Erica Durance (pronounced /dəˈræns/ born June 21, 1978) is a Canadian actress. She has also been credited as Erica Parker. She is best known for her role as Lois Lane on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville. * 1 Early life * 2 Career * 3 Media publicity * 4 Personal life * 5 Filmography * 6 References * 7 External linksDurance was born in Calgary, Alberta and was raised in Three Hills, Alberta. After graduating from high school, Durance moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, to pursue her interest in acting professionally. "I wanted to get my feet wet in a smaller area than Los Angeles when I gave it a try", Durance has said. She continued to study acting at The Yaletown Actors Lab for many years with her husband, David Palffy. She started out with background work, graduating to commercials, and then guest-starring roles, landing more substantial roles each time.In 2004, she guest-starred on The Chris Isaak Show playing Ashley, a woman on a date with Chris. In Tru Calling, her character was a contender in a beauty pageant opposite Eliza Dushku's character. On the Sci-Fi Channel, she played an intergalactic librarian in Andromeda and a love interest for Teal'c in Stargate SG-1. She also played a sister to one of the leads in the Canadian show The Collector. Durance was cast as Lois Lane on Smallville prior to the beginning of the 4th season. Executive Producer Kelly Souders recalled hiring Durance stating: “There were a lot of wonderful actresses who came in for the role but I remember sitting and watching her tape and everybody was like, ‘That’s her. There’s no question. producer Brian Peterson added that from the moment Durance was hired they knew she would be Lois for the seriesDurance was a frequent guest star for the 4th season of Smallville and was then promoted as a series regular for the 5th season. She remained part of the regular cast for the remainder of the series run.Durance at E! Studios in 2008Durance has admitted that when she was growing up in Canada she regularly read the Superman comics and saw all of the Superman moviesDurance appeared on The Howard Stern Show in September 2004 after she had already filmed a number of her first episodes on Smallville. On October 9, 2006, she again appeared on The Howard Stern Show to promote the DVD release of The Butterfly Effect 2.She was listed as the highest new entrant and cover girl in FHM's May 2006 issue, including the World's 100 Sexiest Women at #38 and was listed by FHM at #20 in the World's 100 Sexiest Women in 2007 and #15 by FHM in the World's 100 Sexiest Women in 2008. She is currently placed at #14 on the 2009 list. In October 2007 she was the cover girl for Maxim (magazine).On August 26, 2008, Durance was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series, according to the Canadian Press.On February 24, 2011 Durance was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television series for her work in Smallville.Durance married Canadian actor, writer and director David Palffy on January 8, 2005.Erica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica DuranceErica Durance
