# Chelah Horsdal

Chelah Horsdal (born June 19, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her regular roles in the television series Hell on Wheels, When Calls the Heart, and The Man in the High Castle, recurring roles on Stargate SG-1, Level Up, Arrow, and Star Trek: Discovery, and for her roles in the films Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

## Early life

Horsdal was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She says she "was born to hippie parents while surrounded by friends and family on the 'farm' Headacres."
She is the daughter of mother Lindsay and folksinger father Valdy. She grew up with her mother in Kitsilano and attended Bayview Elementary followed by Lord Byng Secondary. She began modelling in locally shot TV shows and commercials at 18, and then lived in the Caribbean for a year.

## Career

Horsdal began her acting career in 2002. She has since appeared in more than 75 commercials as well as in films and on television. She has played lead and supporting roles on Hell on Wheels, The Man In the High Castle, When Calls the Heart, Candiland, Patterson's Wager, Three Weeks, Three Kids, On Strike For Christmas, Marley & Me: The Puppy Years, and Lifetime's The Client List. She had lead roles in Lying To Be Perfect and Mrs. Miracle.
Additional credits include leads on the feature Burning Mussolini, Nickelodeon's Gym Teacher: The Movie, co-starring Christopher Meloni and Amy Sedaris, Flirting with Forty with Heather Locklear and the FOX TV pilot The Virgin of Akron, Ohio. Supporting leads include Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem for 20th Century Fox and Possession alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar, as well as Elegy with Ben Kingsley and Penélope Cruz and Rise of the Planet of the Apes with John Lithgow and James Franco.
Her performances in the short films Dark Room (2006) and The Hostage (2010) both earned Leo nominations for Best Performance. Recurring roles include Battlestar Galactica, Exes & Ohs, The L Word, Stargate: SG1, Saved, DaVinci's Inquest, Whistler, Blackstone, Clue and Cartoon Network's Level Up.
The Hostage, for which Horsdal was nominated for Best Actress at the 2011 Leos, co-starred and was produced by Tahmoh Penikett and Aleks Paunovic. Horsdal was nominated for four more Leo Awards for her guest starring turn on Arctic Air (2013), for Hell on Wheels and When Calls the Heart, and for Patterson's Wager.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004 | The Truth About Miranda | Jan | |
| 2004 | Pursued | Sharon | |
| 2005 | Dark Room | Alice | Short Nominated – Leo Award for Best Performance by a Female in a Short Drama |
| 2006 | The Pink Panther | Security Guard | |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | Minivan Mother | |
| 2006 | Hollow Man 2 | Blind Secretary | |
| 2007 | Ashes Fall | Joanna | Short |
| 2007 | Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem | Darcy Benson | |
| 2008 | Elegy | Susan Reese | |
| 2008 | Passengers | Janice | |
| 2009 | Alien Trespass | Betsy's Mother | |
| 2009 | Possession | Miranda | |
| 2009 | Burning Mussolini | Cheryll Witherspoon | |
| 2009 | Helen | Kara | |
| 2010 | Altitude | Mrs. Taylor | |
| 2010 | The Hostage | The Lover | Short Nominated – Leo Award for Best Performance by a Female in a Short Drama |
| 2010 | Birth Day | Patricia | Short |
| 2011 | The Cabin in the Woods | Demo Girl | |
| 2011 | Marley & Me: The Puppy Years | Carol Grogan | Video |
| 2011 | Rise of the Planet of the Apes | Irena | |
| 2011 | Something Old, Something New | Bridesmaid | Short |
| 2011 | Everything and Everyone | Amanda | |
| 2013 | Kill for Me | Maria Klein | Video |
| 2013 | Midnight Stallion | Rita Shepard | |
| 2013 | Hunting Season | Nancy | |
| 2013 | No Clue | Alice | |
| 2014 | The Grim Sleeper | Livi Vasquez | |
| 2014 | If I Stay | Liddy | |
| 2015 | Patterson's Wager | Audrey | Nominated – Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Motion Picture |
| 2015 | Even Lambs Have Teeth | Abby | |
| 2015 | The Role of Della | Emma | Short |
| 2015 | Gord's Brother | Amanda | Short |
| 2016 | Candiland | Tess / The Queen | Won – Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Award for Best Actress |
| 2018 | Boundaries | Therapist | |
| 2019 | Noelle | Dr. Shelley Sussman | |
| 2019 | Ash | Gail | |
| 2019 | Last Stand to Nowhere | Wylona Earp | Short |
| 2020 | Spontaneous | Denise Hovemeyer | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | Andromeda | Misabo Ahm | "Pieces of Eight" |
| 2004 | Still Life | Tammi | "Not Fade Away" |
| 2004 | Five Days to Midnight | Stefani | TV miniseries; 5 episodes |
| 2004 | The Dead Zone | Janet Miller | "Collision" |
| 2004 | Cold Squad | Dr. Walker | "Voices Over Water" |
| 2004–06 | Stargate SG-1 | Lt. Womack | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2005 | Renegadepress.com | Mrs. Annie Tropek | "The Power of Love" |
| 2005 | The 4400 | Jeanine | "Wake-Up Call" |
| 2005 | Criminal Minds | Heather Woodland | "Extreme Aggressor" |
| 2005 | Reunion | Jane Kelsey | "1988" |
| 2005 | Masters of Horror | Frances Elwood | "Dreams in the Witch-House" |
| 2005 | Smallville | Dr. McCann | "Lexmas" |
| 2005 | Supernatural | Librarian | "Hook Man" |
| 2006 | The Evidence | Ivy Beckman | "Five Little Indians" |
| 2006 | Fallen | Lori Corbett | TV movie |
| 2006 | Whistler | Janet | "The Burden of Truth", "Will the Real Beck...?", "Meltdown" |
| 2006 | Saved | Gail Esterbrook | "A Shock to the System", "Tango" |
| 2006–08 | The L Word | Sally | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2007 | The Virgin of Akron, Ohio | Juliet | "Pilot" |
| 2007 | Psych | Beth | "Game, Set... Muuurder?" |
| 2007 | A Decent Proposal | Cynthia Lewis | TV film |
| 2007 | Battlestar Galactica | Didi Cassidy | "Crossroads: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2007 | Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness | Cindy | TV film |
| 2007 | Perfect Child | Jen | TV film |
| 2007 | Bionic Woman | Suicidal Woman | Episode: "Paradise Lost" |
| 2007–11 | Exes and Ohs | Lauren Brooks | Recurring role; 3 episodes |
| 2008 | Robson Arms | Shania | "Cherchez la Femme" |
| 2008 | Every Second Counts | Mrs. Alcott | TV film |
| 2008 | Gym Teacher: The Movie | Winnie Bleeker | TV film |
| 2008 | Stargate: Atlantis | Erran | "Tracker" |
| 2008 | Flirting with Forty | Anne | TV film |
| 2008 | Past Lies | Danielle | TV film |
| 2008 | Inseparable | Sara | TV film |
| 2009 | Come Dance at My Wedding | Nancy Reed | TV film |
| 2009 | The Guard | Kathy | "Out of the Woods" |
| 2009 | Eureka | Mary-Beth Curtis | "Insane in the P-Brane" |
| 2009 | Defying Gravity | Dr. Tina Winkler | "Bacon" |
| 2009 | Stargate Universe | Inman | "Variety" |
| 2009 | Mrs. Miracle | Kate Preston | TV film |
| 2010 | Lying to Be Perfect | Nancy | TV film |
| 2010 | The Client List | Doreen | TV film |
| 2010 | On Strike for Christmas | Sharon | TV film |
| 2010 | Life Unexpected | Prosecutor | Episode: "Stand Taken" |
| 2010 | Betwixt | Vanessa | TV film |
| 2011 | Identity | Lisa Curtis | TV film |
| 2011 | Fairly Legal | Brooke Keller | "Priceless" |
| 2011 | Iron Golem | Deputy Jenny | TV film |
| 2011 | Endgame | Olivia Davis | "Fearful Symmetry" |
| 2011 | Three Weeks, Three Kids | Mandy Norton | TV film |
| 2011 | Clue | Headmistress Kroger | Enter the Order of Black, School for Conspiracy |
| 2011 | Wishing Well | Kara Turner | TV film Nominated – UBCP/ACTRA Award for Best Actress |
| 2011–13 | Blackstone | Angie Gold | Recurring role; 4 episodes |
| 2012 | The Killing | Kellie Hopkins | "Openings" |
| 2012 | Emily Owens, M.D. | Marian Kramden | "Pilot" |
| 2012 | It's Christmas, Carol! | Tanya | TV film |
| 2012 | The Selection | Magda Singer | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2012–13 | Level Up | Barbara | Recurring role; 11 episodes |
| 2012–14 | Arrow | Kate Spencer | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2013 | Rita | Alicia | TV film |
| 2013 | I Am Victor | Samantha | TV film |
| 2013 | Arctic Air | Tara | "Dangerous Cargo" Nominated – Leo Award for Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (2013) |
| 2013 | Motive | Deana Mitchell | "Against All Odds" |
| 2013 | Package Deal | Megan | "Kangaroo Court" |
| 2013–16 | Hell on Wheels | Maggie Palmer | Main role; (14 episodes) Nominated – Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (2015) Nominated – Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (2016) |
| 2014 | Sole Custody | Ann | TV film |
| 2014 | When Calls the Heart | Cat Montgomery | Main role; (10 episodes) Nominated – Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (2015) |
| 2014 | Cedar Cove | Dr. Carmen | "Letting Go: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 2015 | The Returned | Kris | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Proof | Colleen Seavers | "Pilot" |
| 2015 | Unreal | Louise | "Fly", "Savior" |
| 2015 | Falling Skies | Alicia | "Respite" |
| 2015–2019 | The Man in the High Castle | Helen Smith | Main role; (35 episodes) Won – Leo Award for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series (2017) |
| 2016 | Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce | Marianne Gallagher | "Let Her Eat Cake" |
| 2016 | Pretty Little Addict | Donna Phillips | TV film |
| 2016-2017 | You Me Her | Lori Matherfield | Recurring role; 15 episodes |
| 2017 | Rogue | Kathryn Farese | "Pool Boy" |
| 2017 | When We Rise | Emily | "1.3" |
| 2018 | The Good Doctor | Tessa | "Seven Reasons" |
| 2019 | The 100 | Simone Lightbourne | "Red Sun Rising" |
| 2021–2023 | Firefly Lane | Margie Mularkey | Recurring role; 17 episodes |
| 2021–2024 | Star Trek: Discovery | President Laira Rillak | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
| 2023 | Prom Pact | Mrs. Lansing | TV Movie |