As Petty Officer Anastasia Dualla on the hit TV series “Battlestar Galactica” (Sci-Fi Channel, 2004- ) actress Kandyse McClure held her own as the sole female officer in the midst of a testosterone-fueled combat center, surrounded by such heavy-hitters as star Edward James Olmos and co-star Michael Hogan.
Born in South Africa – incidentally, two years after the original 1978 “Galactica” series premiered – McClure has enjoyed a rapid career ascent in a relatively short period of time.
The 5’2” actress made her acting debut in the 1999 Hallmark telefilm “In a Class Of His Own” (Showtime), starring Lou Diamond Phillips. Her part was originally written for a male, but producers flipped the gender after McClure’s impressive and commanding audition – her first! She went on to appear in Fox Family Channel’s TV series “Higher Ground,” (2000) alongside future “Star Wars” prequel hunk Hayden Christensen, followed by MTV’s first feature film “2Gether,” (2000) and the USA Network’s TV horror flick, “Return to Cabin By the Lake” (2001).
Meanwhile she also made the leap to the big screen in a small role in the popular martial arts film “Romeo Must Die” (2000). But it was her turn as the popular, mean-spirited and ultimately doomed Sue Snell in the TV remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie” (NBC, 2002) that put her on the Hollywood map.
McClure also appeared in two episodes of the popular Fox series “Dark Angel” (2000-02) and in the Canadian television series “Da Vinci’s Inquest” (1998-2005) and “Level 9” (2000-01).