Editing Katee Sackhoff

{{Cast Data
| image= Katee Sackhoff.jpg
| character= {{callsign|Starbuck}}
| born_month= 04
| born_day= 08
| born_year= 1980
| death_month=
| death_day=
| death_year=
| nationality= US
| imdb= 0755267
| series=TRS
| sortkey=Sackhoff, Katee
}}

'''Kathryn Ann Sackhoff''', credited as '''Katee Sackhoff''', is an American actress who portrays [[Kara Thrace|Kara "Starbuck" Thrace]] in [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'']].

After her stint on ''Battlestar Galactica'', she continued her portrayal of smart and tough individuals, following up "Starbuck" with a turn as [[Wikipedia:Victoria "Vic" Moretti|Victoria "Vic" Moretti]] on ''[[Wikipedia:Longmire (TV series)|Longmire]]'', [[Wookiepedia:Bo-Katan Kryze|Bo-Katan Kryze]] in three ''Star Wars'' television spin-offs, Niko Breckinridge in [[Wikipedia:Netflix|Netflix]]'s ''Another Life'', and a villainous turn as Amunet Black ("Blacksmith") in [[Wikipedia:DC Comics|DC Comics]]' ''[[Wikipedia:The Flash (2014 TV series)|The Flash]]'' television series for [[Wikipedia:The CW|The CW]].

== Before ''BSG'' ==

Sackhoff was born April 8, 1980 and raised in and around St. Helens, Oregon. She took up swimming and planned to continue with the sport when she got to college, hoping to have a career as a competitive swimmer, but a knee injury ended those plans (just as a knee injury ended her character's plans of being a professional [[Pyramid (RDM)|pyramid]] player). After this, she took up acting when she was 16.

Sackhoff starred opposite [[imdb:nm0000377|Richard Dreyfuss]] and [[imdb:nm0001315|Marcia Gay Harden]] in the CBS series, ''[[imdb:tt0285356|The Education of Max Bickford]]''. On the big screen, she appears in Dimension Films' ''[[imdb:tt0220506|Halloween: Resurrection]]''. She was also featured in the films ''[[imdb:tt0206963|My First Mister]]'' with [[imdb:nm0001441|Christine Lahti]] and ''[[imdb:tt0221218|The Glass House]]'' with [[imdb:nm0000178|Diane Lane]].

Upon graduating from high school in Portland, Oregon, Sackhoff moved to Los Angeles, where she landed the lead role in the MTV pilot ''[[imdb:tt0238384|Locust Valley]]''. She went on to star in the Fox Family Channel series ''[[imdb:tt0251507|The Fearing Mind]]''. Sackhoff's other television credits include a recurring role on MTV's ''[[imdb:tt0190106|Undressed]]'', guest spots on ''[[imdb:tt0108757|ER]]''; ''[[imdb:tt0182656|Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane]]'' and ''[[imdb:tt0179128|Chicken Soup for the Soul]]''. She also had a supporting role in the USA Network film ''[[imdb:tt0213708|Hefner: Unauthorized]]''.  She recently appeared in the TV movie [[imdb:tt1002439|''How I Married My High School Crush'']] and the films ''[[imdb:tt0496436|White Noise 2]]'' and ''[[imdb:tt0758762|The Last Sentinel]]''.

== On ''Battlestar Galactica'' ==
Sackhoff was one of the final two actresses considered for the role of [[Sharon Valerii]], but was ultimately cast as {{Callsign|Starbuck}}.<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=124}}</ref> The reason for this is, in part, due to the observation from [[David Eick]]'s wife, [[Jennifer Birchfield-Eick]], who saw Sackhoff's audition while it was being played at their home and opined, "What's wrong with you? [Kara Thrace]'s right there!"<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=23}}</ref> She was aware from the beginning that turning Starbuck into a female character would be a "daring and controversial" choice, but she never had any doubts about it. "I thought the changes [[Ron Moore]] made to Starbuck for this show were all very exciting, and they reflected the world we live in today," she stated. "It was time for a change... Ron came up with a character that is true to the spirit of the original Starbuck in a lot of ways, but is also very different."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=110}}</ref>

She views her character as a "much more complex and troubled individual than the original Starbuck," believing that much of Starbuck's anger stems from her guilt over the death of [[Zak Adama]]. "Every mistake she’s made since Zak’s death comes back to that," Sackhoff explained. "Kara has to face that in [[Season 1 (2004-05)|season one]], and also has to learn to [[You Can't Go Home Again|start taking responsibility]] for everything she’s done."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=110}}</ref>

The role was physically demanding, and Sackhoff embarked on a rigorous training regimen for two months to develop Starbuck's physique. "The general consensus was that I needed to look like I could kick a guy’s ass," she recalled.<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=113}}</ref>

During the promotion for the series, Sackhoff met [[Dirk Benedict]], the original Starbuck, for the TV special ''[[Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown (Mini-Series)|Battlestar Galactica: The Lowdown]]''. She recalled, "I really enjoyed Dirk’s company... I know there was a lot of footage they couldn’t show because he and I were just joking around and being stupid! He seemed like a cool guy."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=113}}</ref>

== During ''BSG'' ==
During early production of [[Season 4]], Sackhoff worked with ''Battlestar'' alumni Executive Producer [[David Eick]] and cast member [[Mark Sheppard]], who played [[Romo Lampkin]], on a re-imagined version of ''[[w:Bionic Woman (2007 TV series)|Bionic Woman]]'' in which Sackhoff played the show's recurring villain, a bionic woman named Sarah Corvus. Conveniently for Sackhoff, ''Bionic Woman'' was also filmed in Vancouver—in fact using the same studio as ''Battlestar Galactica''. A victim of low ratings and the 2007-08 Writers Strike, ''Bionic Woman'' was cancelled after less than 10 episodes, with Sackhoff's story arc left unresolved.

According to Ron Moore and David Eick, in the [[Podcast:Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|podcast]] for "[[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II]]," Sackhoff no longer dated a tackle from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sackhoff has a dog named "Meatball" and another named "Nelly B" after her ''[[imdb:tt0285356|The Education of Max Bickford]]'' character, is 5'6" tall, and wears a thumb ring on one of her hands. This piece of jewelry was written into the series and is said to be an engagement ring from [[Zak Adama]]. Sackhoff decided to quit smoking when she received fan mail from young girls saying they want to be like "Starbuck" when they grew up.

Sackhoff was reportedly nearly a lock to land the role of Bryce Adams, a character intended to replace [[Wikipedia:Jorja Fox|Jorja Fox]]'s Sarah Sidle on ''[[Wikipedia:CSI (TV series)|CSI]]'', as executive producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar are huge fans. Executives at CBS and Jerry Bruckheimer Television weren't sold by her reading for the part, however, so she didn't get the role.<ref name="TVG_5-19-08"><u>TV Guide</u> May 19, 2008: 22</ref> Sackhoff did later appear on the series as Detective Frankie Reed in three episodes over the course of 2010 through 2011.

In a 2009 interview with ''Entertainment Weekly'', Sackhoff revealed that fan response to her being cast as Starbuck was so intense, she even received a mailed death threat.<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20245107_20245113_20265376_24,00.html The Beginning of the End: A Battlestar Galactica Oral History] [http://EW.com <span>EW</span><span>.</span><span>com</span>], March 2009</ref>

== After ''BSG'' ==
Following the end of the [[Re-imagined Series]], Sackhoff kept in touch with her fellow co-stars. In one instance, Sackhoff co-created the [[Acting Outlaws]] motorcycle-riding charity with her friend [[Tricia Helfer]] ("[[Number Six]]"), raising awareness and funding for a variety of causes from 2010-2016.

As a result of ''Battlestar Galactica'', her career has since grown to involve many recurring roles in television shows and movies, notably as unique yet strong characters, including [[Wikipedia:Victoria "Vic" Moretti|Victoria "Vic" Moretti]] on ''[[Wikipedia:Longmire (TV series)|Longmire]]'' from 2012-2017.

As a ''Star Wars'' fan, a trait she shares with her father, she was overjoyed to be able to play [[Wookiepedia:Bo-Katan Kryze|Bo-Katan Kryze]], a [[Wookiepedia:Mandalorian|Mandalorian]] warrior, as both a voice actor (in ''[[Wookiepedia:Star Wars: The Clone Wars|Star Wars: The Clone Wars]]'' and ''[[Wookiepedia:Star Wars Rebels|Star Wars Rebels]]'') over the course of several years and, for ''[[Wookiepedia:The Mandalorian|The Mandalorian]]'' live-action [[Wikipedia:Disney+|Disney+]] series, becoming the actor to give physicality to the role in the suit.

== Personal Life ==
[[File:Katee Sackhoff - Social Media Wedding Announcement.jpeg|thumb|[[Katee Sackhoff]] announces her marriage to Robin Gadsby on Facebook (17 October 2021), occurring two weeks prior. Pictured are [[Mary McDonnell]] and [[Edward James Olmos]], former co-stars from the [[Re-imagined Series]].]]
During production of ''Battlestar Galactica,'' Sackhoff dated film producer Scott Niemeyer beginning in 2005, leading to his marriage proposal in 2012. This engagement ended in 2014.

Sackhoff is known for having dated genre actor [[Memoryalpha:Karl Urban|Karl Urban]], first meeting each other around 2014 on a plane en route to a Montreal science fiction convention, from 2014 to 2018.

In 2018, Sackhoff began dating actor-producer Robin Gadsby, who met on the set of the genre Netflix series ''[[Wikipedia:Another Life|Another Life]]''. After getting engaged on April 10, 2020 in British Columbia, Vancouver (during filming of ''Another Life''<nowiki/>'s second season), they married in October 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=419399696222755&set=a.331426775020048|title=Katee Sackhoff's Facebook Post|author=Sackhoff, Katee|date=17 October 2021|year=2021|accessdate=18 October 2021|month=October}}</ref>

== Tattoos ==

Sackhoff has three tattoos. First, she has a crucifix tattoo on her left shoulder blade. As Christianity is not practiced in the ''Battlestar Galactica'' universe, it is covered up in the show by bandages in scenes when her skin is exposed (her scene with [[Samuel Anders|Anders]] at the beginning of "[[The Farm]]," for example). Since "[[Unfinished Business]]" it has been inked over with a large stepped pyramid.

[[File:Bonafiscalia.JPG|thumb|right|Katee's tattoo on her right arm|thumb]]
She also has a tattoo of the Chinese character for "choice" on the back of her neck. In Season 1, they usually tried to avoid using camera shots that caught her at that angle, but observant viewers will still notice it. Her hair was longer in Season 2, but when tied in a ponytail, it is nonetheless visible.

Her third tattoo is on the inner side of her right forearm, just below the elbow. It consists of the words "bona fiscalia," which is Latin for "public property". According to Sackhoff, it is a reminder to herself that, by choosing to be an actress, she has chosen to be in the public spotlight and will be regarded as a role model whether she likes it or not.<ref>http://www.kateesackhoff-fans.com/FAQ.html</ref> This tattoo is visible in numerous episodes. At the beginning of the show, they tried to avoid showing it, for example by having her tuck her arm slightly behind her back in wide-shot. However, it is still visible on many occasions and, over time, they gave up trying to hide it.

== References ==
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