Editing Tricia Helfer

{{Cast Data
| image= bsg-th-1.jpg
| character= [[Number Six]],<br>[[Caprica-Six]],<br>[[Messenger Six]],<br>[[Shelly Godfrey]],<br>[[Gina Inviere]],<br>[[Natalie Faust]],<br>[[Lida]],<br>[[Sonja]],<br>[[Cylon_Models#Inorganic_Humanoids|Cylon Prototype]]<br>
| born_month= 04
| born_day= 11
| born_year= 1974
| death_month=
| death_day=
| death_year=
| nationality= CA
| imdb= 1065454
| sortkey=Helfer, Tricia
}}

'''Tricia Helfer''' (born 11 April 1974) is a Canadian actor and former fashion model. She is best known to viewers as [[Number Six]] on [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|the re-imagined ''Battlestar Galactica'']].

Born in [[w:Donalda, Alberta, Canada|Donalda, Alberta, Canada]], Helfer's father was half-English, half-German, while her mother was half-Swedish, half-Norwegian. With her three sisters, she grew up working on her parents' grain farm with aspirations to study animal psychology, as well as to play college volleyball <ref name="playboy">{{cite_magazine|quotes=|last=DeSalvo|first=Robert B.|authorlink=|coauthors=|year=2007|month=February|title=Out of this World: Blasting off with ''Battlestar Galactica'''s Tricia Helfer|magazine=Playboy|volume=52|issue=2|pages=112|id=|url=|accessdate=7 February 2007}}</ref>. She started modeling at 17, after she was discovered by an agent while waiting in a movie-ticket line<ref name="playboy"/>. She moved to [[w:New York, New York|New York]] to start modeling right before her 18th birthday and competed in the Ford Supermodel of the World contest when she was 18, which lead to a ten-year modeling career<ref name="playboy"/>.

The actress, who is 5'10" tall with measurements of 34-24-34, has an interesting physical attribute which she claims to be her "favorite quirk": webbed toes.<ref name="life_8-12-05">"Weekend Life" column, <u>LIFE Magazine</u> August 12, 2005: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/bsgmedia_triciahelferlife2.jpg page unknown]</ref>

Helfer won the 1992 Ford Supermodel of the World award; the former Elite model has graced the covers of such magazines as ''Elle'', ''Amica Italia'' and ''Cosmopolitan UK'', and has walked the runways for Christian Dior, Givenchy, Claude Montana, Emanuel Ungaro and other top fashion designers. A model for Victoria's Secret, she has appeared in advertisements for clients including Giorgio Armani, Oil of Olay and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Helfer started acting in 2002 after taking night classes for a year and a half in [[w:New York City|New York City]] and studied at the [[w:Penny Templeton Studios|Penny Templeton Studios]] while she was still modeling. She later studied at Larry Moss in L.A, Margie Haber in L.A. and coached with Crystal Carson in L.A..  After doing correspondent work for the Canadian style/fashion TV-magazine series ''Ooh La La'', Helfer gained attention as an actress when she played the lead female role of Sarah, the hero's love interest, in the two-hour premiere of the Showtime series ''[[w:Jeremiah (TV series)|Jeremiah]]''. She later memorably played a teen model who tries to cut off her own face in an episode of the hit series ''[[w:C.S.I.|C.S.I.]]'' and starred as [[w:Farrah Fawcett-Majors|Farrah Fawcett-Majors]] in the 2004 telefilm ''[[w:Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels|Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Charlie's Angels]]''. Helfer, who can be seen in the modeling documentaries ''Catwalk'' and ''Unzipped'', also appears in the comedy short ''Eventual Wife'', seen on HBO/Cinemax and on the AtomFilms Web site.

[[File:Tricia Helfer - Playboy cover.jpg|150px|The February 2007 Issue of ''Playboy''|right|thumb]]
Although her commonly-seen ''Battlestar'' characters of the [[Number Six]] copies have platinum blonde hair, the actress is a natural brunette.  Originally, her own hair was dyed white.  However, this eventually resulted in her hair "breaking off in chunks an inch long," so by the 8th episode of season 2, she switched to a wig, and played [[Gina Inviere]] with her own honey-blonde dyed hair.

Helfer hosted the reality series ''[[w:Canada's Next Top Model|Canada's Next Top Model]]'', which is a spin-off of ''[[w:America's Next Top Model|America's Next Top Model]]''.

Helfer donates many of her profits towards charities that benefit animals and animal shelters.

Along with [[Grace Park]] ([[Number Eight]]), Helfer appears in the 2007 instalment of the ''[[w:Command & Conquer|Command & Conquer]]'' series, ''[[w:Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars|Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars]]'', as [[w:Nod characters of Command and Conquer#General Kilian Qatar|General Kilian Qatar]].  She will also be appearing in the upcoming ''[[w:Halo 3:ODST|Halo 3: ODST]]'', voicing an ONI agent codenamed "Dare," and in the highly anticipated ''[[w:StarCraft II|StarCraft II]]'' as the voice of [[w:Sarah Kerrigan|Sarah Kerrigan]], the Queen of Blades.

The actress also appears in a 16-photo pictorial in the [[Playboy Magazine, February 2007|February 2007]] issue of ''Playboy'' magazine.

She also guest starred in ''[[w:Burn Notice (TV series)|Burn Notice]]''{{'|s}} second season as the main protagonist's handler.

== On ''Battlestar Galactica'' ==
Helfer was cast as Number Six after auditioning for the show's producers. Despite initial concerns about her relative lack of acting experience, executive producer [[David Eick]] was a strong advocate for her, stating, "I thought she was great from the first time she auditioned, and I'm glad to say that I managed to convince everyone she was perfect for the part."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=23}}</ref>

According to an interview in ''Starburst'' magazine, Helfer was originally very confused on how to portray a humanoid robot, so [[Edward James Olmos]] told her to watch the sci-fi classic ''[[Wikipedia:Blade_Runner|Blade Runner]]'' (which Olmos co-starred in), which also features humanoid robots, called "replicants".  Helfer said that watching Blade Runner greatly informed her on how to play her role.  

Helfer's goal for the character was to create someone who would simultaneously "intrigue, attract and terrify viewers." She wanted to avoid playing a "typical mean and unemotional robot chick," and instead make Number Six "sympathetic and vulnerable as well as intelligent, sexy and slightly eerie."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=118}}</ref>

When portraying the various copies of Six, Helfer made conscious choices to differentiate them. "I wanted to make each one noticeably different, because I felt that each Number Six would essentially be based on the same model, but would be shaped by her mission and her environment," she explained. As a result, she played [[Caprica-Six]] as more "sensual and seductive," the Six on Caprica as "stronger and more militaristic," and [[Shelly Godfrey]] as more "intellectual."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=120}}</ref>

Prior to being cast, Helfer had never seen the [[Original Series]]. "My father watched the original show, and I know he was overjoyed when I got the job, but I had never watched it," she admitted. "I decided not to watch it before we made the miniseries, as my character was totally new and I just wanted to focus on doing my job."<ref group="Book">{{Cite book|author=David Bassom|title=[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]]|year=2005|publisher=Titan Books|isbn=1845760972|page=121}}</ref>

Additionally, in order to play the role of [[Gina Inviere]] in "[[Pegasus (episode)|Pegasus]]," Helfer researched [[Wikipedia:post-traumatic stress syndrome|post-traumatic stress syndrome]] and lost a few pounds. <ref name="TVG_1-2-06"><u>TV Guide</u> January 2, 2006: [http://bsgmedia.org/gallery/albums/TVGuide1206-EJOMary/002.JPG 36]</ref>

==See Also==
* [[Playboy Magazine, February 2007]]

==References==
{{reflist|group="Book"}}
{{reflist}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.triciahelfer.com/index.php Trica Helfer's official website]

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Cast]]
[[Category:Cast (RDM)]]
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