Rachel Luttrell – Bio, Spouse, Kids, About The Canadian-Tanzanian Actress

Quick Facts

An accomplished entertainer, Rachel Luttrell is an actress, dancer, and singer all in one package. The talented Canadian-Tanzanian star has her footprints in the film, television, and stage departments of the acting industry and has also shown great talents in the music industry. She also learned how to play piano and equally practiced ballet in Russia.

Rachel is mostly known for her TV role in Stargate Atlantis and on stage, she performed in Canadian productions of Miss Saigon, as well as Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. More details about the multifaceted entertainer as you keep reading.

Rachel Luttrell’s Bio

Of mixed ethnicity, the actress was born on 19 January 1971, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Her mother is Veronica Makihio Shenkunde Luttrell who is originally from the Washambala tribe of The Usambara Mountains while her father has been identified as Dr. William Leon Luttrell from Bossier City, Louisiana. Her father is a man of academic repute and a professor of Economics at the University of Dar es Salaam.

Rachel is the second of four daughters in her family and together, they immigrated to Canada around the mid-1970s when she was five years old, thus, she grew up in Toronto. From an early age, Rachel began to groom her musical side, thanks to her father who sang in the acclaimed Toronto Mendelssohn Choir during his active years. He helped in training her soprano voice while she gained knowledge of playing the piano at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She equally studied ballet at the Russian Academy of Classical Ballet School as well.

Career Exploits

Like most thespians, Rachel Luttrell started from the stage and worked her way to the silver screen. Her first professional outing on stage was in Miss Saigon – the Canadian production in Toronto, she followed it up with her portrayal of The Enchantress in Disney’s Beauty And The Beast – another Canadian production. Other stage productions, including Once On This Island, Goblin Market, and Las Meninas, have her markings on them.

To further grow her brand and take her career a notch higher, a move to Los Angeles became paramount. After relocating to the Southern California city, Rachel Luttrell began to scoop up spots on television series. Nevertheless, fame didn’t come easy for her as she once considered quitting the entertainment industry because some of the roles she was getting were not up to her standard. At this point, she nursed the idea of enrolling in UCLA to study Architecture instead of acting.

Instead of leaving the industry entirely, the actress moved to the United Kingdom where she studied at the British American Drama Association, taking a midsummer course at Balliol College, Oxford. The move proved productive upon her return to the United States – she joined the cast of Stargate Atlantis. Her role as Teyla Emmagan in the American-Canadian television series is still her most acclaimed so far. She stayed on Stargate Atlantis from 2004 to 2009 and has also appeared on other shows including Street Legal, , Charmed, ER, Touched by an Angel, True Justice, and .

Her film debut was made in the 1986 TV film Courage. Other film credits to her name include Feast of All Saints (2001), Everyday Use (2003), A Dog’s Breakfast (2007) and Hardwired (2009), among others.

On the musical side of her career exploits, Rachel dropped her first Jazz album I Wish You Love in 2011. The musical offering was produced by Austrian record producer Gerrit Kinkel with Jazz icons including Jeff Hamilton, Jennifer Leitham, Graham Dechter and Konrad Paszkudzki making feature appearances.

Rachel Luttrell’s Family, Spouse, And Kids

The actress is married to Loyd Bateman with whom she shares two children. Their kids – Caden Dar Bateman and Ridley Asha Bateman were born on born 10 October 2007 and 5 October 2012, respectively. Luttrell’s husband also works in the entertainment circle as a stunt performer. He has appeared as a stunt double for several movies stars, including , , and . He has also extended his tentacles to other areas like directing and has won an award as a cinematographer. Rachel Luttrell and her husband also manage a production company called Feral Child Productions.

Rachel’s sisters are Amanda Luttrell Garrigus, Erica Luttrell, and Gillian Luttrell Anderson. The sisters also have Swahili middle names from the birth country, Tanzania. Rachel’s Swahili name is Zawadi which means ‘gift’. Erica is also an actress while Amanda is an on-air personality in the fashion and entertainment industry.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.