Jewel Belair Staite is a Canadian actress, born on 2 June 1982, and she is known for her roles as Kaylee Frye in the Fox television series “Firefly” and its spin-off theatrical film “Serenity”. Staite also starred as Catalina in “Space Cases” and Becca Fisher in “Flash Forward”. Additionally, she is well-known for appearing in TV series such as “Stargate Atlantis”, “The L.A. Complex”, and more.
The actress also acted as a voice actor in the animated TV series “Sabrina: The Animated Series and Mummies Alive!”, which led to one the most significant roles in her career, or at least the one she is mainly known for – the TV series “Firefly”, which was filmed in 2002 and 2003.
Jewel started out as a child actress. As the story goes, she was fortunate to be spotted by an agent when she was at a shopping mall at a young age. She was just five at the time but had already started her career as a child model. A few years later, she was introduced into the acting world, and her acting career officially began in 1991 when she was 9.
When one considers that she started so early, her impressive repertoire won’t be much of a surprise. It is known that starting at an early age gives a slight edge for a career in a field as saturated as acting. Jewel is one of those who have used this edge to their advantage and taken the chances they have had. Keep reading to learn more about her career, achievements and life. We begin with these ten interesting facts about Jewel Belair Staite.
10 interesting Jewel Belair Staite facts
- Jewel was discovered early, giving her an early start as she worked as a child model before becoming an actress. She was spotted by an agent while out shopping with her mother in a shopping mall in Vancouver, Canada.
- Jewel Belair Staite is from a close-knit family, and she is the youngest of seven children. As an adult, she now lives just a few blocks away from her parents, with whom she remains close.
- The actress helps raise money for AIDS charities that provide funds for awareness and research about the disease. This project means a lot to her because she once lost an uncle to an AIDs related illness.
- Staite put on 20 pounds when she played Kaylee in “Firefly” in 2002 TV series, and she later appeared in the adapted motion picture of the series, titled “Serenity” in 2005.
- In 1993, Staite appeared in one episode of The X Files, and David Duchovny’s character had to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the storyline.
- Though she featured in one TV production in 1991, Jewel Staite only made her film debut in 1995, playing the role of Samantha in “Gold Diggers: The Secrets of Bear Mountain”.
- Jewel may be best known for her work as an actress, but she has also worked behind the camera as executive producer for the 2016 comedy film “How to Plan an Orgy in A Small Town”.
- She has been married twice. Her first husband was the actor Matt Anderson who she married in 2003. Sadly, the couple divorced in 2011, and she then married Charlie Ritchie in 2016.
- Jewel Staite has a son with her husband, Charlie Ritchie, named Wilder Cathcart Ritchie, and he was born when she was 33.
- According to Celebrity Networth, Jewel Staite has a net worth of $1 million in 2020.
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Early life and education
Staite was born in White Rock, British Columbia, and she was the youngest of seven children. The actress modelled as a child and began acting at six. She has stated that she is of British, Irish, French Canadian, and Iroquois ancestry. Jewel Staite attended the Vancouver Film School and worked at the Vancouver Youth Theatre.
Career – movies and TV series
Staite began her career as a child actress, with appearances in television movies such as CBC‘s “Liar, Liar”. Then in 1995, she had a key guest-starring role in a third-season episode of “The X-Files”, titled Oubliette. Her career gradually took off after that, and she started getting more significant roles.
Space Cases
“Space Cases” is a Canadian science fiction television series that aired on Nickelodeon for two seasons. The show’s premise revolves around a group of misfit students and two adults stranded far from home aboard an alien ship, ‘The Christa’. Their attempts at journeying back see many dangerous adventures and controversies, with some occasionally more mature themes.
Jewel Staite played the role of Catalina, a rainbow-haired female ship engineer from Titan, a moon of Saturn. She was the go-to girl for engineering problems on ‘The Christa’ throughout the first season. Catalina also possesses a highly competitive streak and an ongoing rivalry with Harlan over almost every subject.
Stargate Atlantis
“Stargate Atlantis” is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series. It follows the events of Stargate SG-1’s seventh season finale episode “Lost City” and eighth season premiere episode “New Order”, in which the cast discovered an Antarctic outpost created by the alien race known as the Ancients.
In the pilot episode “Rising”, Dr Daniel Jackson discovers the location of Atlantis, the legendary city created by the Ancients, and Stargate Command sends an international team to investigate it. The series was a ratings success for the Sci-Fi Channel and was particularly popular in Europe and Australia.
Jewel joined the series in its third season as a guest actor. In the fourth season, she became a recurring cast member, and by its final season, she had joined the main cast. She played the role of Jennifer Keller, the Chief of Medicine on Atlantis, who replaces Dr Beckett in the third-season finale. She is listed as a main character after Carson Beckett’s death.
Kaylee from Firefly
“Firefly” is an American space Western drama television series. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew of Serenity, a “Firefly-class” spaceship. The show explores the lives of people, some of whom fought on the losing side of a civil war, who make a living on the fringes of society as part of the pioneer culture of their star system.
Jewel Staite featured in a main role as Kaywinnet Lee “Kaylee” Frye, the ship’s mechanic. In the episode “Out of Gas”, it is established that she has no formal training but keeps Serenity running with an intuitive gift for the workings of mechanical equipment. In 2005 on Radio Free Entertainment, Staite explains Kaylee’s character as being wholesome, sweet, and “completely genuine in that sweetness”. The actress added, “she loves being on that ship. She loves all of those people. And she is the only one who loves all of them incredibly genuinely.”
The L.A. Complex
“The L.A. Complex” is a Canadian drama television series. The series follows the lives of twenty-year-olds living in the same apartment complex in L.A. trying to make it as actors, dancers, producers and comedians. Relationships begin and end, the need to succeed is tested and all characters are pushed to their breaking points.
Jewel Staite as Raquel Westbrook, a 30-year-old, cynical, once successful actress from Halifax who fears her career is now over.
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Personal life
Jewel has been married twice in her life. The Canadian actress was married for the first time to Matt Anderson in 2003. Eventually, the union ended in 2012, and as per the reports, the reason for the duo’s divorce was Jewel having an extra-marital affair. It is rumoured that Matt filed for divorce after discovering that Jewel was secretly dating Charlie Ritchie while still being married to him.
Few months after her divorce from her first husband, Jewel immediately started dating Charlie Ritchie publicly. In May 2015, they became engaged, and she later announced that she was pregnant with her first child, a boy. On 9 December 2015, she announced her son Wilder Cathcart Ritchie’s birth and married Charlie on 23 July 2016.
How old is Jewel Staite?
It is not strange that one of the frequently asked questions about Jewel has to do with her age. This can be traced to how she started early and has been in the industry for three decades already. Another reason may be her babyface which naturally can be confusing.
Latest news – where is Jewel Staite now?
In 2019, Jewel Staite played Phyllis in four episodes of “The Magicians” season 4. More recently, she was series lead, Abigail Bianchi, in the 2020 Canadian drama series “Family Law”. In 2021, Staite was among the celebrities that supported Stand Up To Cancer 2021 (SU2C) TV broadcast.
Jewel Belair Staite net worth
As aforementioned, the Canadian actress has an estimated net worth of $1 million. Her primary source of income is her acting career which has seen her appear in several lucrative roles over the years.
Jewel Staite nude, topless and hot photos
Internet users have shown interest in Jewel Staite nude photos after she appeared in racy scenes in several movies and TV series.
Conclusion
Jewel Staite career has gone on for the longest time, but it is said that she hasn’t actually made it big just yet. This may be because she is yet to be involved in huge projects. However, her success as an actress is not diminished by this. With well over 50 features across TV and film, Jewel has more than established herself as an actor worth her salt. Indeed, there are more accomplishments in her future.
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