Editing Sebastian Spence

{{Cast Data
| image = Sebastian Spence.jpg
| character = [[Noel Allison|Lt. Noel "Narcho" Allison]]<br />[[Jim Kirby|Lt. Jim "Sunshine" Kirby]]
| series = RDM
| series 2 = BAC
| born_month = 12
| born_day = 9
| born_year = 1969
| nationality = CA
| imdb = 0817819
| sortkey = Spence, Sebastian
|image2=Sebastian Spence as Pegasus Pilot.jpg|image3=Kirby.png}}

'''Sebastian Spence''' (born December 9, 1969) is a Canadian actor who portrays the recurring character of Lt. [[Noel Allison|Noel "Narcho" Allison]] in the [[Re-imagined Series]], and later appeared as Lt. [[Jim Kirby|Jim "Sunshine" Kirby]] in ''[[Blood and Chrome]]''. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland, Spence is the son of two playwrights and made his professional stage debut at age 16. He is best known outside the [[Battlestar Galactica]] franchise for playing the lead role of Cade Foster in the [[Sci Fi Channel]] original series ''[[w:First Wave (TV series)|First Wave]]'' (1998–2001), and as Cliff "Cowboy" Harting in the Hallmark Channel drama ''[[w:Cedar Cove (TV series)|Cedar Cove]]'' (2013–2015).<ref group="external" name="imdb_spence_main">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817819/|title=Sebastian Spence|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Early life and stage work ===

Spence was born in St. John's, Newfoundland, to [[w:Michael Cook (playwright)|Michael Cook]] and Janis Spence, both playwrights.<ref group="external" name="imdb_spence_bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817819/bio/|title=Sebastian Spence – Biography|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> His mother Janis Spence was an actress, director, and playwright associated with the Resource Centre for the Arts in St. John's, and co-wrote several plays with actress [[w:Mary Walsh|Mary Walsh]].<ref group="external" name="imdb_janis_spence">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817777/|title=Janis Spence|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> His first professional acting job came at age 16, in his mother's play ''Walking to Australia'' at St. John's — taken initially as a way to make pocket money, but from his first appearance Spence recalled thinking "maybe I've got something to bring to it."<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave">{{cite web|url=http://www.littlereview.com/getcritical/interviews/firstwav.htm|title=Sebastian Spence and Rob LaBelle: Riding the Wave|last=Green|first=Michelle Erica|publisher=The Little Review|accessdate=17 May 2026|archive=Y}}</ref> He went on to appear in more than a dozen stage productions in St. John's before relocating to Vancouver, British Columbia to pursue a screen career.<ref group="external" name="northernstars_spence">{{cite web|url=https://northernstars.ca/?p=230769|title=Sebastian Spence|publisher=NorthernStars.ca|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> His father, Michael Cook, died in 1994.<ref group="external" name="imdb_spence_bio" />

His first on-camera role was as Kevin Reevey in the critically acclaimed Canadian television miniseries ''[[w:The Boys of St. Vincent|The Boys of St. Vincent: 15 Years Later]]'' (1992), which depicted the aftermath of sexual abuse at a Catholic orphanage.<ref group="external" name="rottentomatoes_spence">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/sebastian_spence|title=Sebastian Spence – Movies & TV Shows|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> His first film role was as Duke in the futuristic science-fiction thriller ''Anchor Zone'' (1994), filmed in his native Newfoundland.<ref group="external" name="tmdb_spence">{{cite web|url=https://www.themoviedb.org/person/107491-sebastian-spence|title=Sebastian Spence|publisher=The Movie Database|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

=== ''A Family of Cops'' and early television ===

Spence's career gained early momentum through a trio of CBS television films. He played Eddie Fein, the younger son of a police inspector portrayed by Charles Bronson, in ''[[w:A Family of Cops|A Family of Cops]]'' (1995) and reprised the role in the sequels ''A Family of Cops II: Breach of Faith'' (1997) and ''A Family of Cops III'' (1999).<ref group="external" name="tmdb_spence" /> During this period he also appeared as a guest on ''[[w:The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)|The Outer Limits]]'', ''[[w:Poltergeist: The Legacy|Poltergeist: The Legacy]]'', and in the ''[[w:The X-Files|X-Files]]'' episode "[[w:Home (The X-Files)|Home]]" (1996), where he played a deputy leading Mulder and Scully to a farmhouse — and who is killed almost immediately. Spence joked of the role: "I played the typical Canadian — ''X-Files'' has a tendency to kill off its Canadians really quickly!"<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" /> He then spent most of 1997 in Toronto playing a young race car driver named Stevie Servine in the Canadian drama series ''Fast Track''.<ref group="external" name="geocities_insidefw">{{cite web|url=https://www.oocities.org/maryfx_999/fwmmh/menus/insidefw.html|title=Inside First Wave – Cast Interviews|accessdate=17 May 2026|archive=Y}}</ref>

=== ''First Wave'' (1998–2001) ===

The role that brought Spence to wider attention was Cade Foster in ''[[w:First Wave (TV series)|First Wave]]'', a Vancouver-shot conspiracy thriller created by Chris Brancato and executive-produced by [[w:Francis Ford Coppola|Francis Ford Coppola]] through [[w:American Zoetrope|American Zoetrope]]. The character had originally been conceived as older — mid-thirties — with Eddie as a young computer type; the ages were subsequently reversed, making Cade the younger alien-hunter. Casting director Stuart Aikins recommended Spence despite the reversal; his screen test in Toronto comprised twelve pages of dialogue with the first scene alone running five pages in a boardroom, and he recalled leaving the audition with no confidence he was still in the running. While his tape was being reviewed by Pearson Television, a Pearson executive spotted it and asked who the actor was, tipping the decision in Spence's favor.<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" /><ref group="commentary" name="geocities_secondlife_casting">{{cite web|url=https://www.oocities.org/maryfx_999/fwmmh/menus/spen_cy1.htm|title=Sebastian Spence – First Wave, Second Life|accessdate=17 May 2026|archive=Y}}</ref>

The series premiered on Canada's [[w:Space (Canadian TV channel)|Space Channel]] in 1998 and debuted on the [[Sci Fi Channel]] in the United States on March 19, 1999. In an unusual move, the Sci-Fi Channel expanded its order to a full 66 episodes across three seasons before the show's US ratings were known; it was subsequently cancelled once the 66-episode order was filled due to disappointing ratings.<ref group="external" name="imdb_firstwave">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160277/|title=First Wave (TV Series 1998–2001)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

Foster — a former thief framed for his wife's murder by alien infiltrators called the Gua — became the "twice-blessed man" prophesied in lost quatrains of Nostradamus as Earth's only defender against an impending invasion. Spence was drawn to the role's action-adventure scope, but was uneasy with its messianic framing from the start, telling interviewer Michelle Erica Green: {{quote|Sometimes I get a chill on the set — they're calling my character the twice-blessed man, and you get kind of caught up in it — my Catholic conscience screams bloody murder!<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" />}} He pushed instead for Foster to become a leader of a resistance movement: "I'd like to see the character of Cade Foster wake up an underground movement to tackle the alien problem."<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" />

His co-stars included Rob LaBelle as conspiracy hacker "Crazy" Eddie Nambulous and [[w:Roger R. Cross|Roger R. Cross]] as the sympathetic Gua defector Joshua; in the third season, [[w:Traci Lords|Traci Lords]] joined the cast as militia heiress Jordan Radcliffe. The production schedule consumed roughly eight months of each year, leaving Spence little time for other projects.<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" /> He received scripts only about a week before shooting and did not break down pages until a couple of days before cameras rolled.<ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" />

Spence developed a chronic back injury during the production that required two corrective surgeries, one in 1999 and another in 2000.<ref group="external" name="garcia_scifi_backinjury">{{cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue200/interview.html|title=Series creator Chris Brancato is confident that First Wave will last|last=Garcia|first=Frank|publisher=Science Fiction Weekly|issue=200|accessdate=23 May 2007|archive=Y}}</ref>

=== Other notable roles ===

Following the conclusion of ''First Wave'', Spence accumulated a broad roster of television credits primarily shot in Vancouver. He played Professor Matt Freeman across six episodes of ''[[w:Dawson's Creek|Dawson's Creek]]'' during its sixth season (2002–2003),<ref group="external" name="tvguide_spence_credits">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/sebastian-spence/credits/3030475969/|title=Sebastian Spence – Credits|publisher=TV Guide|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> and played Rick Ryder in the Canadian series ''Sophie'' (CBC, 2008–2009).<ref group="external" name="northernstars_spence" />

Beginning with ''Third Man Out'' (2005), Spence appeared as Timothy "Timmy" Callahan — the lawyer partner of the openly gay private investigator Donald Strachey, played by Chad Allen — across all four films in the [[w:Donald Strachey mystery films|''Donald Strachey Mystery'']] series produced by here! Films: ''Third Man Out'' (2005), ''Shock to the System'' (2006), ''On the Other Hand, Death'' (2008), and ''Ice Blues'' (2008).<ref group="external" name="imdb_iceblues">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130987/|title=Ice Blues (2008)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> ''On the Other Hand, Death'' and ''Ice Blues'' were each nominated for the [[w:GLAAD Media Award|GLAAD Media Award]] for Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series.<ref group="external" name="imdb_ontheotherhand_glaad">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1238298/|title=On the Other Hand, Death (2008)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref><ref group="external" name="imdb_iceblues_glaad">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130987/awards/|title=Ice Blues (2008) – Awards|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

Spence has made notable guest appearances across three of the longest-running North American science fiction franchises of his era: as a deputy in the ''[[w:The X-Files|X-Files]]'' episode "Home" (1996); as the Tok'ra Delek in the ''[[w:Stargate SG-1|Stargate SG-1]]'' episode "Death Knell" (2004); and as Ted Kord/[[w:Blue Beetle|Blue Beetle]] in the ''[[w:Smallville|Smallville]]'' episode "Booster" (2011).<ref group="external" name="imdb_spence_bio" /> He also appeared in ''[[w:Sliders|Sliders]]'', ''[[w:Dark Angel (TV series)|Dark Angel]]'' (2001) as Charles Smith, and had guest roles in ''[[w:Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', ''[[w:Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]'', ''[[w:Continuum (TV series)|Continuum]]'', and ''[[w:The Returned (American TV series)|The Returned]]'', among others.<ref group="external" name="tvguide_spence_credits" /><ref group="commentary" name="green_littlereview_firstwave" />

His longest recurring role after ''First Wave'' came on Hallmark Channel's ''[[w:Cedar Cove (TV series)|Cedar Cove]]'' (2013–2015), the network's first original scripted drama series, adapted from [[w:Debbie Macomber|Debbie Macomber]]'s novels. Spence played Cliff "Cowboy" Harting, a rancher estranged from his country-singer father at the time of his father's death, appearing as a recurring character in season one and as a series regular in seasons two and three opposite [[w:Andie MacDowell|Andie MacDowell]].<ref group="external" name="alchetron_cedarcove">{{cite web|url=https://alchetron.com/Cedar-Cove-(TV-series)|title=Cedar Cove (TV series)|publisher=Alchetron|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> His on-screen love interest was played by [[Teryl Rothery]], whom Spence described as an old friend and previous collaborator; he also noted that the role required him to master horse-riding properly, having previously only listed it on his résumé as a skill he could approximate.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_gsm_interview">{{cite web|url=https://mydevotionalthoughts.net/interview-with-actor-sebastian-spence-garage-sale-mystery-murder-most-medieval/|title=Interview With Actor Sebastian Spence, "Garage Sale Mystery: Murder Most Medieval"|last=Hill|first=Ruth|publisher=Media From the Heart|date=20 August 2017|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

In 2017 he played eccentric medievalist philanthropist Bill Wallace in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries film ''Garage Sale Mystery: Murder Most Medieval'', directed by Neill Fearnley, with whom he had previously worked on the Hallmark film ''Daniel's Daughter''.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_gsm_interview" /> Around the same time, he filmed two Lifetime features: ''Witness Protection'' (dir. David DeCoteau, shot on Vancouver Island), in which he played hitman Maxyl, and ''Deadly Attraction'' (dir. George Erschbamer), in which he played private investigator Dance Carol.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_gsm_interview" />

In 2018 he guest-starred as a senator in the [[w:Taken (TV series)|NBC series ''Taken'']], appearing in the episode "Charm School" (aired March 9, 2018). The episode was filmed at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto the previous August; Spence noted that the hotel's public atrium made for an unusually exposed shoot, with bystanders watching and applauding between takes.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_taken_interview">{{cite web|url=https://mydevotionalthoughts.net/interview-with-actor-sebastian-spence-taken/|title=Interview With Actor Sebastian Spence, "Taken"|last=Hill|first=Ruth|publisher=Media From the Heart|date=9 March 2018|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

Outside his screen work, Spence has written and posted poetry to social media, and discussed compiling a poetry collection with accompanying photography.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_taken_interview" /> He also co-wrote and acted in the short film ''Pour Retourner'' (directed by Scooter Corkle), which screened at several film festivals and won awards.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_taken_interview" />

=== ''Battlestar Galactica'' ===

Spence first appeared in the [[Re-imagined Series]] as an unnamed [[Pegasus]] Viper pilot in the second-season episodes "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]" (2005) and "[[Resurrection Ship, Part I]]" (2005).<ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_pegasus">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0519779/characters/nm0817819|title="Battlestar Galactica" Pegasus – Sebastian Spence as Lt. Noel 'Narcho' Allison|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> The character was subsequently developed into a named recurring role: Lt. Noel "Narcho" Allison, a swaggering [[Pegasus]] pilot who boasts of 48 kill markers painted on the side of his ship and who mocks [[Kara Thrace|Starbuck]]'s hand-built [[Blackbird]] stealth fighter as a "homemade tin can."<ref group="external" name="en-academic_narcho">{{cite web|url=https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/5481019|title=Noel "Narcho" Allison|publisher=En-Academic|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> Narcho transfers to ''Galactica'' after the destruction of ''Pegasus'' during the [[Battle of New Caprica]] and later appears as a guest-credited character in season three.

Narcho's arc reaches its most prominent point in the fourth-season mutiny two-parter "[[The Oath]]" and "[[Blood on the Scales]]" (2009), in which he sides with [[Felix Gaeta|Gaeta]]'s insurrection, fires a missile at the [[Colonial One|Raptor]] carrying [[Laura Roslin|President Roslin]], and is assigned to command the firing squad ordered to execute [[William Adama|Admiral Adama]] before the mutiny collapses.<ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_oath">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993914/characters/nm0817819|title="Battlestar Galactica" The Oath – Sebastian Spence as Lt. Noel 'Narcho' Allison|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref><ref group="external" name="imdb_bsg_bloodscales">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0993915/characters/nm0817819|title="Battlestar Galactica" Blood on the Scales – Sebastian Spence as Lt. Noel 'Narcho' Allison|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

Spence returned to the franchise as Lt. Jim "Sunshine" Kirby in ''[[Blood & Chrome]]'' (2012). Kirby is a [[Viper]] pilot on detachment from the [[Battlestar Valkyrie|battlestar ''Valkyrie'']], officially listed as killed in action and secretly assigned to a hidden "ghost fleet" operating in [[Cylon]] space. During the story, Kirby is reunited with old friend [[Coker|Coker Fasjovik]], who informs him that his wife Janey has given birth to their son Anslem; Kirby participates in the [[Battle of Djerba]], escorting [[William Adama|young Adama]]'s Raptor to the surface before breaking off to confront pursuing Cylon Raiders.<ref group="external" name="bsw_jimkirby">{{cite web|url=https://en.battlestarwiki.org/Jim_Kirby|title=Jim Kirby|publisher=Battlestar Wiki|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> The casting drew attention from viewers who noted the deliberate parallel of Spence playing Viper pilots in two separate eras of the franchise's timeline — Narcho in the [[Re-imagined Series]] and Kirby during the [[First Cylon War]] — calling the connection between the characters a "wasted cool" opportunity given Kirby's fate in the story.<ref group="external" name="cliqueclack_bc_review">{{cite web|url=https://cliqueclack.com/p/blood-and-chrome-series-bsg/|title=Blood and Chrome did a poor job setting up a TV series|publisher=CliqueClack|date=December 9, 2012|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Spence is married and has stepchildren.<ref group="external" name="hallmark_cedarcove_bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.hallmarkmystery.com/cedar-cove/cast/sebastian-spence|title=Cast – Sebastian Spence|publisher=Hallmark Mystery (Cedar Cove official cast page)|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> He plays guitar and has cited outdoor activities including jeep off-roading among his hobbies.<ref group="external" name="imdb_spence_bio">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817819/bio/|title=Sebastian Spence – Biography|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref> As of early 2018, Spence was based in Toronto, Ontario, having previously spent much of his career working in Vancouver.<ref group="commentary" name="hillruth_taken_interview" />

His mother, Janis Spence — an actor, playwright and director who helped spark a theatrical renaissance in St. John's during the late 1970s — died on February 7, 2008, after suffering a stroke the previous autumn. She was 61.<ref group="external" name="cbc_janis_spence_obit">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/director-actor-janis-spence-dead-at-61-1.714350|title=Director, actor Janis Spence dead at 61|publisher=CBC News|date=7 February 2008|accessdate=17 May 2026}}</ref>

== References ==

=== External Sources ===
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=== Commentary and Interviews ===
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[[de:Sebastian Spence]]