Who is Lexa Doig?
Alexandra Lecciones ‘Lexa’ Doig, is a Canadian actress of English, Scottish, Irish and Filipino heritage, born on 8th June 1973 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At 5ft 6in (1.68m) tall and weighing 115lbs (52kgs), the talented brunette is also known for being married to Michael Shanks.
Family & Education
Lexa was brought up in a two-parent household alongside her older brother Ted, with their father David Doig working as an engineer and petroleum executive officer, and their mother Gloria Lecciones as a registered nurse. It appears that acting runs in the family, as two of Lexa’s cousins – Rey-Philip Santos and Rowland Santos – also pursued a career in the entertainment industry later in life.
Despite enrolling at Don Mills Collegiate Institute, Lexa dropped out in her senior year to chase her dreams of becoming a renowned actress. A multitalented individual, the future star also took rhythmic gymnastics classes as a child, and learned American Sign Language in her adolescence.
First Roles
Launching her artistic career as a model and commercials actress, Lexa’s first acting role came in 1993, with a bit part in “The Hidden Room”. The following year, she was cast as Cowgirl in “TekWar” and “TekWar: TekLords”, two sci-fi TV movies based on William Shatner’s futuristic short story of the same title. Lexa’s character was also explored in six episodes over a two-year period in the TV series “TekWar”.
In 1995, Lexa was cast as Spider in “Battleground”, a gritty R-rated sci-fi thriller starring Roddy Piper, Torri Higginson among other talents. The next year, she played Netta in “Taking the Falls”, an obscure Canadian series of the mid-1990s which wasn’t renewed for a second season. However, the occasional professional setback did nothing to hinder Lexa’s promising career, as she soon landed a recurring role in 25 episodes of “Flash Gordon”. Playing Dale Arden in the animated action series based on the Alex Raymond comic strip, Lexa was one of the main characters and Flash’s love interest.
Still searching for her niche in the industry after bringing various roles to life, Lexa played Tina Backus in the late-1990s cop series “CI5: The New Professionals”. From tracking down illegal ivory hunters to rescuing kidnapped scientists, Lexa made sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats and was a fan favorite despite a lack of character development.
Notable Roles
Lexa’s big break came in 2000, as she became one of the leading ladies of “Andromeda”, an adventure-packed sci-fi series which ran for a total of five years and was nominated for prestigious awards, including a Certificate of Merit at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Fans were left heartbroken when the series came to an end after five seasons and a total of 110 episodes, but were thrilled to see Lexa in “Stargate SG-1”, another sci-fi series which wrapped up after season ten. Other notable roles include Lexa’s portrayal of Sonya Valentine in “Continuum”, a futuristic series set in 2077, and starring Rachel Nicols as a detective who hunts down Vancouver’s future criminals, and her time on the set of “The Arrangement”, a gripping drama series narrating the journey of an actress who’s offered a $10 million wedding contract with Hollywood’s biggest star.
Personal Life
After a year on the set of “Andromeda”, Lexa connected with her future husband Michael, when he guest-starred as Gabriel in ‘Star-Crossed’, one of season one’s last episodes.
With Michael cast as Lexa’s love interest, the duo hit it off immediately, and had their first real-life date at a cozy Spanish restaurant on the same day. According to the gorgeous actress, she and Michael spent the whole evening chatting, and were exhausted at work the day after. Interestingly, Lexa was in a challenging long-distance relationship when she met Michael, but knew that she had to break up with her then-partner, as soon as she got to know the charismatic actor better. From then on, the pair were virtually glued at the hip, and went everywhere together, be it an “Andromeda” convention or a spontaneous trip to Europe.
The pair became Mr. and Mrs after two years of a steady relationship, but when asked about the proposal in an interview, Lexa admitted that there wasn’t one, saying: “We went down to Diamonds Direct and picked out a ring together.
It was like going to buy furniture or an appliance. We aren’t very romantic!”. Getting straight back to work after an intimate wedding ceremony, Michael and Lexa missed out on a honeymoon, and immediately settled into the reality of day-to-day life as a busy married couple.
The actor had a daughter, Tatiana, from a previous relationship with the French Polynesian actress Vaitiare Bandera, and went on to have two more children with Lexa: Mia Tabitha Shanks, born in September 2004, and Samuel David Shanks born in March 2006. In 2005, Lexa was cast as Dr. Carolyn Lam in the ninth season of “Stargate SG-1”, the series in which Michael played Dr. Daniel Jackson, one of the main characters. The pair had a great time working together, with Lexa describing the experience as “very comfortable” and “a lot of fun”. Described by many as a small-screen power couple, the secret of Lexa and Michael’s success to a stable, long-lasting marriage is communication, and sharing the same sense of humor.
The pair also try out each other’s favorite hobbies, such as hiking and video-games, although apparently Michael refuses to watch Lexa’s favorite show – “RuPaul’s Drag Race” – with her.
Net Worth
Entering her third decade in the entertainment industry, Lexa’s net worth is estimated at over $1 million as of early 2022, a sum that’s set to increase in the upcoming months with the release of new projects such as “Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: Haunted by Murder”. Meanwhile, Michael is reputedly worth $2 million after starring in “Hope” and “Stargate G-1”. The Canadian is also exploring his writing, directing and producing talents, with several projects in the pipeline.
