Rachel Zawadi Luttrell was born 19th January 1971 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, the daughter of Veronica Makihio Shenkunde Luttrell of the Washambala tribe of the Usambara Mountains, and Dr William Leon Luttrell from Bossier City, Louisiana. She is one of four daughters. Her family emigrated to Canada when she was five years old, and she was raised in Toronto. Her family has several musical roots, her father, a former member of the critically acclaimed Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, trained Luttrell's soprano voice. She studied ballet at the Russian Academy of Classical Ballet School and studied piano at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.
Luttrell made her professional débuts in Canada's premier production of Miss Saigon in Toronto, and as The Enchantress in the Canadian production of Disney's Beauty and The Beast. She would go on to appear in many other stage productions, such as Once on This Island, Goblin Market and the premiere performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage's Las Meninas.
Following a move to Los Angeles, Luttrell would go on to appear in many guest star roles on television series. Frustrated with some of the roles being offered to her at the time, she was considering giving up on her acting career and enrolling at UCLA to study architecture. She ventured to the UK instead and studied at the British American Drama Association on a midsummer course at Balliol College, Oxford. Shortly after her return to Los Angeles, Luttrell was cast in her most high-profile role to date, as Teyla Emmagan on Stargate Atlantis.
She also appeared in the Canadian movie A Dog's Breakfast, which was directed by her Stargate Atlantis co-star David Hewlett.
In 2011 Luttrell released her debut jazz album I Wish You Love, which was produced by Austrian record producer Gerrit Kinkel and features Jeff Hamilton, Jennifer Leitham, Graham Dechter, and Konrad Paszkudzki.
Luttrell is married to Loyd Bateman; they have two children together. Luttrell has two younger sisters, Erica Luttrell, who is also an actress, and Amanda Luttrell Garrigus, who is an on-air personality for fashion and entertainment. Luttrell is sometimes credited as Rachel Z. Luttrell.
Film Career:
- 1986 Courage
- 1992 Personal Effects
- 1995 House
- 1996 Joe's So Mean to Josephine
- 2001 Feast of All Saints
- 2001 Impostor
- 2003 Everyday Use
- 2004 Stop Thief!
- 2005 The Aviary
- 2007 A Dog's Breakfast
- 2009 Hardwired
Television Career:
- 1989-1993 Street Legal
- 1992 Forever Knight
- 1993 Maniac Mansion
- 1995 The Great Defender
- 1997 Dogs
- 1997 In the House
- 1998 Damon
- 1998 Sleepwalkers
- 2001 Charmed
- 2001 ER
- 2002 Touched by an Angel
- 2004-2009 Stargate Atlantis
- 2011 True Justice
- 2011 NCIS
- 2013 NCIS: Los Angeles
- 2015 No Sleep Till 18
- 2016 Arrow
- 2018 Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce
- 2019 The I-Land
