Erica Durance (; born June 21, 1978) is a Canadian actress known for her roles as Lois Lane on the superhero television series Smallville (2004–2011) and as Dr. Alex Reid on the medical drama series Saving Hope (2012–2017). She had a recurring role as Alura Zor-El on the Arrowverse superhero series Supergirl (2017–2019) and has also appeared in films such as The Butterfly Effect 2 (2006), Wedding Planner Mystery (2014), Painkillers (2015) and Color My World With Love (2022). Early life Durance was born in Calgary to parents Gail and Joel Durance, and grew up on a turkey farm with her older brother and sister in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada. She was trained as a classical singer from childhood. After graduating from high school, Durance moved to Vancouver in 1999, to pursue her interest in acting professionally. She continued to study acting at the Yaletown Actors Studio for many years with her coach and husband, David Palffy. Career Durance began her career with background work, graduating to commercials and guest-starring roles. Durance made her feature film debut in the movie The Untold (2002). She guest-starred on the comedy series The Chris Isaak Show and the supernatural series The Collector. In Tru Calling, her character was a contender in a beauty pageant opposite Eliza Dushku. On the SyFy Channel, she played an intergalactic librarian in Andromeda and a love interest for Teal'c on Stargate SG-1. While acting part-time, Durance worked as an agent for background actors and booked photo doubles for the television series Smallville. Durance was considering quitting acting when she was cast as Lois Lane on Smallville in 2004. She played a sassy, street-smart teenage Lois in season four. Producer Kelly Souders recalled hiring Durance, stating: "There were a lot of wonderful actresses who came in for the role, but I remember sitting and watching her tape and everybody was like, 'That’s her. There's no question'." Souders also noted that "Lois has to be one of the most difficult characters to play, because she's super-opinionated, extremely bright and a little abrupt, and at the same time she has to be likable." Fellow producer Brian Peterson added that from the moment Durance was hired they knew she would be Lois for the series. Durance was promoted to series regular in season five and became part of the regular cast for the remainder of the series run. On playing Lois Lane