- Tahmoh Penikett
Infobox actor
name = Tahmoh Penikett
imagesize =
caption = Penikett atGatecon
birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1975|5|20
location = Whitehorse,Yukon CAN
height = 6' 2½" (1.89 m)
othername =
homepage =
notable role = Karl "Helo" Agathon on "Battlestar Galactica"
academyawards =
emmyawards =
spouse =Tahmoh Penikett (born
May 20 ,1975 in Whitehorse,Yukon ,Canada ) is a Canadian actor. His most recent released role is that ofCaptain Karl "Helo" Agathon on the Sci Fi Channel television program "Battlestar Galactica" which recently ended production.His next major public production is the currently filming
Joss Whedon sci-fi series Dollhouse, scheduled for early 2009 broadcasting.Early years
Penikett is the son of former
Yukon premierTony Penikett , who is of British ancestry, and a mother from theWhite River First Nation in the Yukon. He has two siblings, twin sisters Sarah and Stephanie. He graduated from the Victoria Motion Picture School and studied at the Lyric School of Acting in Vancouver.Among his early acting work were stints on assorted Canadian TV series such as "
Cold Squad ". He also appeared on the TV show "Smallville", in the episode Resurrection in Season 3, and in the Season 6 episodes Nemesis and Prototype. He portrayed a police officer for a predominately gay neighborhood in the 2004 "The L Word " episode "Losing It", which coincidentally starred "Battlestar Galactica" co-starNicki Clyne in a related storyline.Battlestar Galactica
In 2003, the 1978
science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica was "reimagined" as a three hour miniseries on the SciFi Channel. The miniseries was filmed inVancouver , Canada, and Penikett, a local actor, auditioned and was cast in the part of Karl "Helo" Agathon, an officer in the Colonial Fleet. The miniseries proved highly successful, and a Battlestar Galactica series was commissioned.The role was not based on a character in the original series, and was meant to be confined only to the miniseries; in the miniseries Helo is shown giving up a spot on a spaceship fleeing the doomed planet of
Caprica , with the implication that he was left to die. However, both the producers and test audiences were sufficiently impressed with the character, and Penikett's performance, that the decision was made to make Helo a recurring character on the show. A plot that took place over much of the show's first season was that the Cylons on Caprica kept Helo alive in order to have him fall in love with, and impregnate, a Cylon (Helo was chosen because his crew partner,Sharon Valerii , was in fact a Cylon, and another copy of the same model was sent to pretend to be her). By the second season, his character had returned to the Battlestar Galactica and become a regular member of the crew.Other roles
He appeared in the
video game "", as a street racer named Darius.Penikett is set to co-star as
FBI agent Paul Smith in the upcomingJoss Whedon series, "Dollhouse", as a romantic foil for starEliza Dushku .cite web|url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Ausiello-Scoop-Whedons/800036353|title=Breaking: Battlestar Stud Playing Dollhouse with Dushku|work=TV Guide|accessdate=2008-03-26] cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/gossip/kristin/detail/index.jsp?uuid=7a8cccc3-6b6c-4605-90ce-9fb186d14e4f|title=Dollhouse Casting Alert!|work=E! Online|accessdate=2008-03-26] .He also starred in the episode "Unnatural Selection" of the series "
Stargate SG-1 ".Personal life
Penikett currently lives in Vancouver, as do his father and sisters.
In support of the [http://www.babzchulasociety.org/page1.html Babz Chula Lifeline for Artists Society] , which is raising money for their friend and fellow Canadian actor Chula's cancer treatment, Penikett and his "Battlestar Galactica" colleague
Kandyse McClure [http://cgi.ebay.ca/Dinner-with-Tahmoh-Penikett-and-Kandyse-McClure_W0QQitemZ260226373829QQihZ016QQcategoryZ88433QQcmdZViewItem auctioned off the opportunity to have dinner with both of them] in Vancouver in April 2008References
External links
*
* [http://tahmohpenikett.blogspot.com All about Tahmoh Penikett] (fan site)
* [http://www.galactica.tv/galactica-2003---interviews/tahmoh-penikett-galactica.tv-interview.html Tahmoh Penikett interview]
* [http://vicfilm.com Victoria Motion Picture School]
* [http://www.lyricproject.com Lyric School of Acting]
* [http://www.ecreativo.com Gaming and Comic Book Convention]
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