Julia Chan


Julia Chan, also known as Julia Taylor Ross, is an English actress and television host. She is best known for her portrayal of Sophia in the 2011 horror film Silent House, Dr. Maggie Lin in the 2012–2017 television series Saving Hope, and as co-host of The Great Canadian Baking Show. Chan currently stars as Pepper Smith in The CW television series Katy Keene.

Early life and education

Chan's father, Roy Chan, is a Hong Kong–based solicitor of Chinese heritage; her mother Lorna, is a Canadian ballerina. She was raised in Cheshire and attended University College, in London, England, and then attended Harvard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. While at Harvard, she frequently acted at the nearby American Repertory Theater. Chan graduated with a BA in History of Art and Architecture. She received her master's degree from New York's New School of Drama in 2010. Chan married Erik Ratensperger on January 21, 2011, and the couple resided in Los Angeles, California. They later divorced on April 22, 2019.

Career

While still at graduate school, she garnered a role in the Global Television Network's Rookie Blue . From 2011 to 2017 Chan played regular series character Dr. Maggie Lin for five seasons on CTV's Saving Hope, which was carried in the U.S. by NBC. She appeared in the role of Sophia in Silent House, a 2011 American horror film directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, and the following year the romantic comedy film Missed Connections.
Chan has appeared in two Canadian television programs, miniseries Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures and series Republic of Doyle. In 2015, Chan appeared in the movie, Ava's Possessions. Chan has also made guest appearances in episodes of Gotham and Schitt's Creek.
She hosted The Great Canadian Baking Show with Dan Levy, which premiered November 1, 2017, on CBC. Chan returned as host for the second season in 2018, but neither she nor Levy returned for the show's third season.
On February 21, 2019, it was announced that she had landed the role of Pepper Smith in The CW's Katy Keene, a spin-off series of Riverdale which started airing in 2020. She stars alongside Lucy Hale, Ashleigh Murray, and Jonny Beauchamp.

Filmography

;TV series
;Film