There’s little doubt that Summer Glau has managed to accomplish a heck of a lot in a relatively short amount of time, as she only kicked off her professional acting career in 2002 with a guest spot on the series Angel. That same year, however, she set geek hearts the world over aflutter with her role as the enigmatic River Tam on the short-lived yet beloved TV show Firefly, which was eventually spun off into the 2005 cult film Serenity.
And, although she’s taken on starring roles in such series as The Unit and The 4400, Summer Glau’s ongoing stint as a protective cyborg on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has proved instrumental in widening her appeal beyond the nerd bSummer Glau’s ability to crawl into the skin of wholly unusual characters has made her a favorite within the sci-fi community, and her unexpectedly layered take on a killing machine in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles caught the attention of a legion of new fans.
Cast alongside beauties like Lena Headey and Shirley Manson, Summer Glau has, with seemingly little effort, managed to establish herself as a sex symbol for the sci-fi crowd. Her stellar work on the series recently won her a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Television Actress, and although she had to share the prize with Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell, this win placed her ahead of such small-screen hotties as Jennifer Carpenter and Hayden Panettiere. rigade.