Sara Canning (born July 14, 1987) is a Canadian actress. She co-starred in the CW television series The Vampire Diaries as Jenna Sommers and appeared in the 2009 feature film Black Field. She starred as Dylan Weir in the Canadian television series Primeval: New World and as Dr. Melissa Conner on the Global medical drama Remedy. Canning appeared in the 2017 theatrical film War for the Planet of the Apes. She is also known for her role as Jacquelyn Scieszka in the Netflix TV series A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Early life Canning was born in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, the daughter of Wayne and Daphne Canning.Hall, Jamie (July 27, 2010). "Canning sinks her teeth into television and movie career ". The Edmonton Journal. Retrieved on October 2, 2013. She lived in Brown's Arm, Newfoundland, until age eleven, and was then raised in Sherwood Park, near Edmonton, Alberta.Rae, Kate (September 6, 2013). "Sara Canning: Her closet is ‘totally nuts’ ". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on October 2, 2013.Brioux, Bill (August 13, 2009). "TV brimming with Canadians ". The Toronto Star. Retrieved on October 17, 2009. She competed as a figure skater in her childhood and early adolescent years, and became interested in theatre as a student at F.R. Haythorne Junior High."The Vampire Diaries – Cast – Sara Canning". The CW. Retrieved on October 17, 2009. Canning starred in several stage productions while attending Bev Facey Community High School, and acted in shows at her hometown stage at Festival Place.
Canning made her professional acting debut in George Orwell's 1984 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton at the age of 18. She began studying general arts at the University of Alberta, and considered going into journalism. Still interested in performing, Canning left university at 19 and moved to Vancouver to pursue a career in acting. She graduated from a year-long screen acting program at Vancouver Film School in 2007.
Career Canning found an agent and began acting in television series and TV films produced in Vancouver. She worked in a restaurant and would take time off to film.Proulx, Ben (September 1, 2010). "Vampires draw in Park actor ". Sherwood Park News. Retrieved on September 4, 2010. Her first role was in 2008, playing Nicky Hilton in Paparazzi Princess: The Paris Hilton Story."Acting Like A Hilton ". January 29, 2008. Vancouver Film School. Retrieved on October 9, 2009. In 2009, she guest-starred on Smallville and Kyle XY, and starred in the based-on-real-events TV movie, Taken in Broad Daylight. She played Anne Sluti, a 17-year- old girl who was abducted by a demented criminal (James Van Der Beek).
In 2009, Canning filmed a pilot episode for the CW network television series The Vampire Diaries. She then starred in the feature film, Black Field, a 19th-century gothic period piece directed by Danishka Esterhazy. Canning shot the drama near Tyndall, Manitoba, Canada in May 2009.Caddell, Ian (October 2009). "Field of Dreams ". Reel West. Retrieved on October 9, 2009. She played Maggie McGregor, the older of two British sisters struggling take make their way on the Canadian Prairies. The film premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2009.Mithrush, Fawnda (April 30, 2010). "Vampire Vixen". Avenue Magazine. Retrieved on May 1, 2010. The Vampire Diaries series was picked up three weeks after she completed work on the film.
Canning co-starred on The Vampire Diaries as Jenna Sommers, the aunt and guardian of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), and her younger brother Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen).Gilovoy, Jackie (September 25, 2009). "In Review: The Vampire Diaries". Ponte Vedra Recorder. Retrieved on October 17, 2009. Canning was younger or the same age as her fellow cast members who played high school students. Makeup artists and the wardrobe team worked to make her look older. Canning also downplayed her Canadian accent for the role. Matthew Davis played her character's love interest, Alaric.MacKenzie, Carina (March 25, 2010). "'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning makes her own luck ". Los Angeles Times Retrieved on May 8, 2010. Canning appeared on the second season of The Vampire Diaries from 2010–2011, until her character was killed in the episode "The Sun Also Rises".
Canning is interested in writing and directing. As of September 2010, she was co-writing a love story set in the Western time period. In 2011, she worked on a short film noir, titled Corvus, and shot the Lifetime network film, Hunt for the I-5 Killer, in Vancouver.Wilkinson, Amy (May 5, 2011). "'Vampire Diaries' Post-Mortem: Sara Canning Talks About Last Night's Shocking Episode ". MTV. Retrieved on May 13, 2011. She filmed the Hallmark Movie Channel Western, Hannah's Law, in Calgary, Alberta in late 2011, starring alongside Greyston Holt.Nordyke, Kimberly (October 3, 2011). "'Vampire Diaries' Actress to Star in Hallmark Movie Channel Western (Exclusive) ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on November 9, 2011.
Canning appeared in I Think I Do, which began filming in January 2012 in Edmonton. She starred as Audrey, an event planner who runs a business alongside her two sisters (Mia Kirschner and Jenny Cooper).Baxter, Meaghan (January 31, 2012). "Park actress branches out to comedy ". Sherwood Park News. Retrieved on January 31, 2012. The romantic comedy aired in 2013 on the W and Lifetime networks.Hall, Jamie (January 12, 2012). "A movie 'for the world to see'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved on January 14, 2012. She filmed the independent romantic comedy, The Right Kind of Wrong, in Banff, Alberta in late 2012, starring alongside Ryan Kwanten and Catherine O'Hara, directed by Jeremiah Chechik.Volmers, Eric (October 4, 2012). "Alberta ranch plays host to stars of romantic comedy, The Right Kind of Wrong ". Calgary Herald. Retrieved on October 5, 2012.
Canning starred in the 2012–2013 Space channel television series Primeval: New World, a Canadian spin-off of the British sci-fi series Primeval.Vlessing, Etan (March 7, 2012). "Sara Canning Stars in Canadian 'Primeval: New World' Sci-Fi Drama ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on March 9, 2012. She played predator control expert Dylan Weir, a member of a dinosaur hunting team; the series was filmed in Vancouver.Leiren-Young, Mark (January 3, 2013). "Hollywood North: Vancouver’s Sara Canning takes a vacation from vampires and velociraptors ". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on January 5, 2013. Canning also starred in 2012 with Aaron Ashmore in the dark romantic comedy, I Put a Hit on You.Vlessing, Etan (November 9, 2012). "Sara Canning, Aaron Ashmore Cast in Canadian Indie 'I Put a Hit on You' ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on November 10, 2012. In 2013, she joined the cast of the psychological drama film, Eadweard, starring Michael Eklund. She played Flora, the wife of 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge.Kit, Borys (June 28, 2013). "'Vampire Diaries,' 'Continuum' Actors Join Eadweard Muybridge Movie ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on June 29, 2013.
Canning played general surgeon Mel Conner in the Global medical drama, Remedy, co-starring Sarah Allen, Dillon Casey, and Enrico Colantoni. The television series was in production in Toronto from October 2013–January 2014.Vlessing, Elan (October 2, 2013). "Sara Canning, Sarah Allen Board Canadian Medical Drama 'Remedy' ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on October 2, 2013. Broadcast company Shaw Media renewed the series for a second 10-episode season.Vlessing, Elan (May 1, 2014). "Sara Canning-Starring Medical Drama 'Remedy' Gets Second Season ". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on May 4, 2014. Canning won the 2014 UBCP/ACTRA best actor and the 2015 Leo Award for Best Lead Performance for her role.
Canning co-starred in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), a sequel to 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. She appeared in On the Farm, a Rachel Talalay-directed TV film about serial killer Robert Pickton, and in Hello Destroyer, which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Canning played Jacquelyn Scieszka in the 2017 Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on Daniel Handler's book series of the same. She also starred as the head of a boarding school, Ms. Brixil, in the dystopian thriller, Level 16, written and directed by Danishka Esterhazy. Canning collaborated with Esterhazy a third time in The Banana Splits Movie, a film shot in Cape Town, South Africa.
Canning was nominated for the 2020 UBCP/ACTRA award for best female lead performance for her work on the Web series Hospital Show.
She starred in the 2021 film Superhost and stated that she had hard time filming the YouTube vlogging scenes.
Personal life Canning relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to film The Vampire Diaries. She stated to Parade that she found that the Southern U.S. had "a much different culture than the west coast of Canada", but it became like her "second home".Hill, Erin (January 28, 2010). "Sara Canning: 'Vampire Diaries' Will Pave Its Own Way ". Parade. Retrieved on January 30, 2010. Canning lived in Atlanta for two years and returned to Vancouver, British Columbia after finishing the series.MacKenzie, Carina Adly (May 6, 2011). "'The Vampire Diaries': Sara Canning says goodbye to Jenna Sommers ". Zap2it. Retrieved on November 9, 2011.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2008 Slap Shot 3: The Junior League Hope Direct-to-video film 2009 Black Field Maggie McGregor 2013 The Right Kind of Wrong Colette 2014 I Put a Hit on You Harper 2015 Eadweard Flora Shallcross Stone 2016 Hello Destroyer Wendy Davis 2017 Prodigals Jen Stage play adaptation War for the Planet of the Apes Lake 2018 The Fish and the Sea Real estate agent Level 16 Miss Brixil 2019 The Banana Splits Movie Rebecca 2020 An Awkward Balance Venice 2021 Superhost Claire 2022 Influencer Jessica 2023 Sweetland Clara The Burning Season Alena 2024 Dark Match Kate the Great2026Mama’s Little Murderer Constance
Television Year Title Role Notes 2008 Paparazzi Princess: The Paris Hilton Story Nicky Hilton Television film Smallville Tess' Assistant Episodes: "Odyssey", "Plastique" 2009 Black Rain Jenny Television film Taken in Broad Daylight Anne Sluti Television film Kyle XY Redhead Episode: "In the Company of Men" Come Dance at My Wedding Andrea Merriman Television film 2009–2011, 2014, 2017 The Vampire Diaries Jenna Sommers Main role (seasons 1–2); guest role (seasons 3, 5 and 8); 46 episodes 2011 The Hunt for the I-5 Killer Beth Williams Television film 2012 Supernatural Lydia Episode: "The Slice Girls" Hannah's Law Hannah Beaumont Television film Halloween Wars Herself As a judge (season 2); episode: "Zombie Wedding" 2012–2013 Primeval: New World Dylan Weir Main role 2013 I Think I Do Audrey Ryan Television film King & Maxwell Claire Culpepper Episode: "Family Business" Garage Sale Mystery Hannah Television film Republic of Doyle Jessica Dwyer Episodes: "If the Shoe Fits", "Major Crimes" 2014–2015 Remedy Dr. Melissa Conner Main role 2014 Hell on Wheels Charlotte Royce 3 episodes 2016 Motive Tracy Blaine Episode: "Interference" Unclaimed Sinead McLeod Television film 2017–2018 Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events Jacquelyn Scieszka Recurring role; 10 episodes 2018 Once Upon a Time Gretel Episode: "Sisterhood" Van Helsing Carter Episode: "Been Away" Take Two Melissa Episode: "It Takes a Thief" 2019 Wu Assassins Alana Episode: "Gu Assassins" Nancy Drew Katherine Drew Recurring role; 5 episodes Amish Abduction Annie Television film The Christmas Temp Hazel Television film Hospital Show Charlie Web series 2020 The Christmas Yule Blog Caroline Williams Television film 2021 Big Sky Rachel Westergaard Episodes: "The End Is Near", "Let It Be Him" 9-1-1 Sheila Episode: "Suspicion" A Christmas Star Madeline Television film 2023 The Irrational D.A. Elise Bowen Episode: "Pilot" Creepshow Astrid Episode: "The Hat"2026Virgin RiverVictoriaReacuring role, season 7 Crew GirlImogen RegisSeason 1
Awards and nominations