards, once in 2000 for Best Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series, once in 2004 for the same category. This time he won. He was nominated again in 2005 for the same category. He has also been nominated for three Saturn Awards. His first nomination was in 2001 for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series. He was nominated in the same category again in 2004 and 2005.
