Kristin Kreuk
Kristin Kreuk is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Lana Lang on the popular television series *Smallville*, which aired from 2001 to 2011. Born on December 30, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Kreuk has a multicultural background, with a Dutch father and a Chinese mother. She began her career at age nineteen, initially starring in the Canadian teen soap opera *Edgemont*. Kreuk's early acting credits also include the television movie *Snow White: The Fairest of Them All* and the miniseries *Legend of Earthsea*.
Beyond *Smallville*, she has appeared in various television shows, such as *Chuck* and *Beauty & the Beast*, and films like *EuroTrip* and *Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li*. Recently, she starred in the Canadian legal drama *Burden of Proof* and is set to appear in the upcoming Fox series *Murder in a Small Town*. In addition to acting, Kreuk has been a spokesperson for Neutrogena since 2002 and co-founded a project called Girls by Design that focuses on empowering young girls. Active in charitable efforts, she supports causes related to energy conservation and humanitarian aid.
Subject Terms
Kristin Kreuk
Actor
- Born: December 30, 1982
Contribution: Canadian actor Kristin Kreuk played the role of Lana Lang on the American television show Smallville (2001–2011) for eight seasons. In addition to other television and film roles, Kreuk is a spokesperson for the skincare company Neutrogena.
Early Life & Education
Kristin Laura Kreuk was born on December 30, 1982, in Vancouver, British Columbia, the older of two daughters born to landscape architects Peter Kreuk and Deanna Che. Kreuk’s father is of Dutch dissent and her mother is of Chinese descent.
Kreuk graduated from Eric Hamber Secondary School in Vancouver, where she acted in musicals, competed in gymnastics at the national level, and earned a purple belt in karate. She began acting professional at age nineteen, when she was cast in the Canadian television series Edgemont (2001–2005), a teen soap opera.
Acting Career
From 2001 to 2003, Kreuk played Laurel Yeung on Edgemont, set at a Vancouver-area high school. Despite her lack of acting experience, Kreuk was encouraged to audition for the production by a high school drama teacher.
In 2001, she was cast as Snow White for the television movie Snow White: The Fairest of Them All (2001), which was filmed in Vancouver and aired on the American network ABC. In 2004, she played the role of Tenar in Legend of Earthsea (2004), a miniseries on the Sci-Fi Channel, which was also shot in Vancouver.
Following these early successes, Kreuk auditioned for a series being developed for the WB Television Network. The show, Smallville, told the story of Clark Kent, played by Tom Welling, during his teenage years, before he became Superman. Kreuk was cast as Lana Lang, Clark’s first love. After that, she appeared as Hannah, a computer technician, in multiple episodes of the American series Chuck (2007–2012). She also played Tirzah in the Canadian television film of Ben Hur in 2010.
In addition to her television career, Kreuk appeared in a number of films, including EuroTrip (2004), Partition (2007), and the short film Dream Princess (2006), a retelling of Sleeping Beauty by graphic novelist Kaare Andrews. Most notably, she played the title role in Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li in 2009. In 2012, Kreuk began appearing in the role of Catherine Chandler in the television series Beauty & the Beast.
Between 2018 and 2021, Kreuk appeared in thirty-four episodes of the Canadian legal drama series Burden of Proof. She played the lead role of Attorney Joanna Hanley Chang on the show, which played in Canada on the CBC network and was part of the CW summer lineup in the United States.
In 2024, she had another starring role in the Fox series Murder in a Small Town. Kreuk played Cassandra Lee in the crime drama set in coastal town.
Kreuk is a spokesperson for the skincare company Neutrogena, a role she has held since 2002. Along with her friend Kendra Voth, Kreuk is also the founder of Girls by Design, a project that works to empower teenage girls through creative and educational projects.
Personal Life
A resident of Vancouver, Kreuk has been active in numerous charitable causes, including Team Power Smart, devoted to energy conservation, Greenpeace, UNICEF, and the American Red Cross.
Bibliography
Andreeva, Nellie. "Fox Orders ‘Murder In A Small Town’ Drama Series Starring Rossif Sutherland & Kristin Kreuk Under New International Content Strategy." Deadline, 14 Dec. 2023, deadline.com/2023/12/murder-in-a-small-town-series-rossif-sutherland-kristin-kreuk-international-content-strategy-1235662906/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
Ausiello, Michael. “Exclusive: ‘Smallville’ Heroine Kristin Kreuk Joins ‘Chuck.’” Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner Inc., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Grobar, Matt. "CBC Drama ‘Burden Of Truth’ Ends With Season 4." Deadline, 18 Mar. 2021, deadline.com/2021/03/burden-of-truth-ends-with-season-4-cbc-news-1234717676/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2024.
“Kristin Kreuk as Detective Catherine Chandler.” Cwtv.com. CBS Corporation, 2013. Web. Aug. 15 2013.
“Kristin Kreuk.” New York Times. New York Times Co., 2013. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Phillips, Jevon. “Six Questions With Chun-Li (Kristin Kreuk).” Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company, 27 Feb. 2009. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.
Strachan, Alex. “Kristin Kreuk Finds Beauty.” Canada.com. Postmedia News, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 15 Aug. 2013.