Natasha Henstridge

Natasha Henstridge

Natasha Henstridge, actor, model (b at Springdale, NL 15 Aug 1974). Natasha Henstridge is most recognised for her roles in the films Species and The Whole Nine Yards. The former made her an iconic sci-fi femme fatale.

Henstridge grew up in Fort McMurray, Alta, and after entering a modelling competition at age 13 and emerging as runner-up, she moved to Paris and appeared at 15 on her first magazine cover - France's Cosmopolitan. She went on to enjoy a successful modelling career, appearing in print ads and television commercials.

While her image had circulated internationally, her name was not widely known until Henstridge's appearance in Species, her first full-length acting effort. She played Sil, a creature created in a laboratory using alien DNA. Sil's rapid development and strong desire to breed make her a threat to humanity; the role made Henstridge one of cinema's most memorable aliens.

She has since taken parts in both film and television, returning briefly to sci-fi without much critical success (Ghosts of Mars, 2001, and 2 sequels to Species) but drawing more attention for work in drama and comedy. The most notable of her comedic roles was that of a contract killer's ex-wife in the 2000 movie The Whole Nine Yards, co-starring Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis. She has also starred in Hollywood movies opposite Jean Claude Van Damme in Maximum Risk (1996) and with Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow in Bounce (2000).

Henstridge returned to Canada for a leading role in the television miniseries Would Be Kings, for which she won a GEMINI AWARD (for best leading actress in a drama or miniseries) in 2008. She has also starred in the US-based dramatic series Eli Stone as Taylor Wethersby and in the action-comedy She Spies as Cassie McBain.

Natasha Henstridge continues to work in a broad range of film and television roles in both Canada and the US.