Samantha Ferris (born November 2, 1968) is a Canadian actress, best known for her starring role as Nina Jarvis on The 4400 and her recurring role as Ellen Harvelle on Supernatural.
Ferris began her career as a radio announcer[1] and in the mid-1990s was a television reporter[1] for the Bellingham, Washington station KVOS-TV 12 and Vancouver's BCTV, where she went by the name Janie Ferris.
[citation needed] After the death of her father she decided to change careers and become an actress.
[1] She has had many starring and supporting television roles, her most notable being Sandra Cassandra on Beggars and Choosers,[1] Nina Jarvis on The 4400,[2] Lt. Alexa Brenner on The Evidence and Ellen Harvelle on Supernatural.
[1] Other television roles include that of deckhand Pollux in the episode "Dirty Hands" of Battlestar Galactica,[3][4] as well as roles in Smallville,[5] Stargate SG-1,[5] The L Word,[4] V and a series of TV movies featuring The Gourmet Detective.