Rachelle Lefevre

Rachelle Marie Lefevre (/ləˈfɛv/ lə-FEV, ʁaʃɛl maʁi ləfɛvʁ; born February 1, 1979) is a Canadian-American actress. She starred in the first season of the television series Big Wolf on Campus (1999) and had recurring roles in What About Brian, Boston Legal, and Swingtown. She played the vampire Victoria in the first two films of the Twilight saga. In 2011, she starred in the ABC medical drama Off the Map, followed by the CBS series A Gifted Man (2011–2012) and Under the Dome (2013–2015). In 2019, she starred in the FOX legal series Proven Innocent.

Early life

Lefevre was born in Montreal, Quebec, where she was raised by an English teacher father and a psychologist mother.^[2] Her father's family was originally from France and Northern Ireland, and her mother is Jewish.^[3][4] Her stepfather is a rabbi.^[5] Lefevre was raised in a non-denominational household, and identifies as Jewish.^[6] She has three sisters and speaks both English and French, though she grew up mostly speaking English.^[7][8] Lefevre attended Centennial Academy, a private high school, and later studied creative arts at Dawson College.^[9] She studied theater for two summers at the Walnut Hill School in Natick, Massachusetts, and began a degree in education and literature at McGill University.^[10]

Career

Early acting career

While working as a waitress at a sushi bar in Westmount, a regular customer, a Canadian television producer, overheard Lefevre telling the hostess that she wanted to be an actress.^[11] The producer got Lefevre her first audition, for a role in the sitcom Student Bodies. She did not yet have a head shot, so she turned in a Polaroid picture.^[12] She did not land the part, but got a call back from the casting director, leading to a role in the Canadian TV series Big Wolf on Campus in 1999, playing Stacey Hanson.^[10] Lefevre continued attending McGill between shoots, but never finished her degree.^[13][14]

Lefevre appeared in the film Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, directed by George Clooney, in 2002. She appeared in the television movies Picking Up and Dropping Off with Scott Wolf, and See Jane Date, and had a role in the romantic comedy Hatley High in 2003. In 2004, she played Etta Place in the Calgary-filmed TV movie The Legend of Butch and Sundance. Lefevre moved to West Hollywood that year and appeared in the films Noel, directed by Chazz Palminteri and starring Penélope Cruz, and Head in the Clouds, also starring Cruz and Charlize Theron. In April 2004, Lefevre filmed the mystery-thriller The River King in Halifax, opposite Edward Burns.^[10]

Lefevre starred on the Fox sitcom Life on a Stick in 2005, playing Lily Ashton, a mall fast-food restaurant employee, and then appeared on the Fox series Pool Guys. She has guest-starred on numerous other TV series, including: Charmed, playing Olivia Callaway on the episode "Love's a Witch", playing Annie Isles in season five of Undressed, and appearing on the short-lived ABC series What About Brian for 11 episodes. Lefevre was cast as Annie Cartwright, the female lead in ABC's Life on Mars, a David E. Kelley remake of the original British TV series. She shot a pilot episode, but was replaced by Gretchen Mol when the series was revamped.^[15]

Twilight

Lefevre played the renegade vampire Victoria in the film Twilight (2008), based on the novel of the same name by Stephenie Meyer. Lefevre wrote an impassioned letter to the director, explaining her desire to work with the filmmaker.^[16] Lefevre described the essence of her character as "pure evil, pure instinct, pure malice, and very feline".^[17] After reading that the author used the word "feline" to describe her character's agility, Lefevre watched lion attacks on YouTube to separate the movements of her character from those of normal people.^[18] She also took trapeze classes in preparation for the wire work in the film.^[16] Lefevre spent hours working on the costumes for her character, and described herself as "obsessed" with vampires after reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at the age of 14.^[19]

Lefevre was, at times, overwhelmed by the scrutiny she received from her involvement with Twilight. She participated in a promotional tour in November 2008, where she met and signed autographs for Twilight fans at Hot Topic stores in the U.S.^[20] "It's the closest I will ever come in my life to being a rock star," she told The Canadian Press, describing an appearance on MuchMusic, where over 1,500 fans showed up in Toronto.^[21] Over 2,500 fans showed up at a Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City, where Lefevre appeared to promote the DVD release of the film.^[22] Overall though, Lefevre described herself as delighted by the attention and excitement of the fans.^[21] She appeared in New Moon, the film's sequel, based on Meyer's second novel,^[16] which she completed shooting in Vancouver in May 2009.

Lefevre did not reprise her role of Victoria in Eclipse, the third film of the Twilight series, and was replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard. Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the films, attributed the change to scheduling conflicts; Eclipse and Barney's Version, an independent Canadian feature Lefevre had signed on to, both began filming on August 17, 2009.^[23] Lefevre responded that she was "stunned" by the decision and "greatly saddened" not to continue her portrayal of Victoria, and never thought she would "lose the role over a 10 day overlap", in a statement to Access Hollywood.^[24] The studio responded in a counter-statement, "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story."^[25] Lefevre had appeared at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con to promote New Moon the weekend before she was replaced.^[26]

Enthusiastic fans of the series reacted to the news of Lefevre's replacement with online petitions urging her return, and "Bring Back Rachelle" became a top-trending topic on Twitter on the afternoon of July 29, 2009.^[25] Lefevre told Extra that she was "absolutely blown away" by support from fans, who also made her a tribute video on YouTube.^[27] Lefevre did not attend the Los Angeles premiere of New Moon, tweeting that the event "was just 2 emotional 4 me & I couldn't manage it."(sic)^[28]

2009–present

In 2009, Lefevre appeared in the CBC Television miniseries The Summit, filmed in Ontario, and completed the film Casino Jack, starring Kevin Spacey.^[29] In Casino Jack, she plays Emily J. Miller, a former press secretary for U.S. congressman Tom DeLay, who helped convict lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey) in a political scandal involving Native American tribes.^[11]

Lefevre appeared in Barney's Version, a film adaptation of the award-winning Canadian novel by Mordecai Richler. Lefevre plays Clara, a manic depressive feminist poet who becomes the first wife of protagonist Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti). Her scenes were filmed in Rome in August 2009. The production continued on location in Montreal and New York City.^[30] Soon after the shoot, in November 2009, Lefevre shot the suspense film The Caller in Puerto Rico along with actors Lorna Raver and Stephen Moyer.^[31] She replaced Brittany Murphy, who had exited the project.^[32]

Lefevre appeared in the pilot episode of the ABC drama series The Deep End on January 21, 2010.^[33] She starred in the drama series Off the Map as Dr. Ryan Clark, a young doctor working in a South American medical clinic.^[34] Developed by Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, the series was filmed in Hawaii, debuted on January 12, 2011 and ran for 13 episodes before being canceled.^[35] Lefevre was the voice of the 31st annual Genie Awards in March 2011, along with host William Shatner.^[36] She was also cast in the NBC pilot, Reconstruction (working title: The Crossing), a drama set during the American Civil War. Lefevre plays Anna, a widow who begins an affair with a soldier.^[37]

In 2011, Lefevre joined the cast of the CBS TV drama, A Gifted Man, playing a doctor.^[38] Beginning in June 2013, Lefevre starred in the CBS summer thriller, Under the Dome, based on the 2009 best-selling novel of the same name by Stephen King. Lefevre joined an ensemble cast. The series was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, which lasted for three seasons on the network, ending in September 2015.

In 2017, Lefevre joined the cast of Global's critically acclaimed original TV series, Mary Kills People for season two, premiering in January 2018. The series stars Caroline Dhavernas as Mary. Lefevre plays Olivia, sister of a victim from season one, who attempts to blackmail Mary.

In 2019, she played the lead role of Madeline Scott in the Fox legal drama Proven Innocent.^[39] The show was cancelled after one season.^[40]

Personal life and charity work

In 2009, Lefevre donated $100 for every 10,000 people who followed her on Twitter to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a breast cancer charity. She also launched an eBay auction for the charity School on Wheels in August 2009, which provides tutoring to homeless children in Southern California. Lefevre sold t-shirts and other merchandise signed by her fellow cast members from Twilight.^[41] She is also an active supporter of Best Friends Animal Society, appearing in a public service announcement on behalf of the organization in November 2009, urging the public to adopt their next pet.^[42] Lefevre is a socialist.^[43] She became an American citizen and endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders for president in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.^[44][45]

She is married to Chris Crary and has two children.^[46]

Filmography

Film

Television

References

1. ^ "Rachelle Lefevre Reveals Her Husband Has to 'Rein Me in Every Year' at the Holidays for This Reason (Exclusive)". People.com
2. ^ Castillo, Sara (August 12, 2008). "Love Totally Bites! We Talk with 'Twilight's' Edward and Victoria!". Fearnet. Retrieved on August 14, 2008.^{[dead link]}
3. ^ Loughrey-Grant, Taragh (2009-04-01). "Twilight Interview – Rachelle Lefevre". RTÉ Ten: The Entertainment Network. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
4. ^ Friede, Eva (2010-09-15). "Urban Expressions: Rachelle's Montreal". The Gazette. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
5. ^ VeniceMag.com. "Sales Inquiry VeniceMag.com || DomainNameSales.com". Venicemag.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
6. ^ "Hollywood Now: Our Favorite New Onscreen Couples (Paul Rudd & Am – InterfaithFamily". interfaithfamily.com. June 23, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
7. ^ Kelly, Brendan (April 20, 2008). "Montreal-born actress Rachelle Lefevre taking a bite out of Hollywood Archived 2011-11-04 at the Wayback Machine". Canwest News Service. Retrieved on April 1, 2009.
8. ^ Handley, Cassandra (November 1, 2008). "Q&A: Twilight’s Rachelle Lefevre". Vanity Fair. Retrieved on November 15, 2008. Archived November 9, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ Miller, Andrea (November 25, 2008). "Twilight Q&A Part Two: Fiery Canuck takes a bite out of vampire franchise". Cineplex Entertainment. Retrieved on January 7, 2009.
10. ^ "Canada's hottest up-and-coming directors, actors and writers". Playback. July 5, 2004.
11. ^ Shawna, Malcom (October 29, 2009). "'Twilight' boosts Rachelle Lefevre's career". Variety
12. ^ Merrin, Tara (March 19, 2005). "Sticking up for success". Calgary Sun. Archived October 22, 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
13. ^ Williamson, Kevin (November 22, 2008). "'Twilight' star enjoys villainous role^{[dead link]}". Jam!. Retrieved on November 23, 2008.
14. ^ Aurthur, Kate (August 26, 2013). "Cake Decorating With "Under The Dome" Star Rachelle Lefevre". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
15. ^ Dos Santos, Kristin (June 23, 2008). "Spoiler Chat: Heroes, Daisies, Gossip and More". E! Online. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.
16. ^ Thompson, Bob (November 26, 2008). "Bob Thompson: Rachelle Lefevre's Victoria will reign in Twilight sequels^{[dead link]} ". National Post. Retrieved on December 1, 2008.
17. ^ Chen, David (July 26, 2008). "Twilight's Rachael Lefevre Describes Method Acting, Pretended To Be a Cat To Prepare for Role". Slashfilm.com. Retrieved on July 26, 2008.
18. ^ Legel, Laremy (November 13, 2008). "Taylor Lautner, Rachelle Lefevre, and Edi Gathegi on Twilight^{[dead link]}". Film.com. Retrieved on November 15, 2008.
19. ^ "TWILIGHT's Rachelle Lefevre goes shopping with MySpace Celebrity". MySpace Celebrity. November 14, 2008. Retrieved on November 15, 2008.
20. ^ Zajac, Mandy. (November 10, 2008). "Fans to line up for ‘Twilight’ autographs in E.V.". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved on November 15, 2008. Archived January 11, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
21. ^ Szklarski, Cassandra (November 15, 2008). "Fervor, shrieks, mania greet cast of teen vampire movie 'Twilight' in Toronto^{[dead link]}". The Canadian Press. Retrieved on November 17, 2008.
22. ^ Magiera, Marcy (March 30, 2009). "Twilight year's best-selling DVD so far". Video Business. Archived 2009-08-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
23. ^ Zeitchik, Steven (July 29, 2009). "Howard to replace Lefevre in 3rd "Twilight" film". Reuters. Retrieved on July 29, 2009.
24. ^ "Rachelle Lefevre ‘Stunned’ Over ‘Eclipse’ Recasting". July 29, 2009. Access Hollywood. Retrieved on July 29, 2009.
25. ^ Lemire, Christy (July 29, 2009). "Lefevre 'stunned' Howard has her role in 'Eclipse'". Associated Press. Retrieved on July 29, 2009.
26. ^ "Canada's top stars at Comic-Con with Ryan's love Scarlett showing off svelte shape". July 27, 2009. Hellomagazine.ca. Retrieved on July 29, 2009. Archived August 2, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
27. ^ Quirk, Mary Beth (September 18, 2009). "Rachelle Lefevre “Blown Away” by Fan Support". OK!. Retrieved on September 23, 2009. Archived September 25, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
28. ^ Collins, Leah (November 17, 2009). "Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart were there, but jilted Rachelle Lefevre kisses off New Moon gala^{[dead link]}". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on November 20, 2009.
29. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (June 18, 2009). ""Twilight" star Rachelle Lefevre juggling several projects in Canada^{[dead link]}". The Canadian Press. Retrieved on July 5, 2009.
30. ^ "Barney's Version film gets rolling in Rome". August 20, 2009. CBC News. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
31. ^ Brugueras, Melba (November 25, 2009). "Ardientes escenas de sexo en filme The Caller". Primera Hora. Archived November 28, 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
32. ^ Angus, Kat (December 1, 2009). "Twilight New Moon actress replaces Brittany Murphy, who 'was not' fired from movie^{[dead link]}". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on December 6, 2009.
33. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (December 10, 2009). "Next Month, You'll Find Out How ABC Managed to Make Dallas Look Like Los Angeles". Dallas Observer. Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
34. ^ Duboff, Josh (July 23, 2010). "Industry Roundup: Shatner Gets Co-Star For $#*!, Burn Notice Prequel Planned". New York
35. ^ Kelly, Brendan (November 28, 2010). "Rachelle Lefevre, Caroline Dhavernas to star in new ABC medical drama". Montreal Gazette. Archived 2010-12-02 at the Wayback Machine.
36. ^ Barnard, Linda (March 7, 2011). "Genies up the star power for awards gala". The Toronto Star. Archived March 9, 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
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38. ^ Eng, Joyce (July 8, 2011). "Off the Map's Rachelle Lefevre Checks Into A Gifted Man". TVGuide. Archived 2011-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
39. ^ Ratledge, Ingela (January 8, 2019). "'Proven Innocent': Kelsey Grammer & Rachelle Lefevre on Facing Off in the New Legal Drama". TV Insider. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
40. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (May 11, 2019). "'Proven Innocent' Canceled At Fox After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
41. ^ Barnes, Brownyn & Levy, Karen (August 4, 2009). "First Look: Rachelle Lefevre's ebay Charity Auction". InStyle. Archived August 7, 2009 at the Wayback Machine.
42. ^ "'Twilight' actress Rachelle Lefevre films PSA for Best Friends Animal Society". Los Angeles Times. November 1, 2009.
43. ^ "@Aaron_Frost12 yup! I'm a socialist- never denied it!". Twitter. Retrieved 2013-10-28.
44. ^ Rachelle Lefevre (July 23, 2015). "Sen. Bernie Sanders making me wish I could vote in the U.S. #Skimm #FeelTheBern #SkimmLife theskimm.com/2015/07/21/ski … via @theSkimm". No. 624299195743227904.
45. ^ "My first vote as a US citizen! Proud to be an official, voting member of the #resistance. #california #primaries2018 #resist". May 28, 2018.
46. ^ "I'm happily married now with two kids, but I have fond memories of that time I was engaged to @maisonbirks 😉". March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
47. ^ Otterson, Joe (2017-06-12). "'Battle of the Network Stars' Sets Teams for Series Revival on ABC". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
48. ^ Ng, Philiana (March 11, 2018). "'Mary Kills People' Star Rachelle Lefevre Teases 'Intriguing' and 'Darker' Season 2 (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight
49. ^ Swartz, Tracy. "Meet the cast of 'Proven Innocent'". Chicago Tribune. Archived October 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
50. ^ Clarke, Stewart (2019-09-25). "Rachelle Lefevre, Matt Whelan Starring in 'The Sounds' for Acorn TV, Sky NZ, CBC". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
51. ^ The Secrets of Bella Vista