Rachel Skarsten

Rachel Skarsten is a Canadian actor currently playing one of her most high-profile roles yet: Alice/Beth Kane in The CW series Batwoman. Her other major roles have included Elizabeth I in Reign, Tamsin in Lost Girl, Dinah Redmond in Birds of Prey, and Andrea in box-office smash 50 Shades of Grey.

Skarsten was born in Toronto, Canada in 1985. She was classically trained in dance, music, and visual arts before being discovered by an agent as a teenager. In 1998, she got her first major role in the Canadian series Little Men, intended as a continuation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name. The role saw her nominated for an ensemble award at the 2000 Young Artists Awards. In 2002, she was cast in Birds of Prey, a major series set in a post-Batman Gotham City. Having relocated to Los Angeles for the role, Skarsten returned to Toronto after filming to complete a degree in English Literature. This done, she then returned to acting with roles in numerous major Canadian series.

In 2013, she was cast as Tamsin in the third season of the internationally successful supernatural drama Lost Girls, remaining with the show until its 2015 conclusion. That year, she appeared in 50 Shades of Grey, the iconic film that grossed over 570 million dollars at the box office. She also began portraying Elizabeth I in Reign, a Canadian drama series based on the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. Being cast as the sister to the title character in Batwoman, however, has ensured that her career has reached a new height.