Actor of the Week Week 2

This weeks Actor of the Week is Christopher Heyerdahl.  He has played many characters throughout several sci-fi series, many of which involved heavy makeup, so he is notably less recognized than many other actors.  His two main roles in which he maintains his appearance are Halling in Stargate: Atlantis, and John Druitt in Sanctuary.  He also portrayed Todd the Wraith in Stargate: Atlantis, and Bigfoot in Sanctuary.

Halling-Stargate: Atlantis

 

As Halling, Heyerdahl plays one of the leaders of the Athosians, the first race that the Atlantis expedition runs into in the Pegasus galaxy.  While Halling isn't always the most endearing character, his bond with his son Jinto is exceedingly touching.

Todd the Wraith-Stargate: Atlantis

As Todd the Wraith, Heyerdahl stands out from the crowd even in the heaviest of makeup.  While the rest of the Wraith are interested in nothing more than feeding on human beings' life energy, Todd shows a distinct sense of humor and a unique personality.  He works with the Atlantis expedition several times against other threats, including the Genii and the Asurans.

In Sanctuary, you first see Heyerdahl as John Druitt, who later is revealed to be Jack the Ripper, as well as the father of one of the main characters.  He has the ability to teleport from when the five (Helen Magnus, John, James Watson, Nikola Tesla and Nigel Griffin) injected themselves with pure vampire blood.  At current, with the third season about to begin, Druitt is presumed dead, but the series lends itself to the possibility of just about anything happening.

John Druitt-Sanctuary

Bigfoot has been practically a constant companion to Helen Magnus since she treated him, and Heyerdahl's performance once again proves that heavy makeup is no deterrent to his acting ability.  As somewhat of a big brother figure to Henry, Bigfoot quickly endears himself to viewers with his protectiveness, and the culture and backstory that he brings in evokes a mixture of sadness and inspiration.

Bigfoot-Sanctuary

Apart from his main roles in these two shows, Heyerdahl also portrays Marcus of the Volturi in the Twilight saga, and has had guest roles in Human Target, Supernatural, Smallville, Psych, and The Dead Zone.  He stands tall at 6'4", lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has somehow managed to have his age remain relatively unknown.  He is presumably somewhere in his forties, given who he went to film school with.  As a matter of fact, he is even less known as a person than he is as an actor, keeping his personal life drastically separate from his career.  All the more reason to love this actor!