Paula Brancati

A dancer turned actress, Paula Brancati was born and raised in Ontario. Her first film, "Cold Creek Manor," thrust her into Hollywood in 2003 when she played a young acquaintance of a displaced New York family in a house with a dark past. The thriller saw her collaborate with many prominent actors, including Christopher Plummer and Dennis Quaid. She scored a Gemini Award nomination for her work in the semi-animated sci-fi series "Dark Oracle," in which she portrayed Cally Stone who, along with her twin brother, discovers a comic book that offers clues to the future. Though it was well received, the series lasted only two seasons. Brancati followed "Dark Oracle" with "Degrassi: The Next Generation," a Canadian teen drama that is one of many iterations of a series revolving around students at Degrassi Community School. The original show premiered in 1979, and "The Next Generation" came in 2001, though Brancati joined the cast six years later. She was nominated for another Gemini Award in 2009 for her work on the show, though again left empty-handed come awards day. That same year, she was cast in "Being Erica," a series created by Jana Sinyor, who was also behind "Dark Oracle" and was a writer on "Degrassi: The Next Generation" for two seasons prior to Brancati's arrival.