Ksenia Solo

{{short description|Latvian-Canadian actress (born 1987)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}

{{Infobox person

| image = Ksenia Solo in 2011 (cropped).jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Solo in 2011

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|10|8|df=y}}

| birth_place = Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union

| occupation = Actress

| yearsactive = 2000–present

}}

Ksenia Solo (born 8 October 1987; pronounced {{IPAc-en|k|ə|'|s|ɛ|n|j|ə|nbsp|ˈ|s|oʊ|l|oʊ}}{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r137RqCmMvk|title=Ksenia Solo on 'In Search of Fellini' |publisher= Photon Films and Media |date=2018-01-13|accessdate=2022-09-02|time=0:20}}) is a Latvian-Canadian actress known for portraying Mackenzie "Kenzi" Malikov on Lost Girl. She portrayed Peggy Shippen on Turn: Washington's Spies. Solo also portrayed the character "Natasha" in the 2010 American television series Life Unexpected and Shay Davydov in Season 3 of Orphan Black.

As of 2024, her most recent work was in the main cast for the two seasons of the series Project Blue Book (2019–20).

Early life

Solo was born in Riga{{Twitter|KseniaSolo/status/331942684841365504|Ksenia Solo: "I was born in Riga!"}} and is of Russian heritage.[https://web.archive.org/web/20200414180405/http://nidi.online/ksenia-solo-profile-biography-pictures-news/ Ksenia Solo Biography][http://www.listal.com/ksenia-solo/ Ksenia Solo Biography] At the age of five, she moved with her family to Toronto, where she was raised.{{cite journal |last=Randoja |first=Ingrid |date=November 2010 |title=Ksenia Solo Dances with the Stars |journal=Cineplex Magazine |volume=11 |issue=11 |page=14 |publisher=Cineplex Entertainment |url=http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/FamousMagazineArchive/NOV2010/EN/FullMag_November2010.pdf |access-date=5 August 2013 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303172048/http://mediafiles.cineplex.com/FamousMagazineArchive/NOV2010/EN/FullMag_November2010.pdf |url-status=dead }} She studied ballet until the age of 14, when a back injury forced her to stop;{{cite web |url=http://thecelebritycafe.com/2010/11/ksenia-solo-2 |title=Ksenia Solo Interview |date=6 November 2010 |website=TheCelebrityCafe.com Magazine |access-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327054820/http://thecelebritycafe.com/2010/11/ksenia-solo-2/ |archive-date=27 March 2017 |url-status=dead }} her mother is a former ballerina-turned-actress.{{cite web |url=http://www.teen.com/2010/11/30/celebrities/the-new-star/ksenia-solo-black-swan-interview/ |title=Exclusive! 'Black Swan' Star Ksenia Solo Talks Nat Portman — and Chanel! |last=Longman |first=Haley |website=Teen.com |publisher=Alloy Media, LLC |date=30 November 2010 |access-date=21 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812125143/http://www.teen.com/2010/11/30/celebrities/the-new-star/ksenia-solo-black-swan-interview/ |archive-date=12 August 2017 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://ellegirl.elle.com/girl-gossip/2010/q-a-ksenia-solo/ |title=Q & A: Ksenia Solo |last=Cooperberg |first=Anna |website=Elle Girl |date=23 August 2010 |access-date=21 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710182125/http://ellegirl.elle.com/girl-gossip/2010/q-a-ksenia-solo/ |archive-date=10 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}

Career

Solo played Zoey Jones on the APTN series renegadepress.com. In both 2005 and 2006, she won the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series for her work on the show.{{cite web |url=http://veritefilms.ca/awards/renegadepresscom |title=Awards - Renegadepress.com |website=Vérité Films |publisher=OH! Media |access-date=17 June 2013 |archive-date=12 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812213523/http://veritefilms.ca/awards/renegadepresscom |url-status=dead }} She went on to appear in other Canadian television series and movies, such as the films Love Thy Neighbor and Mayday, as well as guest-starring on the television series Kojak.

In 2010, Solo played a small role in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. From 2010 to 2011 she played Natasha Siviac in the CW series Life Unexpected. From 2010 to 2015, she starred as Kenzi in the Showcase series Lost Girl; Solo's heritage and fluency in the Russian language were written into the role. She was cast as Dodge in the pilot episode of Locke & Key,{{cite web |url=http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/21/foxs-locke-key-finds-its-dodge/ |title=Fox's Locke & Key Finds Its Dodge |last=Melrose |first=Kevin |website=Comic Book Resources |date=21 February 2011 |access-date=21 February 2011 |archive-date=22 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110222080301/http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2011/02/21/foxs-locke-key-finds-its-dodge/ |url-status=dead }} but the series was not picked up by Fox. In 2013, Solo began filming the independent film Another You on location in Charleston, West Virginia.{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/another-you-starring-ksenia-solo-and-diego-boneta-207747841.html |title='ANOTHER YOU' Starring Ksenia Solo And Diego Boneta|publisher=Prnewswire.com |date=16 May 2013 |access-date=25 June 2014}}

In 2015, Solo joined the main cast of Turn: Washington's Spies as Peggy Shippen.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lost-girl-favorite-boards-amcs-735981|title='Lost Girl' Favorite Boards AMC's 'Turn' (Exclusive)|first=Lesley|last=Goldberg|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=26 September 2014}} She also had a recurring role in Season 3 of Orphan Black as Shay.{{cite web|url=http://www.afterellen.com/tv/401073-lost-girl-star-ksenia-solo-join-orphan-black|title="Lost Girl" star Ksenia Solo to join 'Orphan Black'|work=AfterEllen}}

Solo is actively involved with the anti-bullying foundation Stand for the Silent, and was made one of their directors.{{cite web |url=https://celebrityping.com/ksenia-solo/ |title=Ksenia Solo (Canadian-Latvian Actress) {{!}} Celebrity Ping |website=celebrityping.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805112923/https://celebrityping.com/ksenia-solo/ |archive-date=2018-08-05}}

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2001

|{{sortname|A|Man of Substance|nolink=1}}

|Hannah

|Short film

2001

|My Louisiana Sky

|Abby Lynn Anders

|

2001

|What Girls Learn

|Girl

|

2002

|Sins of the Father

|Lucinda

|

2003

|{{sortname|The|Republic of Love}}

|Micheline

|

2003

|Defending Our Kids: The Julie Posey Story

|Kristyn Posey

|

2006

|Love Thy Neighbor

|Erin Benson

|

2010

|Black Swan

|Veronica

|

2011

|{{sortname|The|Factory|The Factory (2012 film)}}

|Emma

|

2016

|Pet

|Holly Garling

|

2017

| Another You

|Sydney Jameson

|

2017

|In Search of Fellini

|Lucy

|

2017

|Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle

|Anna

|

= Television =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

2000

|I Was a Sixth Grade Alien

|Xhanthippe

|Episode: "Bride of Pleskit!"

2000

|Earth: Final Conflict

|Kathy Simmons

|Episode: "Take No Prisoners"

2002

|Adventure Inc.

|Natalie

|Episode: "Village of the Lost"

2004

|Missing

|Megan Hahn

|Episode: "Judgement Day"

2004–08

|renegadepress.com

|Zoey Jones

|Main role (Seasons 1–5); 52 episodes
Won {{ndash}} Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (2005){{cite web|title=APTN Programs Win Gemini Awards|url=http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/broadcasting/aptn-programs-win-gemini-awards/1000046231/|website=Broadcaster Magazine|access-date=17 February 2017|date=22 November 2005}}
Won {{ndash}} Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series (2006){{cite web|title=APTN Series Wins Gemini Award|url=http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/broadcasting/aptn-series-wins-gemini-award/1000057755/|website=Broadcaster Magazine|access-date=17 February 2017|date=20 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217143339/http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/broadcasting/aptn-series-wins-gemini-award/1000057755/|archive-date=17 February 2017|url-status=dead}}

2005

|Kojak

|Angela Howard

|Episode: "All Bets Off: Part 1"

2007

|Cold Case

|Lena

|Episode: "Cargo"

2008

|Moonlight

|Bonnie Morrow

|Episode: "Fated to Pretend"

2009

|Crime Stories

|Waitress

|Episode: "The Happy Face Killer"

2009

|{{sortname|The|Cleaner|The Cleaner (American TV series)}}

|Callie Bell

|Episode: "Cinderella"

2010–11

|Life Unexpected

|Natasha Siviac

|Main role (Seasons 1–2); 13 episodes

2010–15

|Lost Girl

|Mackenzie "Kenzi" Malikov

|Main role (Seasons 1–5); 67 episodes
Won {{ndash}} Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Series (2011){{cite web|title=26th Annual Gemini Awards 2011|url=http://geminiawards.tribute.ca/|website=geminiawards.tribute.ca|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306071433/http://geminiawards.tribute.ca/|url-status=dead}}
Nominated {{ndash}} Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Series (2013){{cite web|title=2013 nominees|url=http://www.backalleyfilms.ca/pressPDFs/2013TVFullCSAnom.pdf|website=backalleyfilms.ca|access-date=17 February 2017}}

2011

|Nikita

|Irina

|Episode: "Alexandra"

2011

|Locke & Key

|Dodge

|Unsold Fox pilot

2012

|Lost Girl Finale Pre-Show

|as self

|Showcase TV special

2013

|Lost Girl ConFAEdential

|as self

|Showcase TV special

2013

|UPYURS6

|Kenzi

|Lost Girl webisode

2013

|Lost Girl: An Evening at the Clubhouse

|as self

|Showcase TV special

2015–17

| Turn: Washington's Spies

| Peggy Shippen

| Main role (Seasons 2–4); 20 episodes

2015

| Orphan Black

| Shay Davydov

| Recurring role (Season 3); 6 episodes

2018

| The Simpsons

| Anastasia Alekova (voice)

| Episode: "From Russia Without Love"

2019–20

| Project Blue Book

| Susie Miller

| Main role (Seasons 1–2); 20 episodes

References

{{Reflist|30em}}