Daniel Gillies

Daniel J. Gillies (born 14 March 1976) is a Canadian-born New Zealand actor. He is best known for his role as Elijah Mikaelson on the television series The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals, as well as Dr. Joel Goran on the Canadian series Saving Hope. He wrote and directed the 2012 film Broken Kingdom.

Early life

Gillies was born 14 March 1976 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. When Gillies was five, his parents decided to return to their native New Zealand, and moved to Invercargill and then to Hamilton. Though born into a family of strong medical background (his father is a pediatrician, his mother a nurse, and his great-great-great-grandfather was the renowned ENT/plastic surgery pioneer Sir Harold Gillies), he became interested in acting and studied at the Unitec School of Performing Arts.

Frustrated with the lack of opportunities in New Zealand, he moved to Sydney, Australia for six weeks in 2001, before returning to his native Canada for two months, where he worked as a waiter and dishwasher until deciding to move to Los Angeles, USA.

Kristopher Turner

Kristopher Turner (born September 27, 1980) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his starring role as Dr. Gavin Murphy on the medical drama series Saving Hope, and as Jamie Andrews on the CTV teen drama Instant Star.

Early life

Turner was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He was introduced to the theater by his grandmother. Turner starred in his high school production of A Midsummer's Night Dream. Turner received a degree in theatre from the University of Winnipeg. He was active in a number of theatre productions including In Gabriel's Kitchen and That Face.

Career

In 2002, Turner landed a role in the children's series 2030 CE. He was cast in the lead role as Lex in director David DeCoteau's film The Brotherhood III: Young Demons. Following Turner's success in that film, he was cast in another leading role as Gus in the MTV movie Everybody's Doing It. Turner return to the theatre and appeared in a local Winnipeg theatrical production of Athol Fugard's Master Harold and the Boys. In 2004, Turner was cast as Jamie Andrews in the CTV teen drama series Instant Star, in which he stars for four seasons. He starred in TV series Dark Oracle as Omen, and appeared in TV movie An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. In 2007, he received a Gemini Awards nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series for his role as Matt Blessing in A Dad for Christmas.

Saving Hope

Saving Hope is a Canadian television supernatural medical drama series starring Erica Durance, and is set in the fictional Hope Zion Hospital in Toronto. The show's premise originated with Malcolm MacRury and Morwyn Brebner, who are both credited as creators and executive producer. The pilot was filmed in Toronto, Ontario. Saving Hope premiered on June 7, 2012 on CTV and NBC. CTV has renewed the series for a fifth season.

Plot

The show's central character is Dr. Alex Reid (Erica Durance), a doctor whose fiancé, Dr. Charles Harris (Michael Shanks), is in a coma after being in a car accident. The show follows the life of Charlie in his coma state, and Alex dealing with patients, and hoping that he will survive. Dr. Reid is the Chief Surgical Resident while Dr. Harris was the Chief of Surgery until his accident. Dr. Harris recovers at the end of season 1, but is able to see the spirits of comatose and dead patients through subsequent seasons.

The show also stars Dr. Joel Goran (Daniel Gillies), a new orthopedic surgeon and Alex's former lover. Reid also works along with Dr. Shahir Hamza (Huse Madhavji), a neurosurgeon, Dr. Maggie Lin (Julia Taylor Ross), a third year surgical resident on rotation in the General Surgery department, Dr. Gavin Murphy (Kristopher Turner), a psychiatry resident, Dr. Zachary Miller (Benjamin Ayres), the ER doctor, OR nurse Victor Reis (Salvatore Antonio), Dr. Tom Reycraft (K. C. Collins), Dr. Melanda Tolliver (Glenda Braganza), and Dr. Dawn Bell (Michelle Nolden), a cardiologist and Charlie's ex-wife. Saving Hope has received mixed reviews from television critics for its storylines.

Saving Hope (book)

Saving Hope: The Long Way to the Arab Spring (Arabic: إنقاذ الأمل: الطريق الطويل إلى الربيع العربي‎) is a 2013 non-fiction book by Bahraini cultural critic Nader Kadhim. Written in Arabic, it is the ninth book by Kadhim, who works as a Professor of Cultural Studies at the University of Bahrain. Written in two stages, before and during the Arab Spring, the book discusses this wave of protests from two sides; the past and the future. The past is divided into three waves, each of them corresponding to an era of hope and aspiration. First is the enlightenment wave, followed by the revolutionary wave and finally the democratic wave. The author then tackles the Arab Spring and argues that it is not the time for celebration, but an important station in the long way towards democracy.

The book was positively received by reviewers in several Bahraini media outlets such as Al-Wasat, Al Ayam and al-Bilad. In addition, the pan-Arab Al-Hayat and Kuwaiti Al Rai newspapers gave it favorable reviews. There were mild criticisms for the book, mainly concerned with its scope. Every critic thought it should have expanded more on a certain aspect.

Erica Durance

Erica Durance (/dəˈræns/; born June 21, 1978) is a Canadian actress, producer, and director. She is best known for her television roles, portraying Lois Lane on the CW series Smallville, and as Dr. Alex Reid on the medical drama series Saving Hope.

Early life

Durance was born in Calgary to parents Gail and Joel Durance, and was raised on a turkey farm with her older brother and sister in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. Durance was trained as a classical singer from childhood. After graduating from high school, in 1999, 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 Studio" for many years with her coach and husband, David Palffy.

Career

Durance began her career with background work, graduating to commercials and guest-starring roles. She made her feature film debut in the 2002 movie The Untold, co-starring Lance Henriksen. In 2004, she guest-starred on television series, The Chris Isaak Show playing Ashley, a woman on a date with Chris. And appeared on the supernatural drama series The Collector. In Tru Calling, her character was a contender in a beauty pageant opposite Eliza Dushku's character. On the SyFy Channel, she played an intergalactic librarian in Andromeda and a love interest for Teal'c on Stargate SG-1.